Fishing always offers a unique experience; it gets better when you are fishing for one of the common and highly demanded fish species. Catfish is one of such fish species; they grow to varying lengths and are very delicious when cooked. However, I am not writing this post to discuss the features of catfish rather the methods of catching the fish with special rigs.
Catfish River Rigs
The term catfish river rigs developed over the years as anglers found different ways to create rigs that always attracted the catfish. The goal is always to land as many fish as possible, and this is possible when you use the best catfish rigs.
Setting up your rig
There are some other concerns that you should consider while planning to set up your catfish rigs. At the top of the list is the bait you plan to use as a lure for catfish. Your bait can be live or one of the artificial lures found in the market, then you need to choose the right hooks for catfish.
Catfish are much bigger than other freshwater fish species such as crappies, so you should ensure the size of hooks you use for your catfish rig is adequate to trap and secure any catfish that bites your lures.
Let’s now talk about using your catfish rig. This part can be tricky, but with some practice, you will become a pro in no time. The catfish rig has some essential parts; you can make one independently or buy a catfish rig from the market.
Parts of a catfish rig
The parts of a catfish rig will vary depending on the type you have made or bought. Basically the set up features the main line, the leader line, swivels, sinkers or bobbers, the hook and your bait.
Coupling the rig
You can proceed to couple a catfish rig after getting all the components you want to use. First, you need to attach the main line to your fishing rod, and then fix your swivels, and if you want to float your lures, you can attach a bobber or sinker if you want to set the lure at a particular depth where you have located catfish.
Baiting catfish
As I mentioned earlier, it is important to locate schools of catfish before setting your line in the river. This increases the chances of landing more catfish. You can bait catfish by casting your line in the river, the sinker keeps your line, and the hook below water level and the bobber helps to maintain firmness. Your swivels allow the hook attached to your leader line to have a free movement, the current underwater sways your hook, and the attached lure attracts catfish. When the fish come closer and take bites, the catfish get caught by your hook.
The length of your lead and main line depends on the depth at which you have located catfish. You can control the main line with your fishing rod.
Catfish rigs can be used independently, or you can set them up as a trot line which holds multiple catfish rigs. This is a commercial fishing technique used by anglers to land more fish.
In conclusion, the main points to note when using a catfish rig is the bait, choose a lure that will attract catfish, and use a fish finder to locate schools of catfish in the river.
Related:
