Let the rod and hook do the work for you. Do not jerk back to attempt to set the hook like one would do with a regular J style hook.

It’s important to use a fast action (Soft ) tipped rod when using circle hooks, a stiff heavy action rod is not recommended.

Once the fish has taken the bait allow the rod to load heavy before attempting to reel it in assuring a solid hook up.

HOW TO USE CIRCLE HOOKS
Resist the urge to jerk or set the hook when the bite is first detected.

Allow fish travel with the bait before applying slow steady pressure. In order for a circle hook to work properly the fish must pick up the bait and make a turn away. Every living creature is protective of food, and its instinct to grab the food turn and move away and find a safe place.

Just like a dog or cats reaction, throw them some food and watch what they do. GRAB IT,TURN AND MOVE AWAY. So with this imprinted instinct also within catfish the circle hooks are very effective.

Most any catfish rig will work when using circle hooks its more about allowing the fish to hook themselves and not getting hurry, jerking and pulling it out of the fishes mouth.

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Even a small catfish call pull your rod and reel in water if you just have the rod leaned up on the side of your boat. Having a fish take your equipment doesnt make for a good day on the water.
Use them when anchoring, drifting or trolling.

Fishing rod holders

What is a rod holder?
A fishing rod holder allows you to fish several techniques while your hands are free to do something else until the fish strikes.

Mounting the rod holder securely to the boat will give you the confidence in knowing that when you turn your back, a fish will not be able to pull your equipment into the depths.

Some Rod Holders have duel positions allowing the angler to choose the angle of attack for the particular situation.

You can use your rod holders for trolling, achoring, drifting.

When the rod is positioned in the rod holder, gravity takes over to keep it place. When the fish is hooked, the pressure of the fish keeps your fishing pole secure, the harder a fish pulls, the tighter the rod is held in the rod holder. Just remove the rod from the holder by lifting the rod tip up and out with the rod fore grip and feel the fight.

Fishing Rod Holders

Why Do I Need a Rod holder?

Rod holders are an important part of the equation when you’re setting up a fishing boat. The most obvious reason being, the angler doesn’t have to physically hold the rod themselves to wait for a strike. This in itself can be a chore without the use of a rod holder, holding a rod in hand for hours will cause fatigue and can take the fun out of the fishing trip, especially in bad weather.

The use of one or multiple rod holders will allow the angler to keep their attention on other factors that can make them more successful like the electronics and boat control. Spreading multiple rod holders out across the back of the boat will help keep your fishing rods organized and lines tangle-free. This puts your rods within easy reach when the fish strikes.

Whether trolling drifting or anchor fishing, rod holders offer anglers with simple solution to a common problem, allowing an angler to up his odds by employing the many different fishing techniques when out on the water.

Not only that, but they come in pretty handy when you take a day to just relax, grab a sandwich and a drink with confidence in knowing your pole will be fine while you patiently wait on the fish to find your bait.

Rod holder choices

How to choose a good rodholder
Rod holders come in a wide range of shapes and sizes along with a variety of different materials being used in the manufacture them, such as steel, plastic and aluminum..

Steel is probably the most durable in terms strength with aluminum being similar but coming in at a close second for durability, leaving you with both being respectable choices when deciding on your rod holder purchase.

The non-metal materials used to manufacture rod holders are extremely tough and resistant to breaking, but simply cannot hold up against the metal rod holders in under certain circumstances.

So which one is Best Rod Holders?

There is not going to be a definitive answer here, as they will all work.

However my suggestion for purchasing the right rod holder for your application would be determined on the conditions you would use the rod holder.

Anglers who spend a lot of their time fishing big water, heavy current or waves and put in a lot of hours with their equipment, is to choose one of the metal units for best results.

For the anglers who fish smaller water and only use their equipment periodically, one of the high-quality non-metal rod holders will work fine and will provide excellent value.

Rod holder features

Options for multiple uses
A Look at Options and benefits:

Some models of rod holders can only be set in one position, leaving little options to the angler as to how they can fish.

If you are an angler who likes to employ several techniques of fishing I would not recommend the single action types of rod holders.

Instead look to the manufactures that produce the all in one multi angle rod holders, like Monster Rod Holders. They also produce a unique multi position rotating swivel base that gives anglers an additional option to the way they fish.

Multi position rod holders can be adapted to certain situations that will better suite the needs of most any angler.

More options for the use of rod holders include THE ROD RACK.

A rod rack is simply a stationary bar that is mounted to the rear of the boat to install several rodholders for rod managment. Rod holders are spaced equally aross the rack to maintain some orgianaztion in keeping your line from becoming tangled.

ROD HOLDER MOUNTING OPTIONS

Mounting rod holder to your boat.
Mounting a rod holder permanently to your boat can have both positive and negative results; it will depend on how you use your boat. If you use your boat exclusively for fishing the permanent install will be positive, however if you use your boat for fishing and family uses, the permanent install can put a damper on family fun, as they may get in the way.

Using low profile mounts will allow you to remove the rod holder easily while the boat is in family mode. Other choices include rail bases that attach to either a round or square rail that is permanently, attached to your boat.

Permanent drill mounts can be attached to your on most flat sturdy surfaces, providing a “near-flush” install. The hardware is simple to install, and will usually involve only two- to-four holes being drilled, causing minimal “damage” to your boat.

TIP: For a stronger more durable contact drill smaller pilot holes for the install hardware

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Pay out schedule for the 2012 APC/Monster catfishing tournament

These numbers are based on 40 boats- However the Percentage of payback and number of places paid will not change regardless of the total amount of entries. Only 5 places will be paid whether we have 20 boats or 70 boats.
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1ST PLACE – 50% PAYBACK = $8000.00

2ND PLACE – 25% PAYBACK= $4000.00

3RD PLACE – 12.5% PAYBACK=$2000.00

4TH PLACE- 8% PAYBACK= $1250.00

5TH PLACE- 4.5% PAYBABACK $750.00

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APC/MONSTER TOURNAMENT EVENT ITINERARY

JUNE 14TH

REGISTRATION MEETING 5-7PM/ SNACKS AND REFESHMENTS WILL BE ON HAND

7:15 9PM HUMMINGBIRD INSTRUCTIONAL HOW-TO CLASS/ HUMMINGBIRD

WILL BE CONDUCTING A HANDS ON INSTRUCTIONAL

CLASS WITH LIVE SIMULATORS,

LEARN NEW TRICKS WITH YOUR HUMMINBIRD.

JUNE 15TH

OPENING CEREMONY 5:45

TOURNAMENT FROM 6AM-3PM, SCALES OPEN AT 12 PM

RED CARPET MEDIA COVERAGE 6PM-7:30PM PHOTOS, MEDIA COVERAGE, TV,

NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES AND OUTDOOR WRITERS

WILL BE INTERVIEWING ANGLERS.

ANGLERS DINNER 7:45PM-9PM

JUNE 16TH

TOURNAMENT FROM 6AM-3PM, SCALES OPEN AT 12PM

5 PM DECLARE THE WINNERS AND SPONSOR PRODUCTS GIVE AWAYS

6PM ANGLERS DEPARTURE

RULES AND REGISTRATION
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REGISTERED ANGLERS

Catfish are like any other fish in the fact that they have very specific movement or migration patterns. These patterns are heavily influenced by the change of seasons.

The key to successful catfish fishing all year long is being able to identify their habits during the particular season you are fishing in.

Like all living things, catfish have biological clocks programmed into them and length of daylight hours will trigger certain movements also.

Spring weather changes bring on the first movement of the season. Catfish will begin to stir from there wintering patterns as the days get longer and the water begins to warm with two things on their minds; food and the spawn.

Catfish will leave the wintering holes and begin to move towards the spawning grounds. In rivers they will move up river or into the tributaries, feeding heavily in preparation of the spawn.

If the option to move up stream isn’t available, catfish will seek out shallow or wood laden or rocky banks instead.

During the pre-spawn, catfish will often hold up in deep holes close to the spawning beds. Once the spawn is on, the males will move into the beds and stake their claim to certain spawning beds prepping them for the female to lay her eggs.

Once the female is finished here business she will leave the nest and the males will protect the nest until the eggs have hatched.

After the business of reproduction is over, catfish will slowly make their way back to deeper waters.

Typically the catfish will be a little sluggish and not as active immediately after the spawn, they will need a few days to recuperate from the rigors of the spawn before they will again begin to feed heavily.

Once they have recuperated from the spawn, catfish will begin to feed more aggressively. In early summer, the catfish are fairly aggressive about food. They will begin to occupy deep water flats, humps and other underwater structures.

Any place that attracts the forage fish will typically have catfish nearby. In the day time look to the deeper water lairs and as the sun sets look a bit shallower as they will follow the baitfish to the shallows.

Summer temperatures and sunshine will slow the catfish bite down in the shallows, but probing the deep water lairs with some suspended baits will still get successful results.

The catfish will still eat, but the offerings needs to be easy for them to get as they have fed up after the spawn, however catfish are opportunistic feeders and will not pass up an easy meal.

Slow presentations are the best bet this time of year.

Fall is another season of change that triggers their biological clock. The bait fish will make a move to deeper water at this time to over winter and as the days get shorter and the water begins to cool off, the catfish start to feed actively anticipating the long winter ahead.

There are few reasons for this, one of which is the females will need to stock up on food for energy in order to produce their eggs over the winter for next year’s spawn.

As winter temperatures kick in, the catfish movements and activity slows down. The catfish typically find deep areas to reside in throughout the winter months, making them easier to target because they will be somewhat concentrated in the deep water holes where they can find some sort of thermal relief from the cold.

They prefer to suspend below schools of shad or other forage fish if possible. Just because its winter doesn’t mean the catfish won’t eat.

Catfish will eat in the winter; they just don’t invest as much energy into hunting for a meal. Some of the best trophy catfishing occurs during the winter months, because they are the most predictable to pattern at this time of year.

Seasonal changes play a big role in the way you should approach catfish at any given time.

Their seasonal movement patterns are affected strongly from Mother Nature’s moods.

Understanding how and why the catfish moves at certain times of the year will increase your chances of being successful.

Simply put, structure is the contour composition of the lake stream or river bottoms, such as ledges, drops, points, depressions, creek channels, flats and deep holes. Any natural change of the bottom contour is categorized as structure.

Catfish will use these contour changes to navigate throughout the river, lake systems using them as highways to move from one area to the next.

Cover is considered as add on’s to structure or bottom contour! Such as stumps, log jams, bridge pilings or even old sunken boat. Cover can be natural or manmade elements and is either manually placed or has been deposited by Mother Nature.

In addition to knowing the difference between the two elements, understanding that catfish are attracted to certain covers and structures for some particular reasons. Determining which cover or structures are the most attractive to the fish for any given time of year will improve your catch rate.

In the late spring, when the spawn is occurring, a good piece of structure that is located in the deep channel is not going as good due to the fact that catfish have moved to shallower water. The same type of structure near the shore will be a better choice for catfish at this time.

In the warmer summer months, structures which are in deep water can be very good for catfish anglers.
In lakes that produce a thermocline in the summer or fall, look for structures that are above the thermocline of the water, the best structures will provide shade and cooler water that the catfish will seek.

In addition, the baitfish will also be attracted to these types of structure also.

During the fall and winter months, the fish will move to the deepest parts of the area, where the water fairly stable and there is plenty of oxygen. It’s known that deep water structures may be great spots during these times, but there is never a guarantee when it comes to these whiskered adversaries.

Underwater structure plays a big part in fishing for catfish, but it is not the only factor that needs to be considered.

Catfish can be unpredictable however you can make adjustments to increase your odds. Another important part in finding the underwater structures is the food factor. If the structure has no baitfish, the catfish will move somewhere else where the food source is present.
Many anglers will just assume that if an underwater structure is present, there should be catfish down there waiting for their baits, and this is not always true.

Another element to finding a great piece of structure is cover.

Cover is like a bonus when locating structure, if you can locate a piece of cover on some structure, you have again just increased your odds of having a successful day.
Cover on structure will attract baitfish as well as give the catfish an ambush point to feed.

Understanding the migration of the catfish throughout the seasons, as well as the food sources and their locations, will help you find structures that produce good catfish.

Understanding the movements or migrations of the catfish and the baitfish, will help you understand where they will be at any given time, giving you an advantage when it comes to choosing structures to fish.

It’s like a puzzle, all of the factors must be considered together, to help pinpoint structures that have all the elements a catfish is seeking for the time of year and the specific weather and temperatures.

Catfish tournaments are gaining popularity among sport fishermen throughout the US and are steadily progressing in recent years. Anglers have become conscientious about the resource and practice catch and release and promote the sport through catfishing tournaments. If you like to catfish and have a little bit of a competitive edge, catfishing tournaments may be just what you’re looking for.

1st step is to find a tournament in your area or region. You can accomplish this a few different ways.
1. Google (catfishing tournaments in your state or region)
2. USCA has active and up to date information by state. Find local events in your state.
3. American Procatters has up to date information on regional and national events.

Once you have found a tournament that may interest you, call the tournament coordinator and get a feel for the type of tournament they will be conducting. There are three types of tournaments that you can find in most states throughout the US. Depending on your level of interest, there is a tournament for you.

1. Local buddy tournaments/ throw togethers: These tournaments are often started by a group of local guys that like to fish tournaments but there was nothing in their area to fish.

The local buddy tournaments are pretty laid back, when you arrive at the tournament location you may be just looking for a couple guys standing around there truck or boat with clip boards taking registrations. These tournaments are great starter tournaments but can be just as challenging and competitive as any other tournaments. The entry fee on these tournaments is usually under 100.00 and can be a great learning experience if you plan on stepping up a notch. Depending on the interest in your area, these local tournaments you can expect 10 to 30 participants or boats.

2. Regional and annual events: Once you arrive at the tournament destination you will probably notice that other anglers are showing up also, look for a place to park your rig and begin looking for the registration location. Most well run regional tournaments will have a very noticeable designated area with a table set up along with sponsor banners for registration and information. These tournaments are generally ran by organized clubs that are actively promoting the sport of catfishing and holding events on several bodies of water throughout a certain region. Members will follow a regional trail to compete for points to recognize top anglers for angler of the year bragging rights. A good regional trail will draw 20-50 boats or more and the entry fee can exceed 100.00

3. National tournaments: you approach these well organized catfishing tournaments a little differently than the other tournaments. The concept is the same as any tournament, but the registration and entry is handled a different way because of the large number of anglers that will follow the trail from one area of the country to another on several bodies of water throughout the US.

National trails will require some travel time, hotel time, and some practice time for those who haven’t ever seen the tournament waters. Anglers fishing these national events will start pulling in to these towns 2-3 days before the tournament to get familiar with the body of water and find a pattern or method that will catch quality catfish that will allow them to compete with some of the best cat anglers in the nation. Entry fees for these events can exceed 200.00 and can be pre paid with a check or credit card in advance, however they will accept entries the night before the event at the mandatory captains meeting at a designated site, generally it will take place at the host hotel.

It will not matter which type of tournament you fish, all tournaments large or small will have a waiver attached to the entry form exempting them from any mishaps that may occur during tournament hours. This waiver must be signed when registering.

After registering you will receive a boat number, this number will indicate the position in which you will take off. The number you received will indicate the number in which you registered. First come first served. The tournament director will call out numbers for the tournament morning blast off in a timed order from number one to whatever, until all the boats are released. When your number is called your free to go fishing.

Live well check: Once you’re registered in local and regional tournament you will need to get a live well check, which most all tournaments will require this before you launch your boat, a flag or sticker will be placed on your boat as a confirmed check. Be sure you have one. This just keeps everybody on the up and up. The national trails will very seldom require a live well check because they will give polygraph test to the top finishers along with some ransoms.

Live well requirements: most all catfishing tournaments are catch and release.

Whether they are at a local or national level, they will require all fish to be alive at the time of the weigh-in. a proper live tank is essential to maintain five healthy fish for a long period of time.

Your live tank should be able to accommodate the size fish you will be catching. example … if your fishing in waters that just support channel cats you can get away with a 40-60 gallon live tank, if your fishing in waters that trophy blues inhabit you will need a much bigger live tank, 80-125 gallons. The live tank should be equipped with a recirculation pump and a spray bar for aeration, other products on the market that go above and beyond a spray bar, sporting features such as filtration, purification and aeration.

Blast off:
Once you’re registered and have had your live well checked, you’re ready to launch your boat. Anglers will be hovering around the launch site awaiting their number to be called at the official tournament start time. You are free to go fishing when your number is called.

Weigh in:
Just as there is an official start time there is also an official stop time also. Anglers must be in the weigh-in line or launch site by a certain time to avoid disqualification. All fish to be weighed must be alive and is compliant with all state and local laws, meaning size limits. When it’s your turn to weigh your fish, tell the tournament director your boat number and start off loading your catch in the designated weighing containers provided. In most local and regional tournaments the weight is documented and the fish are returned back to your live tank to be taken back to the body of water and released. The national tournament trails will have someone to return the fish for you. Once the last angler weigh’s in, the weights are reviewed and a winner is determined by the most weight.

Here are some tips and tricks on launching your boat so you don’t get caught up in the dreaded ramp rage.

These first two tips can and should be done at home before you get to the water.

Batteries:

batteries are the angler’s life line, without them your dead in the water. I see this mistake quite often, a guy goes to put his boat in the water and it doesn’t start because the batteries are dead. Now he’s blocking the ramp, trying to swap batteries or figure out what the problem is and causing other prepared boaters to become upset and ramp rage will soon set in.

So make sure your batteries are charged before you get on the water. Marine batteries do not hold a charge when they sit for long periods of time such as over wintering. I use an onboard three bank charger (charges three batteries at one time) that I installed in my battery compartment.

These units today are very compact and can be purchased online or at any outfitters store such as Cabela’s. Just plug it in to an 110v house receptacle and your batteries will stay charged and maintained while your boat is not in use.

Motors:

Make sure you motor will start before you arrive at the ramp. This is especially important the first time you try to start it for the season. The best way to do this is use a motor flush tool. You can find these tools from any marine dealer to a Wal-Mart.

Connect a water hose the motor flusher tool and position it on your motor where it normally picks water up from, this is around the prop area. Once the water flow is on you can hit the key and begin to turn the motor over to make sure the motor will start and run, rev the engine gently a few times to blow the dust out of it and the let it idle for awhile.

Now that you have prepared your boat soundly and mechanically at home it’s time to head to the lake or river. Once you arrive at the ramp you will need to do a pre launch check again so we don’t take up time and space at the ramp.

Prepare to Launch:

Prepare your boat for launching in the parking lot away from the ramp and out of the way of others before you back down to the water. Remove the tie downs, the transom saver, installing your plug and loading your gear or anything else that would prevent you from taking up space on a crowded ramp.

Be ready to launch promptly once you back down the ramp. If you are launching by yourself, you can use a long rope to assist you in a successful launch.
See below.

One man launching technique:

Here is an easy to make launching rope and a great method for launching a boat when you are by yourself.

Simply attatch one end of the fifty foot launching rope to the trailer wench or tow vehicle and attatch the other end to the u bolt on your boat.

This allows you to back your boat off of the trailer, while maintaining control of the boat. Now remove the rope from the trailer or tow vehicle and pull it to the bank or dock.

Remove the launch rope from the boats u-bolt and store away for the next time. Now tie your boat to the dock or throw your anchor on the bank so you can park your tow vehicle.

Materials needed:
50 foot of at least 3/8 in. nylon rope
2- Snap links
Roll of black electrical tape


Tie one snap link the end of your 50 ft. rope with about three over hand knots, tape the tag end of the rope to the main line of the rope and secure the knot. Repeat with the other end of the 50 ft. rope and your ready to launch.

Remember your Plug:

For some reason this is a very overlooked but probably the most important step in launching a boat. There’s nothing worse than getting down the lake and realize your taken on water. Don’t feel bad, it’s happened to me a few times.

But most of the time you will realize something is wrong by the time you get back from parking the tow vehicle and you can get it back on your trailer to drain.

Backing a trailer:

even though I can’t give proper instructions on how to back a boat online, I can give you some tips that will help in the situation.

Backing a boat down the ramp is another reason you will witness ramp rage, a not so good boat backer that takes up the whole ramp will probably get some rude comments from the other folks that want to launch their boats.

If you’re not comfortable backing your rig, take it somewhere like a big vacant parking lot or field to practice your backing skills.

Remember to always engage your parking break before you put your vehicle in park, this will help you save on transmission issues. I have seen transmissions fail causing the tow vehicle to plunge to the depths.

Once You Launch:

Move your boat away from the ramp to a dock or shoreline and throw your anchor or tie your boat to the dock, so you can quickly get your truck and trailer off the boat ramp for the next guy waiting.

When Loading Your Boat:

Back your trailer in, load the boat on the trailer, trim the motor up, secure the bow to the winch and tighten. Now you’re ready to pull the boat out and away from other folks trying to launch or pull out.

Once you have gotten out of way you can start to prep your boat for the road, attaching your tie downs and motor tote along with removing your equipment from the boat.
Launching or loading a boat is not that hard, it just requires a little forethought and some common courtesy and respect for others.

If you plan ahead, you will save yourself some time and prevent unnecessary ramp rage.

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!

Catching baitfish for catfishing can be difficult at times, running here and there to find bait can get expensive and take up a lot of time. In my region the bait can be tough to find at times and may take a day and 200 miles to just to catch bait before I can go catfishing. Sometimes I don’t have a lot of time to locate bait, that’s why I keep my freezer full of frozen shad and herring at all times. So when the bait is plentiful and easy to find, is the best time to catch them in bulk and freeze them for a later date.

