Catfish 101: baits, rigs and spots

Channel, blue or flathead: what each one eats, the one rig that catches them all, and where to find them.

Obalus TeamUpdated Oct 1, 2026 · 3 min read

Angler kneeling on a sunny riverbank holding a channel catfish

In this guide

The three you'll meet
The one rig to learn: the slip sinker rig
Where to find them
When to go
Gear
Handling a catfish

Short answer: Fish a slip sinker rig with a circle hook on the bottom, near deep holes, current breaks and creek mouths. Summer nights are prime. Channel cats eat almost anything. Blues like fresh cut bait. Flatheads want live fish.

The three you'll meet

Catfish	How to tell	Best bait
Channel	Forked tail. Smaller ones have dark spots. The most common.	Almost anything: nightcrawlers, chicken liver, cut bait, dip and punch baits
Blue	Forked tail, blue-gray back, no spots. Grows the biggest. Big rivers and reservoirs.	Fresh cut shad or skipjack
Flathead	Wide, flat head, lower jaw sticks out, square tail, mottled brown and yellow.	Live fish, like small sunfish or shad, where that's legal

The one rig to learn: the slip sinker rig

Slide an egg sinker onto your main line. Start with 1/2 to 2 ounces, and go heavier in strong current.
Add a plastic bead. It protects the knot.
Tie on a barrel swivel.
Tie 12 to 18 inches of leader to the other end of the swivel.
Tie a circle hook to the end of the leader and add your bait.

The line slides through the sinker, so a fish can swim off with the bait without dragging the weight.

Hook size: a 2/0 to 4/0 circle hook handles most channel cats. Go to 6/0 to 8/0 for big blues and flatheads.

Circle hooks: don't jerk. When the rod bends over and stays bent, just reel steadily and lift. The hook slides to the corner of the fish's mouth and sets itself. A hard jerk pulls it right out.

Where to find them

Deep holes and the outside bends of rivers
Below dams and spillways, along the edge of the fast water
Creek mouths, especially after a rain washes food in
Fallen trees and logjams. Flatheads love these.
In lakes: drop-offs near the old river channel

When to go

Catfish bite all year, but summer nights are prime: try from dusk until a few hours after dark. A river that's rising and a little muddy after a rain can be very good. In winter, blues still bite in deep water.

Gear

Rod: 7 to 8 feet, medium-heavy to heavy.
Reel: a baitcaster with a strong, smooth drag.
Line: 40 to 65 lb braid, or 20 to 30 lb mono for channel cats.
Extras: a rod holder, a headlamp, pliers and a towel.

Handling a catfish

Catfish have a sharp, stiff spine at the front of the top fin and of each side fin. It hurts.

Hold smaller ones from above, just behind the head, with your thumb and fingers behind the two side spines. Mind the top spine.
Bigger ones: grip the lower jaw with a glove or a lip grip, and support the belly. Their teeth are like rough sandpaper.
Use pliers for hooks that go deep. If a fish has swallowed the hook, cutting the line close to the mouth is often kinder than digging.

Grippy gloves make a slick catfish much easier to hold. Our Anti-Slip Gloves and Precision Grip Pliers both fit in a pocket.

Keeping some for the table? Check your state's limits first. See Your first fishing license.