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 10: Storage
In order to keep the leaders in position when the rig is folded up for storage, I purchased some Velcro cable ties from Home Depot. These are 8 inch ties. you need two of them. The keeper hook at the opposite end holds the hooks in place. I like storing the rigs in 5 gallon plastic buckets. Makes it handy when you have a bunch of them.
Step 6: Putting It All Together
Attach a PVC cap with glue to a 2 foot section of PVC pipe. When that dries slide on the spool assembly. Make sure the spool is oriented as shown. Next slide on a section of pool noodle. Flip the assembly around and install the washer. There is more than enough PVC pipe in the two foot section. I enjoy cutting the PVC pipe specifically for the length of the pool noodle being used. I take a measurement of 3/4 of an inch from the washer once it is in place. When everything is put together, you want to make sure that the spool can still spin freely. Once I’ve made my mark, I slide everything off the pipe and cut it to length. Don’t cut it too short! I mark my name and address on the washer while it’s off to conform to the state’s marking requirements. Repeat the assembly procedure after cutting the pipe to get back to the situation depicted in the third picture above. To secure the entire assembly, the final step is to glue the end cap in place. I apply the adhesive to the inside of the cap rather than the pipe to prevent it from smearing everywhere. If the adhesive touches the plastic washer, it will dissolve it.
FAQ
How do you make catfish with noodles?
- Paint the bottles. Paint recycled plastic bottles in a fluorescent color (green, orange, pink, etc.) as the first step. ).
- Cut some line. …
- Add the hook. …
- To use the bottles at night, attach a strip of reflective tape to the bottles.
- Store the hook. …
- Go fish. …
- Chase your catch.
How do you make jug lines out of pool noodles?
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.