Introduction: Catfish Noodles… A.k.a. Jug Lines
A float, a length of line, and a hook make up a jug line at its most basic and basic level. It is primarily used to catch catfish. Where I live in Texas, keeping any other gamefish caught on a jug line is prohibited. The name is derived from the fact that empty gallon milk jugs were frequently used as the float for this device in many early designs. Even though some people still use milk jugs (as well as two-liter soda bottles, detergent containers, and other types of plastic containers), the pool noodle is currently the most popular material for the float. You can look up various designs on the internet with varying levels of complexity and features.
Being an engineer, I generally favor simplicity unless something more complex is significantly cooler or more useful. I used the latter method for my specific pool noodle design. A section of pool noodle is typically slid onto a length of PVC pipe and secured in place by caps at either end to create a pool noodle jug line. The PVC pipe is wrapped in nylon twine, and the other end of the twine is fastened with a weight. Although I am permitted to use up to 5 hooks on each jugline here, I usually only use 2. A monofilament leader that is about a foot and a half long is tied onto the hooks. Different techniques are used to attach these leaders to the main nylon twine. On my main line, I tied in barrel swivels every five feet, and I fastened snap swivels to my leaders. It makes it simple for me to fish at various depths along the primary line.
You can fish the juglines in two different ways: free-floating or anchored. I prefer using a 2-pound lead weight to anchor the jug line (I make these myself) over using free-floating jug lines. When you catch a fish, it can be entertaining to hunt for the free-floating jugs, but if you leave your lines out overnight without watching them, you run the risk of losing the free-floating jugs. Additionally, we like to focus on particular areas (creek channels, deep holes, etc.). ) and desire to maintain the jug line in the area we’re aiming for. The way the mainline is wrapped around the pool noodle when it is not in use is my biggest complaint about the standard design. It was just not a nice neat method. Additionally, depending on the circumstances, the length of line needed may change because the fish may be in different depths of water. I therefore devised a method that makes it simple and quick for me to pay out the precise length of line. Additionally, I believe it offers a better way to store that lengthy length of line when not in use. My lines are roughly 30 feet long, but we can fish as shallow as 10 feet, sometimes even less, so I enjoy how versatile it is to fish at a variety of depths. You must mark the juglines according to regulations with your name, address, and the day you first placed them out. You can see those tags on one end of my design.
The majority of the time, we use cut bait (shad, bluegill, etc.). ) that I catch with the cast net. Setting out the baited juglines and waiting for the fish to bite is the procedure. You can easily tell when you have a fish on because the pool noodle will tip up when a fish pulls down on the line. You approach the jugline with the trolling motor, and I use a hooked pole I made from a broken old shovel to grab the line. Once the fish is at the surface, you manually pull up the line and catch it with a net. That’s pretty much it.
The pool noodles I used were SwimWays Super Swim Noodle. I got these from my local Target store. The noodles are 3. A 1-inch hole runs through the middle of the 25-inch-diameter noodle. Although it varies slightly, it is roughly 51 inches long. I cut the noodles into thirds.
The Home Depot is where all of the hardware-related items were purchased. Small cable ties, 1/2 inch schedule 40 PVC pipe, 1/2 inch PVC end caps, and PVC adhesive are some of these. Other items are the 8-32 x 1/2 inch screw, #8 Nylon Stop Nut, #8 Washers, 3/16 x 1-1/2 inch eye bolt, and small cable ties.
For the 3/0 Eagle Claw snap swivels, 3/0 barrel swivels, hooks, and 30# test fishing line, I went to Academy Sports and Outdoors.
The empty plastic spools and #12 nylon twine (100 pound test) were purchased from Amazon.
To create the date tags, I reused an empty detergent pod container. On the tags, use a magic marker to write the date. By removing the date with a Scotchbrite pad, the ink can be reused and adheres sufficiently to withstand exposure to water.
Step 2: Main Line Spool Preparation
These are the measurements of the spools I purchased from Amazon. They come 20 to a package. I start by using an Xacto knife to scrape the edges of one end of the spool smooth. I was worried that the sharp flashing from the molding process would eventually start to fray the nylon main line. As you can see in the image above, I then drilled a 3/16-inch hole about an inch from the inside edge on the side of the spool I had just cleaned.
Starting with a 10-foot length of 3/4-inch PVC pipe, we mark off five sections of 22 inches, leaving one small section. We like to lengthen ours so that we can catch catfish of all sizes. Making them too small will prevent you from obtaining the larger ones, and making them too large will not benefit the smaller ones.
FAQ
How do you make fishing noodles with PVC pipe?
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 make jug lines out of pool noodles?
- Spray paint the bottle fluorescent orange. …
- Cut off a 20-foot section of nylon line. …
- Tie a loop in one end of the line. …
- Attach an egg sinker to the line’s free end.
- Cut a 20-inch section of line and melt the ends to create a leader.
