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How to Attract Catfish to Your Fishing Hole

How to Attract Catfish to Your Fishing Hole

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Jug fishing and chumming are two fishing techniques that you can use to effectively lure catfish to your fishing hole and increase the number of strikes. When chumming, it is important to understand that you will catch small fish with large fish mixed in, whereas when jug fishing you will primarily catch larger fish that remain close to the bottom. Either technique will work and can be used together, separately or at different intervals throughout the day.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Jug Fishing

Things You’ll Need:
  • Fishing line, 120-lb. test
  • Soda bottle, 2-l. size
  • Hooks, 2/0 size
  • Bait
  • Grain, such as milo or wheat
  • Beer, 12 ozs.
  • Sugar, 2 tbsp.
Step 1
Thread 120-lb. test mainline around the neck of a 2-liter soda bottle or foam float, which you can purchase online or at a fishing tackle store.
Step 2
Attach 2/0 hooks. Pass the tag end of your mainline through the eye of the hook. Pull it back and over the hook and then pull tightly to close the knot.
Step 3
Thread bait onto your hook, which can be anything from minnows to catfish bait balls.
Step 4
Add a 1-lb. to 2-lb. weight, approximately 1 inch to 2 inches from the last hook. You can use one hook or up to 100 hooks when jug fishing for catfish.
Step 5
Drop about 25 to 30 feet of line into your fishing hole to attract catfish.

Chumming

Step 1
Throw out your catfish chum, which can include grain that has been fermented with water, 12 ozs. of beer and 2 tbsps. of sugar and kept in a closed, but not sealed, container for several days. The grain releases gases that must escape during the fermentation process. Gather a handful of chum and throw it out into the water, not over the sides of the boat. Throw the chum outward and away from the boat.
Step 2
Spread the catfish chum out over a large area, which will mask the whole area with the scent of chum and attract more catfish. Choose four to five areas, each set about 100 yards apart.
Step 3
Use a landmark or buoy to mark each location or take a visual measurement.
Step 4
Navigate back to the first area where you threw catfish chum into the water. Cast your line and wait for strikes. Work your way from the first to the last area that you marked, either visually or with a marker. It is safe to start making your way over to your first location after just a few minutes. It doesn't take catfish long to approach the chum and start feeding.

Tips & Warnings

 
You can purchase catfish chum that is already fermented and ready for use.

Resources

Article Written By Charlie Gaston

Charlie Gaston has written numerous instructional articles on topics ranging from business to communications and estate planning. Gaston holds a bachelor's degree in international business and a master's degree in communications. She is fluent in Spanish and has extensive travel experience.

Write for Trails.com

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