Jug lines are another great method to catch catfish. You’ll need to start with some type of large float or “jug.”
Floats are commonly made from swim noodles or large bottles, like a 2-liter soda bottle. You’ll want to use a jug large enough to provide resistance when a fish bites. This increases the odds of a good hook set. Brightly colored jugs are easier to see. Road-construction orange, bright yellow, and white work well.
Standard swim noodles can be cut into two or three sections. Most noodles are hollow in the middle. You can use a length of ½- or ¾-inch PVC pipe through the center of the noodle. This will make the jug sturdier and makes a good place to tie your dropper and weight lines. Leave a couple inches of pipe sticking out each end of the noodle. Glue caps to each end of the pipe. Caps keep the line from slipping off and keep the pipe from filling with water. This also greatly limits the chance of moving invasive species like zebra mussel larvae to other bodies of water you might fish.
Clear 2-liter soda bottles also work well as jugs. Spray the inside with brightly colored spray paint. When using bottles, you’ll want to glue on the caps to keep water out.
You can put heavy-duty reflective tape around jugs, making them visible in low light or in the dark. A spotlight or flashlight may help you retrieve your jugs when lighting is poor.
Now you’re ready to attach lines, hooks, and weights. On one end of the pipe, or around the neck of the bottle, attach your hook line. Make lines long enough to adjust the bait to the depth you plan to fish. Generally, the bait is suspended off the bottom. About 20 feet of line will work, but you may want to use longer if you fish deeper water areas. At the end of the hook line, put on an egg sinker large enough to keep the bait down. On the other end of the barrel swivel tie a shorter length of line, somewhere between 18 to 24 inches, and attach the hook on the other end.
If you plan on anchoring your jug lines, you’ll need to attach a weight line and weight large enough to keep the jug stationary even with a large fish on the line. As a general rule, you’ll need a weight 2 pounds or larger.
First, tie a short line on the end of your jug opposite the hook line and make a small loop in it with an overhand knot. Use heavier line similar to the size you use for a main line on a trotline. Small concrete weights work well as anchors. Water or sport drink bottles can be used as molds. Bend heavy wire to form a loop and put it into the wet concrete. Attach your weight line to the loop once the concrete hardens. Eye bolts also work well. Weight lines need to be longer than the deepest water you will be fishing. Attach the line to the weight, and tie a heavy trotline clip to the other end. Rubber bands can be slipped inside the trotline clip to hold line on the weights when storing them.
