Thread: Need some catfish wisdom

I would be cautious of boat traffic this weekend. I dodge noodles and respect noodle fisherman but I am a fisherman. The pleasure boaters this weekend might not be so kind. Find less traveled area if possible. Good luck!

Live bait is not allowed on jugs, they are non-game fishing devices. Very Illegal. Also, save yourself a lot of hassle and do not fish them at night, I tried it one night and lost 2 in the same night rode for 2 hours looking for them with reflective tape on the jugs. They are something you have to stay right with even in the daylight. I use fairly big noodles and cats over 10lbs will take off with them and disappear. I also would not recommend using more than 5 or 6 at night. Please read up on the regulations before you go, as it is clear from your post you have not read them very well. Right now most pole fishermen hate jug fishermen because of things that the bad ones do, do yourself a favor and don't become one of the bad ones. Be responsible and stay right with the jugs, never leave them.

If you can find a bar of freshwater clams, that is a good place to start, We usually fish varying depths from 6-12 ft with the water being 18-20 ft. All jugs drifting.

Originally Posted by mattbowen61990

Live bait is not allowed on jugs, they are non-game fishing devices. Very Illegal. Also, save yourself a lot of hassle and do not fish them at night, I tried it one night and lost 2 in the same night rode for 2 hours looking for them with reflective tape on the jugs. They are something you have to stay right with even in the daylight. I use fairly big noodles and cats over 10lbs will take off with them and disappear. I also would not recommend using more than 5 or 6 at night. Please read up on the regulations before you go, as it is clear from your post you have not read them very well. Right now most pole fishermen hate jug fishermen because of things that the bad ones do, do yourself a favor and don't become one of the bad ones. Be responsible and stay right with the jugs, never leave them.

Good advice. and don't forget to ID your devices. Name, phone # and NCWRC ID #(on your fishing license).

Yeah, be careful not to set your jugs near where friends of yours might find them, or they could end up mysteriously moving one cove away by themselves. My buddy Colby and I did that to another friend's jugs on Jordan one night. He swore he'd set around the bend in the other cove & just couldn't imagine how all his jugs had moved a couple hundred yards... He also caught nicer cats than he usually did, so we really did him a favor. He thought it was funny when we told him (probably because he caught bigger fish), but at the time he thought he was either losing his mind or somebody stole 'em. That's what friends are for.

Jim

So no live bait then what's the best legal option? How deep and where do I fish?
TW

Use the bait you had planned to use but cut the heads off and use the heads on other jugs. That gives the cat a better blood and oil trail to follow anyway.

You can use cut bait of any kind, you can also use things like dip baits, punch baits, and other things. Our favorite is a 1" piece of cut eel, and cut shad. Please fish them during the day first, and then you may not want to try them at night. They are a handful to keep up with when boat traffic gets rough, The slightest chop makes them hard to see even during mid day light.