Catfish Rigs

Take a snelled hook and the tie a smaller hook to it using a snelled knot. Give it about a 1 to 2in lenght.. you bait the larger hook and let the smaller one trail... Very effective!

A typical slip sinker rig:

A good rig for both shore and drift fishing from a boat for channel cats is the sliding sinker or slip sinker rig. There are many variations of this rig but the basic idea is a 12 to 18 inch leader with a kaley style #4 to #2/0 hook on the business end. Thread either a barrel sinker of your choice or a sinker-slide through your line and a small plastic bead then tie a swivel to the end of it. Tie a loop to the end of the hook leader and snap it on to the end of your line. The plastic bead keeps the line from being damaged by the sinker. With the snap swivel you can quickly change hook sizes by simply having extra hook leaders tied up. If you use the sinker slide (a tubular device with a snap on it found in most tackle shops) you can change weights quickly.

Tie a heavy-duty three-way swivel to end of your braided line. To one ring tie a 24" leader and 6/0 to 8/0 hook. To the other tie a 12" lighter weight leader with a sinker. Use suitable size bell sinker in lakes and slower rivers or a pyramid sinker in faster current. The lighter leader on sinker is so you won't loose the fish in case of a hang up on the bottom. Use for dough, stink, cheese bait, and cut bait or live bait. Sometimes we will add a peg float 3 - 5 inches from the hook to keep the bait swimming off the bottom. The use of 1.5 - 2 oz. weights is common

Use in river with current or lake. Use to drift live or cut bait past likely looking snags and undercuts. Use a bullet shaped float and a split shot dropper to keep the bait at the right depth