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What
is Jug Fishing?
Jug
fishing has been around for years. It
is an old method of fishing that is simple and effective.
It
works and works well, especially with
Redneck's Juglines.
Jug Fishing is simply a means of setting a lot of hooks
in the water
and covering more area with more bait. This method of fishing is most
commonly
used for fishing for channel catfish and blue catfish but many states
allow
jug fishing for numerous species of fish. Jug
fishing
is a lot of fun and a very enjoyable family activity. Fishing jugs is a
great way to get children interested in fishing and keep their interest
because it is fast paced and not a lot of sitting and waiting, so there
is always something going on to keep the kids interest!
When jug fishing, the angler simply deploys a device
commonly referred
to as a jugline (this is a very regional term and different areas of
the
country call the different things including juglines, jug lines,
fishing
jugs, jugs). A jugline is a large float that has a piece of fishing
line
running from the float down towards the bottom of the lake with hooks
running
off of that line. It works somewhat similar to the concept of a
trotline.
You bait the hooks and set them in different areas, wait for the fish
to
come along and bite, and then you collect your fishing jugs and rebait
them
and get your fish off the jugline. Jug fishing is very popular and a
great
method of fishing for both seasoned and inexperienced fishermen.
It is not uncommon to catch limits of catfish when jug
fishing in a very
short period of time, and hundreds or trophy sized blue catfish are
caught
every year here in Texas by jug fishermen. Blue catfish that weight
30-50
pounds are very common when jug fishing, and it there are also fish
caught
on a regular basis that are even bigger than that!
Anchored
or Free Floating Fishing Jugs
There are two different methods of jug fishing.
Free floating
or anchored.
Free
Floating Jug Fishing
A free floating fishing jug means that you simply
have the jug,
a piece of line and a hook with a small lead sinker at the bottom. You
bait
the hook and drop the fishing jug in the water and let it drift across
the
lake, waiting for it to pass by a hungry fish. People who are jug
fishing
with free floating jug lines typically stay with their fishing jugs
because
when a fish takes the bait, the jug will often take of like a rocket
across
the water, and if your not their to grab it, it will often times be
hard
to find. You also face the issue of the wind and current carrying your
fishing
jugs across the water. Redneck's Original
Juglines work great for free floating jug fishing or anchored
jugfishing.
Anchored
Juglines - **Preferred Method**
Fishing with
anchored juglines is the most
common method in Texas, and is gaining popularity in other parts of the
United States. Using this method the jugline is deployed with a 1-2
Pound
anchor on the end of the line that sets on the bottom of the lake. This
prevents the fishing jug from floating with wind and current, and also
provides
a weight to help keep the jug in place once their is a fish on the
jugline.
This is the easiest method for jug fishing, and works the best. Redneck's
Original
Juglines or Redneck's "FishOn"
Flagging Juglines will
work for this method of
fishing.
Jug Fishing with Juglines
- Tips For Jug Fishing
I get tons of emails and phone calls every day from
people who
are wanting to catch fish but just cannot seem to do so for whatever
reason
and they are seeking more information.
Jug Fishing is not a difficult process and of you
over think
it, then your going to make it more difficult than it actually is.
First and foremost, I will say this, there is one
thing that
you need to jug fishing in addition to your fishing jugs and your boat,
and that is good electronics. Having a good sonar unit and
understanding
how to use it is very important. I simply cannot imagine what fishing
would
be like without having access to sonar technology.
If you do not have a sonar unit/graph (a.k.a. "fish
finder")
on your boat, get one. Plain and simple. Buy the very best unit that
you
can afford. You do not have to spend a ton of money but as with
anything
else, the more you spend, the better quality you typically get. There
are
several good units available for less than $200 which will get you up
and
running.
Get the graph installed and spend some time driving
around the
lake learning how to read it and watch the bottom contours and what you
are seeing on the sonar. Turn the fish symbols off, and learn to watch
the
graph for bait fish and fish arches, because 99% of the time the fish
symbols
are not correct and you will be chasing after fish that are not there.
Once you have a general idea on how to read your
graph, then
your ready to do so jug fishing. The rule of thumb to remember when
doing
any kind of catfish fishing is that catfish will follow the food
source,
which is shad. If you find the shad, you will find the fish. Locate the
shad and bait fish on your graph, and generally if you see arches down
below
them, these are catfish.
Shad will follow the contour lines in a reservoir
and so will
the fish. You can think of these contour lines like a highway for fish.
Creek channels, river channels, old road beds and other reservoir
contour
lines will serve as a "highway" for the bait fish, and the predator
fish to follow. The bait fish and predator fish will follow these
contours
from one area to another, and then stop and hold somewhere for a while.
If your put your juglines in these areas, you will catch fish.
