Photo by Theresa Sutton

Catfish anglers fish from boats significantly less than crappie, bass and walleye anglers. In some areas, 70 percent or more of whiskerfish fans pursue their quarry primarily from shore. If you're among that majority, the following tips and tactics may help increase your catch.

SETTING UP ON SHORE
Select bank fishing sites near prime catfish holding areas - perhaps a shore clearing near a river's outside bend, a spot beside a pond levee or a gravel bar adjacent to a deep hole in a small stream. The best sites have flat, brush-free banks for easy casting.

If catching numbers of cats is your goal, it may be best to "leap frog" from one fishing spot to another. Allow 15 to 30 minutes at each place, and if a bite isn't forthcoming, reel your bait in and try another locale. If hungry cats are nearby, it shouldn't take them long to find and take your offering.

A good rig for this type of fishing is the simple egg-sinker rig. This consists of an egg sinker sliding on the main line. The main line is tied to a leader consisting of a swivel, line and hook. Or you can tie the main line directly to the hook and use a split shot (instead of the swivel) as your sinker stop. If a proper-size sinker is used, the bait rests on bottom, and a cat picking it up feels no tension. This is an excellent rig for fishing in still waters like ponds and oxbow lakes.

When bank fishing on a river, you can fish different locales simply by drifting your bait beneath a bobber. This allows the bait to move naturally downstream, responding to current, flowing through rapids and settling enticingly in holes. Bobber rigs also provide the best way to thoroughly work the eddies of swirling water behind fallen trees, boulders and other current breaks.

Many bobbers are clipped or pegged in place on the line, but this type of rigging is cumbersome to cast. A sliding-bobber rig works better because the bobber slides freely on the line, allowing you to reel all your terminal tackle up close to the rod tip for easier casting. The bobber style is determined by current and bait size. In heavy current, or when medium or large baits are used, use a larger, rounder, more buoyant bobber. In low or moderate flow, or when small baits are used, a smaller cigar-shaped bobber is okay.

Position the bobber stop so your bait will hang a foot or two above, not on, the stream bottom. Add just enough weight to hold the bait down, then allow the rig to drift naturally in the current, guiding it alongside catfish cover and structure. With a little practice and a long rod to keep your line up off the water, you can become quite adept at steering the rig past holding areas with little worry about hang-ups.

Keep a tight line at all times. If the line is slack, it will bow downstream ahead of the bait. This leaves you in a bad position for setting the hook when a catfish hits. Snatching all the slack line out of the water leaves no force in the rod's swing to drive the hook home.

Release line as the bait moves downstream. If the rig hangs up, your bobber will tip over or stop. Lift it a bit to get the bait moving again. Then tease the rig around boulders, ease it alongside fallen trees and work it through holes below rapids. Drift by one side of a hole, then down the other and finally right down the middle. If nothing happens after you've worked an area thoroughly, move your bobber stop up and drift through deeper. Or move downstream to another spot and try again. If possible, shift sides of the river every now and then to present baits in every likely spot as you move.