Three Secret Catfish Fishing Techniques

If you are interested in joining the thousands of anglers that enjoy the sport of catfish fishing, then you need to know the three secret catfish fishing techniques that work.

Not only do you need to use a good technique, but you also must present the best bait while following the regulations on the specific water you are fishing. Some waters allow you to lure the catfish with chum and some forbid it. Some have times when you can fish and some have regulations for what you can and cannot do on the water.

Vertical Drop

When you use the vertical drop method of fishing for catfish, you want to drop the bait right into the zone. It should be about six inches or so off the bottom. You will drop the bait to the bottom and then reel the line in so that the bait is hovering over the bottom floor. Sometimes, you will catch a bit on the way down if you are in the right area. This is a popular technique for catching catfish. Nighttime anglers will use this method more often than drifting or trolling in large waters. You have to find the area where the catfish are known to frequent and set up shop.

Trolling

Trolling is another technique that allows the angler to catch the catfish. You can cover a large area when you troll. Most anglers prefer to sit in one area, but sometimes trolling works out just find for catfish fishing. If you do troll, you want to make sure that you do not move too fast. If you are catfish fishing at night, you may need to drift instead of disturbing the water. If you do use trolling, you should only move at about two miles per hour.

Casting

Casting is another technique for catching catfish. You may not be able to get close enough to the location of the fish either because of water conditions or because you are fishing from shore, but when you cast, you should cast past the catfish and slowly bring the bait back into the zone. Casting into the zone will scare the fish away. You can cast before the zone, but chances are that the fish is not going to follow the bait as you slowly reel it in or keep it off the bottom.

Drifting

Many anglers will set up the boat and drift. This means that whichever way the wind is blowing or the water is moving, so will you. You can cover a large area this way, but you might also move out of range of where the catfish are known to lurk. You will have to experiment to see if drifting is working or not.

Sometimes drifting and fishing for the catfish can work and sometimes, depending on the weather, it can work against you.