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Catfish Fishing Techniques

Cat fishing in a fast deep current can be a challenging experience but it is my favorite type of fishing to do. Cat fish are bottom feeders and to catch them in swift water creeks and rivers you have to make sure your bait is close to the bottom for the cat fish be lured to it.

Stink baits or craw fish are the baits I use to catch nice size catfish. I love the way they attack the bait and fight as I reel them in.

I have a favorite fishing spot that I use daily and all times of the year winter or summer. I was always impressed at the quality of cat fish that I angled from the spot. I had a special way of setting up for swift water and deep water retrieval. I use craw fish as bait during the day and at night I used night crawlers and stink baits. Fishing in swift water in about fifteen foot depths, the current requires a pretty hefty piece of led weight to  hold it on the bottom. I have used the pyramid shaped sinkers that normally used for ocean fishing to hold my bait in a location, it works great and I have caught many fish using these types of sinkers.

The trick to not getting hung up in swift water by obstacles you can not see from the surface is critical. After I bait the stainless steel hook I attach a rubber band from the eye of the hook to the barb. It holds the bait on nicely and does not hinder the fish from biting the hook. This technique has save me many hours of re-stringing and putting new tackle on my fishing line.

Using fluorescent fishing line works wonders at night when you are fishing with lanterns for light. You can keep a close eye on the tautness of your line while it is in the water. During the night time fishing I fish the same way but I add a little secret weapon in to the mix. I bought a box of those fluorescent light pens you can buy at a local army whole sale store. With a roll of electrical tape I adhere it to the tip of my fishing rod. It shows up great and gives off just enough light to let me see the movement of my rod tip. This has been a valuable tool in my tackle box because I can tell when the catfish is nibbling or taking the bait.

I have on occasion noticed certain things that I have accidentally discovered. I noticed one after noon that the cat fish were not biting as well as they had been in the early morning hours. The few fish I caught were not hitting the bait I had brought with me. I took one of the cat fish and split him open to see what he had been eating. It was much to my surprise that the cat fishes stomach had wild grapes in it. I was curious and took some of the wild grapes from the vine that was over hanging the bank and tried one on my hook. Sure enough the

biggest cat fish of the day was caught on a wild grape.

I guess it goes with out reason that cat fish will eat many different things when in season. It is always nice to find new things that work, especially when the cat fish are not biting any thing else. I have on occasion fished the local ponds in my area and have had great success with that type of fishing too. Fishing with bobbers and very little lead weights attached to my line. The bobber will let you know if anything is messing with the bait. I have caught many catfish using a bobber in ponds.

The main thing about cat fishing techniques the more you try different approaches on how you fish the better fisherman you will be. With these two type of fishing patience will land you the most fish, you just have to think like a catfish and try to figure out where they might be during the day or night time fishing.