One of the best things about catfish fishing is you don’t have to be an expert to enjoy the sport. All you need is some basic gear, tackle and bait plus a little insight on where to fish. This information can be found by visiting your local bait shop or this information can also be obtained from your state DNR office.

Equipment:

The equipment you use should be geared towards the size catfish that inhabits the waters you have chosen to fish. That being said most beginners will target small rivers, streams and ponds that produce catfish in the 2-15lb range so I’m going to base my equipment recommendations for catfish of that size range.

A good performing Spinning Rod and reel combos are recommended and can be purchased at most any sporting goods store, from your local store to Wal-Mart or bass pro shops for 30.00 bucks or so. Any of these places will have everything you need to get started. For catfish, choose a medium size combo rated for 20 lb test fishing line.

This is the easiest rod and reel combo for a beginner to a master. These combos will come with fishing line already spooled on the reel and this line will be fine for a few trips but if you use your fishing rig often you may want to put on some better name brand fishing line such as Stren or Berkley 20 lb. test. This can also be purchased at the same places.

Hooks:

I recommend a #4-6 bait holder hook or j-style hook.

Sinkers:

Split shot sinker, egg sinkers
For pond, lakes and water with little or no current, a 1 oz. egg sinker will do the trick. If you are fishing rivers and streams with current you will want to upgrade to a 2-3 oz egg sinker.

Bait:

There are a number of prepared baits to choose from, such as cheese baits, dough baits, dip baits and even preserved natural baits, however do not get sucked into the miracle baits craze.

These types of catfish baits have indeed caught some fish but your more than likely going to have better success with fresh natural baits such as insects, worms and other fish. However the baits that I am going to recommend here today can be easily obtained at your local bait store or grocers, such as Night crawlers, minnows, shiners, shrimp, chicken livers and beef livers, with minnows, shiners and shrimp being my top picks.

Using night crawlers will catch catfish just fine, however lots of other fish like them too, so you will get pestered to death by bluegills, perch and suckers.

The beef liver works well and is easy to fish with, as it tends to stay on the hook quite well making it harder for bait stealers to jack your bait. Cut it in 2 in x 2in pieces.

The chicken livers are a proven catfish catching bait however it is very hard to keep it on the hook, especially when you try to throw it out to the fish, 9 times out of 10 it will get slung off your hook. Some folks will wrap the livers in stockings to keep that from happening but it’s really too much trouble and time consuming to do that, when a better bait like minnows, shrimp or shiners is readily available and easy to use.

Now that you have your equipment and bait lets go catfishin’

Best catfish rig:

The best all around catfish rig is the Carolina rig. To tie this rig, simply slide an egg sinker onto your mainline up about 2 foot. Next crimp a split shot sinker below the egg sinker with a pair of pliers, leaving the 2 foot tag line to tie your hook to.

Tie your hook on the line using a Clinch knot, and you’re ready to fish.

Bait your hook with your chosen bait, leaving the point of the hook exposed and cast it out and let it hit the bottom, your line will go slack when it hits the bottom, prop the combo up against a rock, tackle box, log or forked stick to elevate the tip of the combo and slightly reel to remove the slack line. Sit back, enjoy your day and wait for the action.

This beginner’s guide to catfishing; gives you all the information you need to get started quick with the best results, utilizing the most common but highly effective catfishing rig still used by the pros today. This is your no fluff, fast track to success!

Another popular rig for catfishing is the Carolina rig or some refer to it as a slip rig. But No matter what you choose to call the rig, it’s a highly effective rig is some situations. It’s probably the most common catfishing rig used for a few reasons.
1. Easy to tie up.
2. Versatility
3. The slip feature allows the cafish to take the bait without detecting any resistance from the weight.
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This rig is very versatile for catfishing a number of different situations and will catch all three species; Channel, Blue and Flathead catfish.

Tackle required

Tackle example below is what I use to catch the trophies but you will want to tailor your tackle to the size catfish you are targeting. For instance if you are targeting midsized channel cats you may opt to down size your hook, leader line and the main line, the swivel is not that important, I use a midsized swivel that is what I consider is a one size fits all.

Barrel Swivel - most any midsized barrel swivel will work, I prefer swivels rated for at least 250 lbs

Leader line – 50 lb monofilament, I use the cheap Omni brand fishing line you buy at walmart. I have used it for years, it’s like weed eater line, very tough and hasn’t failed me yet.

Sinker – egg sinker or no roll sinker will work but I prefer the no roll sinker mainly because I fish a lot of rivers with current and no roll sinkers work in current better than egg sinkers do.
The no roll sinkers are so versatile in many situations I use such as free drifting.

Hook – I typically use a #8-#9 Mustad circle hook.

How-to tie the Slip Sinker Rig
First Thread the slip sinker onto the mainline, next (optional)- thread a plastic bead onto the mainline, some anglers believe the plastic bead gives the knot a buffer so the sinker doesn’t fray it against the swivel. I personally do not use them and find them a waste of time. I have never used them and can’t recall one time I have lost a fish do to the sinker compromising the knot.
Now tie one end of the barrel swivel to the mainline using a Palomar knot.

Now tie the leader line to the other side of the swivel using a clinch knot. The average leader length is 18-24 inches. I have experimented with different lengths of leader and cannot really tell if one length is better than the other.
The last step to the slip rig is to tie the hook to the remaining end of the leader line using a snell knot (or a clinch knot if you opt to use a traditional J style hook.)
When you are done the slip sinker rig should look like the illustration below.

Slip rig uses
This is a basic slip sinker rig that I use for couple proven techniques such as dead lining in rivers and lakes free drifting or suspend drifting.
Dead lining


Simply cast the rig out to the desired spot and let it hit the bottom. Give it a minute to settle, engage your reel and begin to take the remaining slack out of the line until the line is somewhat taught. Place your rod in a rod holder or lean it against a log if you’re fishing from the bank and you’re ready for action. This method of catfishing is what i use alot in the spring and winter months when there is current flow. i use this rig to employ a technique i call bounding down.

Suspend drifting from a boat

Simply drop the rig straight down beside the boat and allow it to hit the bottom and engage your reel. Now reel the rig up off of the bottom 3-4 cranks of the reel and place it in a rod holder and either free drift with the wind or current or control your drift with suspended bait susually targeting structure.