Catfish Rigging

Catfish Rigging
by gunner

Let’s talk about rigging for catfish. There are a few different ways and in different situations each has it purpose. There is the slip rig, the three way rig and the tie rig to name a few. These are the three I use most. From a boat the three way rig is best if there is any current at all. From the bank the slip rig and the tie rig work best. Let’s look at these one at a time…

Three way rig:

A number of ways to set this rig up. One of the most common is to have a lighter line for the weighted end. This way if you would happen to get a snag, you can put your line free without losing the entire rig. That is always a great idea. 10 pound test is in my opinion the best test for this. It is strong enough for casting and yet will break if you need it to without too much strain. Then all you lose is the sinker. The length of this line from swivel to sinker depends on where the fish are. Watch the fish finder/depth finder, if the fish are suspending a foot or two off the bottom, you have your length. You want to put the bait right in front of them. I still am a firm believer that no catfish will pass up a meal if it right in front of their mouth.

The hook end, a lot of arguments have gone on over the pound test and the length this needs to be. Some think that it should also be a lighter line for snag purpose’s also. I disagree with that. I think it should be the same pound test as the test on the reel. It does no good to have a heavier line on this part, the main line will break and you will lose the whole rig or worse yet, the fish. But going lighter is also just as bad for the hook line can break and you will have a three way swivel and sinker but no fish. So I go with the pound test I have on the reel, and the LEAST pound test I use for catfishing is 17. Most times it is 30. You can get away with a lighter line if catfishing from a boat. You will need the heavier line if fishing from the bank, at least if you are going after the BIG fish. As far as the length, I like it to be at least 18 inches from the swivel, sometimes longer if there is a lighter current.

One more thing I do on the hook end that I don’t see to many people doing is I slide a nice size piece of cork over the knot on the hook. Just to help keep the bait up. I also do the same on the Tie rig.

Tie Rig:

This is a simple way for bank fishing. Tie the sinker on the end of the line and come up about 18 inches from the singer and tie the hook and a short leader on there. Most times for this I will buy the snelled hooks already with the 8 to 10 inch of line and loop and just loop them through the line and hold them in place. Because you are using this from shore you will want the shorter hook line length. That way it will not get tangled up around the main line. And again, a little piece of cork by the hook tie works wonders.

Slip Rig:

This is the rig my grandfather showed me years ago. Slide the line through the sinker, tie on a swivel and then your leader and hook. Cast out and fish off the bottom. You need to make sure you use enough weight to keep the bait where you want in current. Flat sinkers seem to be better for this, they will not roll around and snag up as easy. To be completely honest, I never caught a “big” fish this way. It was always the smaller channel cats and bull cats with this rig. Now any catfish is worth the fight it puts up, but I still am a flathead cat man myself. Nothing like the fight of a 40 pounder on 17 pound test in the middle of the night!!! That will get you going anytime…

Good Luck, good fishing
gunner