by Harry Burlington

Created on: September 24, 2009   Last Updated: September 29, 2009

Catfishing is at its most bountiful during night hours and if the person fishing is using the best method of catching Catfish. Catfishing at night, if you are as dedicated to the activity as I am, begins during the day. Catfish are carnivores and enjoy eating smaller fish of various species, mainly Pan fish or small Bass, so the trick is during the day the fisherman should fish for Pan fish, Crappie, and small Bass to later divide into quarters for bait.

Now, over the years, I've caught Catfish using conventional methods and non-traditional methods, but I've always gone home with my daily limit reached. How do I catch Catfish every time, year-round? I have spent years studying feeding behaviors and habitats that change with the weather. I also developed very effective equipment that enhances my ability to catch Catfish, while applying my knowledge of how to catch Catfish.

My main method is bank-polling, where I implant six foot fiberglass rods into the muddy bank area, about six inches from the edge of the water. At the top is a wrapping of reflective tape and six and a half feet of nylon (heavy duty string) with a Catfish specific single bladed hook, not a Treble hook. As an area has been chosen to place a bank-pole the bait is attached to the hook, a quartered piece of the fish mentioned above. Place the Bank-Pole about eight to ten inches into the mud and then allow the line to drop at a ninety degree angle, but ensure the pole is at a fifteen or twenty degree angle as well.

Once a person fishing places six or seven Bank-Poles in various areas, leave them be as Catfish come to the banks of ponds, lakes, and rivers to feed at night. Especially at later times at night for reasons I have not ever been educated on or found in my research.

Remember the reflective tape I mentioned that is wrapped around the top of my bank-pole? Once forty-five minutes has passed and you have a flashlight (hopefully), start checking your poles by flashing the light on that tape. If your pole is bouncing like crazy, then get to it and pull in your Catfish.

In all sense here, this is the most laboring style of Catfishing (outside of Noodle-ling) but this style is fun, bountiful, and less straining on a person's patience. The downside is the lack of the fight with a conventional fishing pole, but when you see the first bank-pole going crazy your adrenaline takes over and the fun begins!

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