Running Catfish nets in lakes?

[concordiacatcher]

does anyone run any catfish nets in lakes? have any tips for me in not having much luck in the lake.

[flathunter]

Netting catfish???? I did not know that was legal?

[H2O Mellon]

Yea, news to me. I know you can run them in certain rivers if your a commerical fisherman w/ the propper license :mad:

[dinkbuster1]

in ohio its not legal but it may be in others. trottlining is fun and i do it a few times a year but nets i dont see any fun in. unless you want a big fish fry.

[concordiacatcher]

Its legal in louisiana. im not sure but i think u can run three without the licenes. i usually just go with my grandfather to run ours and he has the licenes. (i have to get mine next paycheck b/c im gonna start running my own) no its not the most fun way of fishing but it keeps fish in the freezer!

[H2O Mellon]

Whats usually the target Channels, Blues, Flats? That would be a good way to get bait fish! :p

[dinkbuster1]

i think thats illegal too here. unless its chubs, shad.

[H2O Mellon]

Yea, but man, just think iof how many little baby carp & blue gills, rockbass, lm's, suckers & stuff you could get!!!

[gooboy]

to run 3 nets for cats in la. you need a sportfish license. they are 20 bucks. all we can keep are the legal size commercial fish; cat, drum, buffalo, etc. they work great if you can find the right place. try different water depths until you find where theyr'e at.

[jtrew]

Did you ever try any jugfishing? I looked at the on-line regs for Louisiana and couldn't find any restrictions on them. Generally, if I put out 60 jugs on the Arkansas River, I can catch more fish than I want to clean. I'm not physically able to pull nets or traps, so I used trotlines and jugs commercial fishing for a couple of years back in the late 80s.

[concordiacatcher]

i have never tried jug fishing but i have ran lots of trotlines before. i think this year they are going to raise the net limit from 3 to 5. my grandfather told me. he keeps up with it more than i do. im gonna have to check on that to see though. i cant wait till the mississippi comes on up so i can put the nets in old river! they work alot better in moving water.

[jtrew]

I know a lot of people like to jugfish in still water, such as lakes, but I've always had much better luck where there's a good current.

[mandisue13]

I am not 100% positive but will have the positive answer by tonight...but I also think it depends on the body of water you are fishing. Like, I know Caddo lake it is illegal to run nets, and I think it is illegal to run trots and yo yos also...but like I said..I am not 100% positive. But it is a great way to catch bait fish when they are schoolin like crazy!

[ar_confederate]

When you run jugs, how deep do you set them and do you use a weight above the hook or below it? Thanks.

[FishMan]

I am surprised you expect someone to tell you how to net catfish in a lake. most of us here like to fish for catfish I think most would be upset if you took the fish out the lake.

thats not fishing, its killing

my best advice for netting catfish is not to do it and my best advice for you is not to allow antone to catch you doing so.


I could be wrong.

Danny mcclure

PS Pick up a rod and reel, it's really more fun. Sorry if I sound to rash.

[jtrew]

IMO, it's important to adjust your juglines to the waters you are fishing. I want my freefloating juglines to be as long as possible without hanging up too often. Most places I jug on the Arkansas River allow me to use a 'standard' setup. A 16p or 20p nail is attached to the bottom of the jugline for a weight; it's cheap and doesn't hang up as easily as a regular weight. I put a hook 12" above the nail; a second hook 36" above the bottom hook; and a third hook 36" above the second hook. I attach the jug 6' above the top hook. Sometimes I catch the most fish on the top hook; other times, I catch the most on the bottom hook.
I once took my jugs & boat over to Chattanooga so I could take my Dad jugfishing, and we jugged the 'Grand Canyon' of the Tennessee River. The water runs about 60'-80' deep through there, and my 'standard' setup just wasn't producing many fish. I added 40'-50' of line to my juglines and began catching the fish I expected.

[mandisue13]

I do agree, running nets for anything other than catching bait fish is wrong. Juggin is tons of fun, so is the most common method...the ROD. Nothing like seeing the line go tight and you set the hook...is it 5lbs....is it 50lbs??? The excitement of knowing if you hang on long enough...you will see what you got and you will have more respect for it knowing you battled it in the water....your will to catch, its will to live....