Three Catfishing Rigs You Must Know About

When an angler first starts fishing there are often a lot of frustrating days or nights involved and a lot of time spent not catching fish because they have not done their research or were not fully prepared. Being effective catching catfish involves a few key areas:

1. Choosing the correct bait for your target species

2. Choosing the correct catfish rigs for chosen technique

3. Picking the right location to fish for your target species

There are many options available when it comes to catfish rigs but in this article we will take a look at some of the more commonly used and very effective setups for catfishing for most general applications. These are a great place to get started for a variety of catfishing techniques regardless of your target species.

Slip Bobber Rigs - These are often also referred to as slip float rigs or slip cork rigs and the technique of using these for catfishing is often referred to as "slip corking". Slip bobber rigs are very effective for channel catfish and at times blue catfish. For catfishermen who prefer fishing for channel catfish the slip bobber rig is often their preferred setup.

This setup offers several advantages but first and foremost is their sensitivity. These setups are so sensitive they all the angler to detect even the slightest movement near the bait, which can be critical for a channel cat bite. In addition to the sensitivity is the ability to quickly and easily adjust the depth that you are fishing.

Slip Sinker Rigs - Slip sinker rigs are a preferred setup for many anglers and are commonly used for catching blue, channel and flathead catfish. They can be fished with the fishing reel engaged and the line taught (often referred to as "tight lining") or can be used in conjunction with a bait clicker. The use of a bait clicker is the fishing reel is disengaged and the bait clicker or line alarm is turned on and the line is allowed to move freely off the reel spool. When the spool turns the reel makes a loud clicking noise, serving as an audible alert that you are getting a bite.

The use of a bait clicker in combination with slip sinker rigs allows the amount of resistance felt by the fish to be minimized, often increasing the number of fish caught or landed.

Santee Rigs - The santee rig or santee cooper rig is a variation of the slip sinker rig. Traditionally the leader on a santee rig is made slightly longer than that of a slip sinker and a small foam peg float is added to the leader line a few inches above the hook. The addition of the foam peg float suspends the bait and hook off the bottom of the lake helping to put in better in the line of sight of the catfish.

There are again many other types of setups for catfishing but these are three very effective catfish rigs that can be very effective in a variety of situations and using a number of different techniques. Next time you go catfishing, consider giving these catfish rigs a try, you might be surprised at how they increase the number of fish you catch.