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.

Transition areas are spots where the structure composition changes abruptly. Typically, the transitional areas are defined when the hard and soft bottoms meet. Some good examples would be when chunk rock bank transitions into gravel or mud, another example is rocky bank turning into a sand bank.

These transition areas are simply a breaking point which creates an edge effect.

Below is a small transition but will give you a good visual on what a transition looks like.

Catfish like many other living things are drawn to the edge. By that i mean there have been studies that have determined there is a pattern of animal behavior that has been termed as the (Edge effect). It’s the tendency of so many living things that responds to the edges in their environment.

Transitional areas are just another type of structure that is desirable for catfish and other fish including baitfish to congregate while traveling the migration or feeding routes.

Structure for catfishing can be best described as any change that breaks the general contour of the bottom such as ledges or drops, points or deep holes and should be considered as part of a possible travel route or stop over area, on their way to some other feeding or resting area. This includes transitional areas.

Transitional areas are the most the visible, but probably most over looked type of structures available to anglers. Although transitional areas are not considered a go to spot for numbers of catfish they are considered a hot spot for large cats during the migration cycles.

Catfish will move in seasonal patterns throughout the year. From winter to spring they have reproduction on their minds as they begin to migrate to the spawning areas and will use transitional areas as staging points on their journey up river and again after the spawn on their way to where they will spend the summer. During the hot summer months, catfish will seek cooler waters in the deeper holes and does not have to feed as actively.

Fall brings cooler water temperatures and starts the migration to the shallower feeding areas as they prepare to go deep again for the winter months.
Catfish will often lurk in transition zones as they prepare for the next part of their seasonal journey. Most other anglers will avoid these types of areas because the action can be slow but taking advantage of these types of spots during the transitional periods can often pay off big.

Methods to fish the transitional areas include anchoring, and controlled suspend drifting.

Suspending a Carolina rig over the transitional area will keep the bait in the strike zone. Use three to six ounce sinkers to help control the bait and it allows you to adapt to any sudden changes in depth and adjustments can be made quickly.

Anchoring above a transitional area and casting onto the area with a traditional 3-way or Carolina rigs is another presentation that works well. In this presentation the sinker size should be determined by the amount of current that is present.

Fishing transition areas could seem like a waste of time to some anglers. Simply because they are not a good area for numbers of catfish, however If you are looking for quality and not quantity, the transitional areas are a great place to cut a trophy catfish off at the pass during the seasonal migration periods.

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.

When skipjack hit they leave little to the imagination, they are mean! And can be fun to catch. Your line will go tight in a sudden rush and the fish will just keep on moving despite your best efforts to control them. They love to jump.

The fight of a skipjack is characterized by strong, fast runs and sudden rushes to the surface displaying their flashy acrobatics, destroying crappie jigs and plastic grubs. they dont call them Tennessee tarpons for nothin!

How to catch skip jack?

The best bait for the trophy cats is skip jack herring and at times, you’ll spend more time catchin your bait as you do actually catfishing because you have to catch skip jack with a rod and reel. This is why this spring time run is an important time for catfisherman.

In the spring from April to June the skip jack will start migration to the tail waters to initially feed and stay to spawn and in this time frame there are thick by the thousands and the easiest time for a catfisherman to collect some bait. When they’re running good it’s not uncommon to catch 1 or 2 every cast. Skip jack can also be caught in the winter months around the hot water discharges from factories along the rivers.

Myself: ill take a couple days of nothing but bait collection, catching a few hundred a day and stocking my freezer with bait for the coming months when the skip jack get scarce in the hot months, 4 or 5 hundred skip jack packed in2 gal. zip lock bags will generally last me until the fall when the skip jack return to the tail waters in the fall to feed.
To catch skip jack you’ll need a med action rod with a spin casting reel spooled with some 14 lb mono.
Skip Jack Rig.

Tie a barrel swivel to the 14 lb main line and tie a 3 foot piece of 20 lb mono leader to the other end of the barrel swivel. Now you will need to tie a marabou jig on the leader about a foot below your swivel leaving a 2 foot piece of leader exposed, now come down anther foot and tie another marabou jig below the last jig leaving 1 foot of leader exposed and once again tie one more jig at the end of your leader completing the skip jack rig.

Look for skipjack along the faster current seams running close to the bank along rocky shores or rip rap. Cast your rig out and retrieve in quickly and hang on.

Catfishermen have always found their honey holes prior to the GPS technology. using the ole trial and error plus many days spent on the water is how it was done.
When the GPS was available and affordable to the general public, it defiantly made catfishing less time consuming and more productive.

For me, it is an essential tool that helps me in many ways. As soon as I launch my boat I will turn my depth finder on, which also has GPS capabilities.

I utilize this unit for various situations throughout the day. The GPS and mapping chip installed allows me view, mark and navigate and utilize several aspects of the unit for safe and successful trip.

What would I use a GPS for when fishing for catfish?

