When would I use a still-fishing technique when fishing Catfish?

While catfish can and have been caught using almost any method or technique, there can be many deciding factors at work, which will make the fish take better to one method or another, in a given area, or at a given time. The choice to still-fish for cats, however, is generally a good one, in most situations. First off, Channel Catfish and Blue Catfish are fish that live and eat primarily in deeper, steady-current water, favouring holes and trenches in the bottom, or the downstream side of deep structure to hide in and around, and wait for the scent of their meals to float by and draw them in. Dropping a properly set-up slipweight rig into a deep hole, with a smelly bait on the hook, will have the right effect, and if it is weighted well and allowed to sit in place for a bit, it will attract some lunkers to see what’s cooking. Using a slipweight with ample leader after the sinker, lets the bait be both anchored and free-floating, all at once, which is  ideal for nabbing catfish. Still-fishing an area allows the fish to get used to your bait, and to gain confidence in it, before striking. Drift fishing, or other mobile fishing techniques, require the catfish to feed on your unusual bait as a product of opportunity, meaning that the fish have to see your bait, feel safe about it, and go for it, before it drifts away, which can take a few miles of waterway drifting to have happen. A deep hole, well-chummed in advance, which is then still-fished at night with the right rig choice, and with hooks baited with some of the same stuff as the chum is made with, is almost a sure thing, as long as your bait is attractive to the fish.

Tags: catfish fishing, catfish fishing line, catfish fishing gear, blue catfish fishing, catfish fishing rod