So what should I look for?
Get a good map of the lake you will be fishing.
Study the map
BEFORE YOU GO TO THE LAKE and look at reservoir contours, river
channels,
creek channels, old road beds, submerged timber, points and main lake
humps.
Once your on the water, start scouting the areas
that you have
located on your map.
River and Creek Channels - In submerged river and
creek channels
follow the edges and drop offs of the channel ledge. Often times, these
drop off's will hold fish. Watch your graph for bait fish and predator
fish.
Set your juglines along the top, bottom and in the middle of these
ledges
and see which one is producing fish.
Old Road Beds - Catfish love old submerged road
beds in a lake.
Old road beds are often covered in gravel and smooth, and the catfish
will
follow along these feeding. Setting your fishing jugs along them
usually
will produce fish.
Submerged Timber- Look for old sunken timber and
trees in the
water or under water, especially where it is close to a river or creek
channel.
Set your juglines along the edges of the timber as well as inside the
timber
for great results.
Main Lake Points and Humps - These area often hold
fish. Drive
around in the areas of the main lake points and humps and watch your
sonar
for fish, both bait fish and catfish. There will often be small groups
of
bait fish around these areas with fish below them (this means the fish
are
feeding) or larger groups of bait fish also. Remember that catfish are
not
ALWAYS on the bottom, especially in the summer. Catfish will often
suspend
in the water column or will even feed on the top of the water. It is a
good
idea to vary your hook depths within the water column during the summer
to assure that your covering different depths to catch the suspending
fish.
Shallow Water Flats- Shallow water flats that are
close to deep
water are great areas for Jug Fishing Catfish at night. Set your
fishing
jugs on the edges of the flats at night. The fish will move on and off
of
these flats at night to feed and these areas produce well.
Set your jugs in these areas. Use your sonar and
watch for bait
fish and catfish below them. Set several jugs out in each area and vary
your depth and your baits as well as hook placement. Determine which
baits
are working best and which areas and depths and then move any jugs that
are not producing to similar areas on the lake or reservoir.
Baits To Use For Jug Fishing
Asking a die hard catfisherman what the best baits
are is like
asking someone which is better Ford or Chevy. If you ask 10 people you
will
get ten different answers and this is especially true for jug fishing.
I can only tell you what works for me and the
methods that I
employ, because they have always worked for me and never let me down.
When jug fishing or running trotlines I use two
baits:
Redneck's
Catfish Bait
Soap - Yes, this is a bait that I make, and I do use it. I
use it because
it works and it works well. It is designed for jug fishing and
trotlines
and it stays on the hooks very well when fishing with juglines. It is
cost
effective and simply to use and there is not a lot of hassle involved
in
it. The bait comes in a one pound block, and you simply cut a chunk of
it
off and stick it on the hook and you are done. It is often a necessity
to
have such a bait when jug fishing or running trotlines because of the
availability
of other baits. This bait will catch blue catfish and channel catfish
and
works in Rivers and Lakes very well. It has never let me down or failed
to produce fish, and has proven it self all over the United States.
Fresh Cut Bait - Fishing with fresh cut bait
involves using a
cast net and netting your own bait. No doubt this can be work at times
and
obviously you need to know how to throw a cast net. You need to keep in
mind that you will be baiting a lot of hooks and will need not only
enough
bait to initially bait the hooks but enough to redbait them as needed.
I
prefer shad for channel catfish and when I am fishing for blue catfish
I
prefer cut gaspergoo. Many anglers also use beef kidneys, beef hearts
and
turkey livers for fishing with juglines.
I catch as many or more fish with the soap as I do
with cut bait.
It is often that the Redneck's
Catfish Bait Soap will out fish the cut bait 2:1 . Most of
the time
I will set two jugs side by side in an area and will bait one with cut
bait
and one with Redneck's Catfish Bait Soap and just wait and see which
one
produces. When I start getting bites on one particular bait then I move
all my jugs over to that bait.
Hook Placement on Fishing
Jugs and Juglines
Again and area for much debate. I prefer to use
only two hooks
on my fishing jugs although in Texas it is legal to use as many as five
hooks on one jugline. The reason I prefer only two hooks is a matter of
safety. Having been a victim to many a fishing hook stuck in my forearm
it took me a while to learn this lesson.
I generally fish with two hooks. When building my
fishing jugs
I will place one hook three feet from the bottom and then another hook
3
feet above that, and I then add a third swivel six feet above the
second
hook. Thus giving me a hook three feet from the bottom, six feet from
the
bottom and 12 feet from the bottom. In the summertime, when the
thermocline
sets in on the lake, I will move my bottom hook up to the top swivel so
my hooks are and 6 feet and 12 feet from the bottom. During the Spring,
Fall and Winter I will move my hook back to the bottom so they are
placed
at 3 foot and 6 foot from the bottom of the lake.
