How to Fish for Catfish

Catfish are really great to fish for. They put up a good fight and can get relatively large in size. They are also really great to eat. They can be found in just about any lake or river after dark, and usually where there is one, there are many others.

Forget what anybody tells you, hot dogs are the best bait. You will need a pretty good sized hook, preferably one with a "long shank" type hook and the width of the hook should be almost as wide as the hot dog your using but not too wide. You will also need ten pound test line or even higher since you might hook a pretty good size catfish, they get really big so be prepared to catch a monster. Make sure you put the weight all the way down to where it's almost touching the top of the hook, catfish are bottom feeders so the hot dog needs to rest at the bottom.

Just throw your pole or however many poles you have out there and wait, make sure you start as soon as the sun sets not a minute before. Pretty soon a catfish will bite your line, sometimes they bite really lightly or just stay in one place after they bite your hook, so make sure to check your line often. Other times they will run with it and you'll know right away. Be prepared for a big fight even from the little ones.

Once you bring your catfish in be careful, they have three barbs on them that can cut you. One is located on the top of the fish underneath the fin, the other two are on the sides near it's side fins towards the front. Always wear gloves or grip them in a way that they can't cut you. Some are very docile, others are very feisty, they will also try to bite your finger when taking the hook out. They are one of the more nastier fish out there, so take care when dealing with them. If it's your first time fishing for them and you don't know what your doing, you will your hands all cut up.

For some reason, and this is just from personal experience, they don't bite past one or two o'clock in the morning. The best time to catch them is right at sunset until about one or two and then they stop biting. It is possible to catch them during the day, but they are primarily night creatures. So remember, wide hook, "long shank", hot dogs, no less then ten pound test, handle them carefully and start at sunset and you will be reeling in more catfish then you could have ever dreamed.