Five Catfish Fishing Tips

When you fish for catfish, you look forward to catching the big one. Well, you might not catch the world's record, but you can catch some nice sized fish if you use the right bait, presentation and go at the right time of day.

You also have to have the right fishing gear and the weather should be right. You can catch your share of catfish if you follow some of these five catfish fishing tips. Not saying that you have to do everything, but you might do a combination of things to make sure you go home with the meal for the night.

Bait is another tip you want to know about when you are fishing for catfish. The catfish can smell the bait from a distance. This is why anglers like to use stinky bait.

There are anglers that use a minnow and a jig, but many like to use something that stinks more because the catfish is like a scavenger and smells blood, garlic, chicken livers, ivory soap and dead fish. You want to use bait that will make the catfish come to you if you do not know where they are.

The cats will smell this and come to investigate. Some people use chumming as a way to bring the cats running, but many water prohibit this process.

Presentation is vital to catching catfish. You want to do a slow troll and hit some of the areas where the catfish will lay in wait of the baitfish. It is possible to sit in one place and drop you bait to the bottom and then bring it up about six to ten inches, but then you should be using a stinky bait so as to attract the fish to the bait. You can easily drop into the zone if you know where the fish are hiding.

Weather plays a role in the activities of a catfish. If the water is rough due to wind, the catfish are going deep. If the water is calm, they will be in the shallow waters. One thing to keep in mind is that the day hours are not great for fishing cats, but a dark and dreary day may be just perfect.

You should look for days when the water is somewhat rough so the water kicks up the bottom and creates a strained water condition. Otherwise, nights are the best for fishing catfish.

Time of day is important when you are fishing for cats. Catfish are night feeders by habit, but it is possible to find some out during the day if the conditions are right. Since the catfish is a night feeder, you can easily fish the waters at night closer to shore when they are more active.

If you are trying to catch the big ones, you will probably have to be in water about five to eight feet deep. You can sit or troll at night with the right bait and catch enough cats to feed the family all week.