Although jug fishing for catfish is not a particularly specialized activity, you will benefit from following the advice of someone who has been honing his jug fishing techniques for the past seven or eight years.
Because of baits that kept dragging the bottom, bait that was pulled to the surface, and boats that were overloaded with milk jugs, Mike Lantz had to modify his homemade jugs over time.
Lantz said, “I read about making jugs out of PVC pipe a while back. I sat down and made some as I had read about, but as I continued to learn, I changed a few minor details in my own jugs. ”.
Now Lantz builds what he believes to be the ideal fishing jug, using only a pool noodle, PVC pipe, PVC end caps, eye bolts, nylon string, a circle hook, and a split shot.
• Pool noodles — During the summer, Lantz purchases the noodles from almost any store that carries swimming accessories. He has continued to use yellow over time due to their visibility in light chop. He cuts his pool noodles into 10-inch long sections.
• PVC pipe — Lantz discovered that 3/4-inch PVC pipe perfectly fits in the readily available pool noodles that are sold in most stores. A 10-foot section is purchased, and he cuts it into 12-inch pieces.
• PVC caps — Lantz uses caps on each end of his PVC pipe to help keep the pool noodle firmly attached to the pipe, even though his jugs function without them.
• Eye bolt — Any small eye bolt will do as long as it has some good thread on it and a hole big enough to thread a line through. In order to attach the bolt, Lantz drills a tiny pilot hole into one of the PVC caps.
He claimed that even though he’s never lost a fish because an eye bolt came loose, if you’re unsure, secure it with some Loctite or Super Glue.
• Nylon string — Lantz claims that color is irrelevant. Simple bowline knot is used to secure one end of a piece of 2 1/2 to 3 foot long regular nylon string to the eye bolt on the PVC end cap. In the event that he gets hung, he prefers to use lighter string.
• 6/0 circle sea hook — Lantz claimed to have caught catfish on these hooks as small as half a pound and as large as 25 pounds. He prefers the bigger hook because it can withstand the pressure of a large catfish without harming smaller fish.
• 1/16-ounce split shot: When the wind or current starts to move a jug quickly across the surface, adding this small weight to the line a few inches above the hook helps keep the bait down in the water.
There are numerous baits that will draw catfish, but Lantz has chosen cut bait because he has discovered it stays on his hooks better and the smell draws the blue cats and channel cats he is after. Anglers after flathead catfish should stick with live bream.
Step 3: Main Line Spool Hardware Installation
Run the screw through the hole from the inside of the spool while covering it with one of the washers. Place two washers on the screw after positioning the spool on its end with the screw sticking up. Standard 3/0 Eagle Claw snap swivels are used to make the keeper hook. The swivel is simply cut off using wire cutters. Place the keeper hook on the screw. Over the keeper hook, another washer is positioned, and it is then fastened with the #8 nylon stop nut. Just enough tension should be applied to the nylon nut to prevent the hook from being too loose but to allow for easy rotation. Do not over tighten. Note: Ensure that the keeper hook is installed with the hook opening as indicated.
Step 5: Plastic Washer Fabrication
The simplest method is to simply cut the ends off of one of the 20 spools in your package. I wanted to reuse some other spools that I had tried on an earlier design, but the hole in the middle wasn’t big enough, so I made a circle with a 7/8-inch diameter to fit the PVC pipe. After making the cut, the hole’s edges were smoothed out.
Because the inside diameter of the plastic spool is about an inch, this piece was necessary and called for the use of 1/2-inch PVC pipe. 3/4 inch PVC pipe is too big. The issue is that the hole in the pool noodle is the same diameter as the end caps for 1/2 inch PVC, which are about an inch in diameter. The washer prevents the pool noodle from coming loose from the PVC pipe’s end.
Step 8: Leaders and Weight
The length of the leaders, which are tied with 30 pound test fishing line, is about 18 inches. That is what I use, but everyone has a different preference. Ive used anywhere from 2/0 to 8/0 circle hooks. I have yet to observe a significant difference. I have also caught small fish on large hooks and large fish on small hooks. I palomar knot the 3/0 snap swivel before snelling the hooks to the line. YouTube has lots of videos on tying these knots.
The weight is a 2 pound cannon ball weight. I purchased a mold that makes weights of 2 pounds and 3 pounds. The mold is somewhat expensive, so if you’d prefer, you can look into alternative techniques. I hate pouring lead. Scares the heck out of me. Molten lead is freakin hot so be careful!!!!!.
The final image demonstrates how the weight and leader are connected to the mainline.
FAQ
How do you make Noodle jugs for catfish?
Overall length is around 30 feet. merely a matter of how far you want to be able to fish The 2 pound weight can be removed using the snap swivel for simpler storage. You tie a loop on the end of the main line and slide it over the spool as shown to attach the main line to the spool.
How do you rig catfish noodles?
Lead sinker attached to the fishing line. 36″ line, 12″ noodle. 4/0 size hook.
