subject: Jug Fishing For Catfish [print this page] Jug Fishing For Catfish Jug Fishing For Catfish
Jug Fishing History
Jug fishing for catfish is a form of setline fishing that has gained tremendous popularity over the past ten years or so. While many anglers still prefer the tried and true setline techniques of fishing with trotlines, limb lines, bank lines and yo-yo's there is a new breed of catfish angler that has emerged over the past ten years that prefers jug fishing over these other more traditional techniques of setline fishing.
Jug fishing has many "slang" terms that it is referred to which often confuses people. some other popular terms used to describe jug fishing are:
Jugline Fishing
Jug Line Fishing
Juggin'
Jugging
Bottle Fishing
Milk Jug Fishing
One of the appeals of jug fishing for catfish is the fact that there is a very low cost to get started with this form of fishing and it can be a very successful method of catfishing. Fishing with jugs instead of using more traditional lines (like trotlines) also offers increased flexibility which is part of the reason for the increased popularity.
For years, anglers would spend significant time setting trotlines and getting them placed and then would find that they were not catching catfish. The problem with this was then the time involved to pull up and move the trotline to a new location on the lake or river when it was not producing. The portability of jug fishing alleviates these issues.
Another reason for the popularity increase in jug fishing is the advancements made in the catfish jugs and commercially available juglines like those outlined in the making catfish jugs book. These "new breeds" of catfish jugs have revolutionized the world of jug fishing.
Jugging is a very easy way to get started catfishing and is an especially good technique for getting kids interested, as there is often non stop action and there is always something to do when juggin'.
Basic Techniques
The basic strategies behind jug fishing and very simple. Take a series of jugline rigs, set them out over an area of water baited with different baits and covering different depths and wait for some action.
Obviously this is a simplistic view of these technique but these are really the basics of getting started in the most simplistic terms possible.
Once the jugline rigs have been set for a while, you can collect the inactive ones that are not producing and move them to new locations and work towards increasing your effectiveness of catching fish. Once you determine that magic depth and structure that holds the target species of catfish then you will be very busy hauling in fish and baiting hooks on your other jugline rigs.
Building Catfish Jugs
Building a jug fishing rig can be a simple or advanced process. Some anglers choose a basic setup like a bleach bottle or coke bottle while others choose more advanced jugline rigs.
Once you have your choice of jugs established you should determine if you want to use a drifting jugline or anchored fishing jugs.
Drifting models typically involved a short piece of twine with a hook at the bottom and are meant to float across the water. Anchored models have a larger weight at the bottom (most often one pound) and are meant to stay in relatively the same location.
There are positives and negatives to both and if you are not sure which jugging rig you prefer or that will work best for you experiment with both and see what works best and then proceed with making more catfish jugs from there.
Once you have your jug and determined if you want anchored or drifting jugs you can proceed with rigging. This will require the following supplies:
#18 braided nylon twine (main line for anchored setups only)
#9 braided nylon twine ( leaders for drifting setups only)
Hooks (like circle hooks or kahle hooks)
Swivels (for anchored juglines)
Split shot weights (for drifting models)
1 Lb weights (for anchored models)
Rigging the drifting jugs is as simple as cutting a piece of #9 twine 2-3 feet long (or loner if preferred). Tie one end to the jugline and the other end to a hook. Add a small split shot sinker a few inches above the hook and you are ready to start fishing.
The anchored setups are a bit more involved. Cut a length of #18 twine and attach one end to the catfish jugs and the opposite end to the one pound weight. Three feet above the weight attach a swivel using a cats paw knot and then add a leader of #9 twine about 12 inches long, then attach the hook.
Move up three more feet and add another swivel, hook and leader. Most anglers prefer to only use two hooks but some will use more. Adding additional hooks to the catfish jugs increases the risk of being hooked so anglers should exercise caution.
As with any form of fishing, you should research your state and local laws prior to jug fishing for catfish. There may be regulations governing the size, color or number of hooks when jug fishing for catfish. In addition jugging is illegal in some states.
