Yesterday we talked about the definition of jug fishing, and some of the typical jug fishing methods. In today’s post, I want to give you some specifics on how to rig for jug fishing, and what we do when we set our jug lines. There are some basic components to jug fishing, as you have already seen, but specifics on how to gear up for them is what I want to talk about, right now.

How to Rig Up for Jug Fishing

The basic components to jug fishing are a large jug or float, some twine, a hook, and some weights. What we do is take a one quart square jug and attach about 6 feet of rope to it. We use the rope to secure the jug to a stump or other fix object in the water. Then we take about 2 to 3 feet of heavy twine and attach it to the jug. After this, we attach a large barrel swivel to the end of the twine.

Next we attach another one foot of twine to the barrel swivel, and finally attach the hook to the end of that twine. The hooks we use are large circle hooks, which work very well to automatically set the hook on a fish, and keep them hooked.

Lastly, the catfish bait. We typically use 5 to 6 inch dead shad or a live perch for catching catfish. Shad are the primary food source for blue catfish, while yellow catfish tend to like perch better. However, blue catfish will hit perch as well. Most of catch usually consists of blue catfish, but I like yellow catfish to eat better.

When we prepare the live perch, often we will do a 2/3 fillet of one side of the perch, just to get some blood and scent in the water. This helps to bring in the fish, and still keeps the perch alive for a while.

Another method for jug fishing is to prepare the deep line. In this instance, you can use a heavy leader line, and tie off a large 1 or 2 pound weight to the bottom. Then attach a hook about 2 to 3 feet up from the bottom, and tie on your hook. This will keep the bait from being right on the bottom, but will still be in easy reach of a hungry catfish.

So that’s jug fishing for you. What it is, some of its methods, and most importantly, how to rig up for jug fishing. So drop me a comment at the bottom if you have any questions or ideas…