Trouble Catching Catfish?

Catching catfish is supposed to be easy. You can use about anything and they will eat it. You have followed the advice of all the experts. Maybe even me. You have a good rod and reel. You maybe even have three or four of them in the water. So why aren’t you catching any catfish.

There are a few things you might be doing wrong. Maybe you or someone your with is tossing rocks into the water or maybe you are wading in the water. Catfish scare easily and will leave quickly if they sense danger. Even you shadow on the water can spook them.

You may not have the right bait. Catfish like stinky bait. Cut bait, chicken livers, shrimp, cheese and night crawlers are some of the most common baits used. My preference is cut baits but that doesn’t always work either. It’s always a good idea to have a few choices available and switch them up if you aren’t getting any bites.

Are you getting bites but no takers? Your hook might be too big. Experiment with a couple of different hook sizes and see what works. A few two to five pound catfish are better than zero unless all you want to do is to catch is the big one. I have caught many catfish over ten pounds with a number two hook, which many catfish anglers will tell you is too small, while filling my stringer with the smaller ones.

Maybe your hook stinks. “But wait” you say “isn’t my bait supposed to stink?” Yes, your bait is supposed to stink but your hook is not. If you smoke, have suntan lotion or insect repellent on your hands the scent can be transferred to your hook and line. Catfish have an extra sensitive sense of smell and they may not like what they are smelling.

Still not catching catfish? Try another location.

Doug Burns is founder of CatfishAngling.com. A leading source for tips, tricks and information on catfish fishing. Doug has been an avid angler for 35 years and a steady contributor.

Have a Question? I will be happy to answer it. CatfishAngling.com