1. Mapping – most lakes or impoundments are very well defined in the contour of the bottom, allowing you to locate key spots that could hold catfish, such as under water points, ditches and depression along with old creek channels and more. Rivers however are not as defined in the contour of the bottom but more defined on the navigational channels. This will help pin point where you can safely run and help in locating key spots along the channel that will hold catfish. If you are fishing new water and are not sure of where to run, having real time mapping capability can help. The ability to zoom in on detail and look for contours, shallow water hazards and structure is a huge benefit. Also mapping allows me to mark certain waypoints along the contour or channels when im searching for catfish.

2. Marking locations – I use the GPS to mark certain locations when I’m searching for catfish. I do mark single locations like a brush piles or structure of some sort with a waypoint however I will also mark several locations in an area that intend to drift.

And as i begin to drift fish, I will so to say, connect the dots, drifting from one way point to the next. staying on the channel edge or drop. For an example: on the river I will find the main channel and most of the time it will be well defined with a significant drop of 4 foot or more.

I will then begin to zigzag back and forth over the channel as I work my way up or down river, marking a waypoint about every 100 foot as it drops off in the channel. Soon will have up to 10-15 waypoint marks along the defined channel edge and ill start back at the beginning and drift my waypoints, following my marks and connecting the dots until I’ve reached the end.

3. Navigation – I fish a lot of new water throughout the United States fishing the various catfishing tournament trails and rely on my GPS for navigation. Knowing where to run safely makes me more efficient and gives me a piece of mind that I won’t run up on underwater island or shallow flats and other underwater hazards. The navigational mapping can also be helpful at night or in foggy conditions on new water or filimlar water.

4. Database – My GPS saves all my data that I have input into it, so it also serves as a fishing log. You can name your waypoints on your depth finder as you make them to jog your memory about certain spots when you’re in the area. Download your saved waypoints to your computer and analyze or edit them from your PC. This can help find patterns and make game plans for future trips.

Is GPS something that I need to have to be successful?

No, like I said, anglers have been catching fish for ever without the use of a GPS with just a little basic knowledge of where to look. However the GPS can save some time and take the guess work out of the equation. And when you combine some good basic knowledge with the GPS, this will make you more successful.

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.

Channel cats will eat just about anything you put in front of them and for this reason you have many choices. The best channel catfish baits are going to be the natural baits but they have been known to bite on everything from ivory soap to slim Jims.

However your choice of bait will depend on some factors: your time factor ( how much time do you have to find bait) Water temperature, time of day, and weather conditions are just some of the variables when choosing the best bait for catching channel catfish.

Below is a guideline for the best catfish baits that have been time tested and proven to catch catfish now!

Cut bait is the perfect bait to channel catfish, especially if you’re after the big ones. But don’t let that statement keep you from trying other baits as I said above that channel catfish are opportunistic feeders and bait selection will come down to how much time do you have to chase bait.

CUT BAIT:

Cut baits cover a wide variety of fish baits it will really depend on the region you are fishing in and what is available to you. The most common ones are: shad, bluegill, sun fish, herring, perch, shiners, suckers and minnows. Some of these baits can be obtained at your local bait shop and others you will have to catch from the wild with a pan fish rod and reel combo. Make sure it is legal to use them in your area. I know that crappie is not legal in some states but is ok in others. I cut them into 1in.X 1in.chunks depending on the size of the fish I’m targeting but the 1 inch chunks will be perfect for channel catfish in the 2-6 lb range which is a good national average for recreational anglers.

WORMS:

Night crawlers, garden worms and Catawba worms are all included here. These natural baits have been used I suppose since man invented fishing, and will defiantly catch catfish but are best used in the spring. Fish them around run offs, drainage ditches and creek mouths. The downside to worms is that all fish eat worms and you will find you are losing a lot of bait to the bait stealer’s such as sun fish and suckers or most any pan fish.

MANUFACTURED/PREPARED BAITS:

Prepared baits can be purchased at any tackle shop or your local Wal-mart. These manufactured baits can be very effective. They come in a variety of different choices from dough balls, dip bait, dehydrated and preserved. The dip bait seems to be the most popular among catfish anglers and works best in the warmer months. The prepared bait would be a good choice for anglers that don’t have a lot of time to actually fish; maybe they have a couple hours after work and just want to get away. Manufactured baits are easily obtained and have a pretty good shelf life.

SHRIMP:

Another great bait for those folks that don’t have a lot of time to catch wild bait; is fresh or frozen shrimp. You can easily purchase shrimp at your local grocery either with or without shell.. Depending on the size of the shrimp and the size of the bait you want you can use them whole or cut them in half. Again I personally would choose a more natural bait such as the shrimp and cut baits because of the scent and they stay on your hook and can be fished in fast currents when necessary and the pan fish will not bother them.

CHICKEN LIVERS:

Still on the go and don’t have a lot of time?

Chicken liver can also be purchased at your local grocery store and are very good bait however they are tough to fish with because they do not stay on the hook well, most anglers will end up slinging the livers off on the initial cast and get frustrated. Anglers who do have good success with chicken livers will wrap them in pieces of old nylon stockings making it near impossible to sling off. Cut stockings into 2 in X 2in. squares and add a chunk of liver and wrap it and tie together using a small bread tie. Now take the chicken liver and attach it to the hook though the stocking. They will stay on the hook much better while the scent is still able to attract the catfish. Fish on the bottom and check your bait every 20-30 minutes. If all the blood is gone replace the bait.