The Long and Short of Jigs for Catfish

Jig Pairings Jigs have a variety of baiting options, perhaps more than plain hooks. Tip jigs with standard options like cutbait, live baitfish, dead minnows, nightcrawlers, grasshoppers, and more. Doug Stange, In-Fisherman Editor In Chief, finds that a single piece of cutbait or a single minnow always slides down a jig’s hook, preventing it from fishing effectively. To remedy this, he cuts a minnow into thirds. The midsection is added first so the long axis is perpendicular to the hook. The tail section is added next, followed by the head, which keeps the pieces from sliding down the hook. This baiting method gives the jig a larger profile and enhances its swaying action on the drop. Jigs also open the door to using soft plastics such as curlytail grubs, shad-bodied baits, and creature designs. Scent- and flavor-enhanced softbaits provide added attraction. Try Berkley’s biodegradable Gulp! lineup, such as a Gulp! Shrimp threaded onto a jig with a baitkeeper—or FoodSource lures, which are made from all-natural ingredients.

Ice fishing is an overlooked option for catching channel cats. Limited to vertical tactics through a hole, an aggressively worked jig attracts catfish, while a slice of fresh cutbait on the hook triggers them to strike. The same type of presentation works from a boat anchored over a deep wintering hole in lakes, rivers, and reservoirs.

Small streams: A day spent on a small river can provide a fine day of catfishing, much of which can be done using jigs. “Most of my small-stream fishing is either wading or walking the bank,” Stange notes. “Find a productive spot like a deeper bend hole, and it’s hard to beat a baited hook weighted with a splitshot a foot up the line. But often, a jig is more productive and easier to use in tighter quarters.

“With a 9- or 10-foot pole, vertically dabble a roundhead jig baited with cutbait, nightcrawlers, or crickets around woodcover—or make a short cast and allow the jig to drift along bottom next to cutbanks and through neckdowns. Jigs also work great on float rigs,” he says.

Cats around cover: A lively baitfish on a long leader is like a dog on a long leash. They both tangle in whatever they can find. When fishing livebaits around logjams and fallen trees for flatheads, it’s better to be shorter than longer, as far as leaders go. I never use leaders longer than 6 to 8 inches around wood, and often just let the sinker slide right up to the hook.

“Jigs are another option for flatheads around heavy cover,” Stange says. “The best situation would be working jigs in an area clear of timber within a logjam or along the perimeter. A big livebait on the strong hook of a heavy jig could be fished stationary or worked along bottom. Cut-up deadbait like chunked shad or sucker also works on a jig. As a largely untried alternative, dress jigs with soft plastics.”

Although I haven’t tried this, a big weedless jig like the J-mac or Lil’ Hustler Musky Jig paired with a livebait or soft plastic could be effective for flatheads around wood, as long as the current’s not too strong. They have a stiff brushguard to reduce snags while probing around wood.

Jigs sporting weedguards take channel cats around snaggy cover. In-Fisherman Publisher Steve Hoffman had good success with Lindy’s No-Snagg Timb’r Rock Jigs on the Red River of the North, fishing them with a piece of cutbait around wood. The stranded wireguard resists snags when it’s pulled through wood, brush, rock, and weeds.

This is just a short list of situations to prime your willingness to experiment with jigs. Others might include using a football-head jig for dragging baits over bottom, as your boat’s propelled by wind or an electric trolling motor. If stillfishing’s your game, try jigs with stand-up heads with a cutbait or small livebaits. For dipbaiters, there’s the Jig-A-Cat by Apex, a dipworm on a stand-up jig head.

Consider how jigs can make your presentations simpler and more effective. Try a zero rig, and you might find yourself on deck dancin’ a jig to more catfish.