Some will disagree and say freezing bait will make the mushy and fall of the hook to easy and I will agree with that if the freezing process is not done properly. Frozen bait is only as good what you put into it and the process should be started as soon as you catch it, If not the bait will start to decompose very quickly, causing it to become soft and mushy.

The key to this freezing process is being able to drop the baits core body temperature quickly. This will preserve the bait better as the decomposing process will be postponed due to the sudden cold temperature. I never let my bait sit in a bucket for any length of time before I put ice to it.

My procedure for preserving bait is a little more involved than just catching it, putting it in bags and freezing it. It takes a bit more time but I think it well worth the time spent to have the freshest frozen bait possible.

Items needed

3 large coolers –
Cooler #1=brine solution
Cooler #2=ice storage
Cooler #3= ice storage/ extra brine solution if needed.
Zip lock bags (1 gal bags for shad and 2 gallon bags for skipjack)
Crushed/cubed ice
10 lb. Granular 100 % pure rock salt

Preparation

A little preparation goes a long way in this process. The key like I stated above is, dropping the baits Core body temperature quickly to postpone the decomposition cycle and this process should be started as soon as the bait is caught. I do this by preparing a brine solution of super chilled ice water in one of the large coolers I’ve provided to immediately put the bait in after it is caught. It doesn’t matter what type of bait you’re catching, shad, skip jack or other, this super chilled brine solution will work for all bait types.

Mixing the solution

I will put one a large bag of crushed or cubed ice in the cooler and spread 2-3 handfuls of rock salt on top of the ice and repeat the process with another bag of ice on top of the first layer. Now I will pour water in the ice to make a slushy type ice mixture.

Adding salt to the ice water changes the melting point of ice therefore making the solution colder preserving the bait better.
To be honest I’m not really sure about the physics of this process of changing molecules and equilibriums. So I’m not going to try to explain it, as I’m a catfisheman and not a scientist, I just know it works and take full advantage of this phenomenon, however if you want to know how it works, here is a link to the topic I found on the subject. http://www.worsleyschool.net/science/files/saltandfreezing/ofwater.html

Once you’ve prepared the ice brine solution your ready to put the bait in it as it’s caught, always push the bait down into the solution allowing it to super chill never leave it on top exposed to air for any length of time.. The idea is to postpone the decomposition process as bait fish are very quick to decompose. You will have to add more crushed ice to the solution as you add more bait.
Now that you’ve caught enough bait to last several trips, it’s time to bag it out.

I will always wait until I get home to do this so I will always top off my brine solution with more crushed ice and another handful of salt for the ride home keeping the bait super chilled until bagging time as I don’t ever want to give the bait time to warm up before I freeze it. I prefer to take it straight from the super chilled cooler to the bag and in the freezer within minutes. The salt based super chilled ice brine that the your bait is soaking in is an old school preservative that is proven effective over the centuries in keeping human food fresh, it’s just as effective in keeping the bait in perfect condition for future use.

Bagging the bait for the freezer

Now it’s time to bag your bait for future fishing trips. Depending on the baits size I will fill each bag with a certain number of pieces to know what I will have for each trip.
For instance, if I’m bagging out 6-8 inch shad, I’ll use the 1 gallon bags and put 2 dozen pieces per bag but if I’m bagging 12-15 inch skip jack I will use the 2 gallon bags and only put one dozen pieces per bag.

As I’m bagging I will add more rock salt to the bait in layers so that all the bait has been touched by the salt. Put half of the bait in the bag and then a hand full of salt on it, then the other half of the bait and another handful of salt and seal the bag with the air in it and begin to tumble or mix the bait and salt thoroughly. Now open the bag and remove all the air from it and reseal the bag for the final freeze. This will preserve the bait in the best condition possible. Be careful not to get salt in the zip lock grooves and only fill the bag half way with bait; leave a little room in the top so it’s easy to close.

Keep repeating this process until you’ve packed out all your bait.

Now lay the bags out and spread the bait flat within the bag and put it in the freezer so they all freeze quickly and evenly. You’re now all set with excellent bait for your next fishing trip. Just grab the number of bags that you’ll need, put them in a cooler with some ice and go fishing.

If you happen to take too much bait not to worry, by leaving it in the cooler on ice you can refreeze it when you get home and use the rest on your next fishing trip. The salt you used when packing it out will keep the bait in good shape even though you thawed it out some.

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.