Determine what works best for you !
Hooks for Fishing Jugs
Again, a matter of opinion but I prefer the Eagle
Claw L142F
Kahle Hook for my fishing jugs. I use size 3/0 and 4/0 hooks and do
very
well with these. The L142F is a good all around hook for jug fishing
and
trotline and rod and reel fishing.
Many anglers prefer circle hooks but I personally
feel they are
over rated. They do work okay but they are generally much more
expensive
that the Kahle Hooks, and the are much more cumbersome to bait and to
remove
fish from.
Eagle Claw L142F Kahle Hooks are included with all
of Redneck's
Juglines.
Whatever you determine, make sure that the hook you
use is either
a nickle plated or stainless steel hook because bronze hooks will rust
too
quickly and will dull. Always make sure you are using good sharp hooks
on
your fishing jugs.
"Running" Your
Juglines
Many Jug fishermen have different methods and
timeframes that
they use for "running" their juglines or checking their jug lines.
Jug fishing with Redneck's "FishOn" Flagging Juglines you will
be alerted when there is a fish on your fishing jug, because the jug
line
will be standing straight up in the water. Some people that are jug
fishing
go out and set their juglines just before dark, and then go back to the
lake or river and "run" their juglines at first light and collect
their fish. Others that are jug fishing set their fishing jugs in the
water
and then go back and check them every few hours through the day or
night.
Some simply go out and set their jug lines and stay in the area and
watch
them just waiting for a bite. As stated before, we reccomend Redneck's "Fish
On"
Flagging Jug lines for those that are going to stay on the
water with
their jugs and run them on a regular basis. If your going to go to the
lake
or river and set your jug lines and leave them for extended periods of
time,
Redneck's Original
Juglines will work just great also. You can still use
Redneck's "Fish
On"
Flagging Juglines if your going to leave your jug lines on
the water
unattended you simply just set them all in the water where the flagging
mechanism is already "tripped" and all of the juglines are standing
up in the water. We don't recommend setting the juglines to "flag"
if your not going to stay close by because all this will do is alert
other
fishermen to which juglines have fish on them and they will run and
collect
your fish and do your jug fishing for you. As sad is it is, there are
people
out there who are dishonest and will steal your fish, and this is why
we
recommend not using the "flagging" mechanism if your not on the
water.
Also please remember, during warm weather months
the thermocline
sets in on many lakes as the water starts to warm. When this occurs,
the
water depletes of oxygen and you cannot leave fish on your juglines for
extended periods of time because the fish will die. We recommend that
during
the months of May, June, July and August you check your juglines at
least
every two hours to keep the fish alive and healthy.
We Support CPR - Catch -
Photo - Release
There is no doubt that there are thousands of
trophy blue catfish
caught by jug fishing and trotlines every year. Trophy fish are
classified
in most circles as any fish weighing over ten pounds. These trophy blue
catfish are the breeders and the ones that keep the fishing alive and
well
for you and your children and grandchildren. Now don't get me wrong. I
am
not some tree hugging greenpeace flake, and I enjoy a good ol' fish fry
as good or better than anyone else out there, but leave these superior
trophy
blue catfish in the lakes and rivers and keep the smaller 1-5 pound
fish
for your eating and fish frys.
When you catch one of these big trophy fish, take a
photo and
release it for another day! It will ensure good fishing for future
generations.
Take a Kid Jug Fishing
Jug Fishing with Redneck's Juglines is a great way
to get kid's
hooked on fishing. Many people try to get their children and
grandchildren
interested in fishing, but are just never able to really get them
interested
in fishing because of the childrens attention span is so short that
sitting
and waiting for a bite on a rod and reel loses their interest. Jug
fishing
is a great way to get kids fishing because it can be non-stop action
and
there is always something to do. Children especially like Redneck's
"Fish On"
Flagging Juglines because they love to watch them "flag".
My advice is to get a few dozen of Redneck's
"Fish On" Flagging Juglines or Redneck's
Original Juglines and get your kids and family out on the
water. Set
your juglines in sets of 3 or 4 as mentioned above and spread them out
in
different areas of the lake. Once you have all of your jug lines set
out,
then start driving back and forth from one set to another and have the
kid's
watch for a fishing jug that has "flagged". It is exciting for
them, they don't get bored, and the anticipation of seeing what is on
the
bottom of the jugline is a great excitement for them. Redneck's
Catfish Bait Soap is also a great bait for children to use
while jug
fishing because it smells good, and there is no stink, slime or blood
involved
in using it like there is many other catfish baits out there, and best
of
all, IT WORKS!
Next Page **On To The Juglines!**Next Page
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