I like taking my kids fishing but I need a way to fish that will accommodate the attention span of young children, give me peace of mind about safety on the water, and won’t cause heat exhaustion in 100 F+ weather. So I have returned to the old ways, running pole and limb lines for catfish. This is a highly productive method of fishing if your goal is feeding your family and having fun.

Photo credit

Regulation

Read your local regulations about what is permissible in your area. We are all stewards of all natural resources, and wildlife laws protect these resources for future generations.

Rig

I use braided mason’s twine and size 4/0 circle hooks. You can create 6 lines for about $5 USD. I tied the hook with a Palomar knot which is the only knot I know since I am not even good at tying shoes. I cut about 20 feet of twine for each line. You can put a lead or steel weight on the weight and attach a swivel if you want to sink the bait to the bottom. I don’t fish in particularly deep or swift water so I don’t do this.

Photo (self): U-post, mason's twine, and circle hooks

Bait

There are many different baits for catfish depending on your purpose and target species. Since we are targeting primarily smaller size channel catfish, we used chicken and pork scraps that we freeze during the year for this purpose. I add some onion powder to them to increase the odor. There are many options for bait, from commercially prepared dough to bars of soap.

Securing your line

Right now, the water line is very low which means that there is about 8 feet from the shore to the surface of the river. To get the line out a little bit into the river, this year I used old u-posts from a former garden fence. You could also PVC pipe or a stout limb. I tie the line with hook onto the u-post using a Palomar knot.

On the water

I choose locations based on accessibility and proximity to our vehicle since this is an activity for children. I look for habitats where the main channel river meets up with a smaller feeder stream, where there are downed trees, or where there are deeper pools by the bank. I drive my pole in with a t-post driver since I already own one of these but you can use a hammer too.

If your habitat permits, an even easier way is just to tie the line, not to a pole, but to an overhanging limb (limb lining). This is a fun way to fish from a kayak or canoe.

Checking lines

We walk up the river bank putting out lines, and then walk back and check each one. Then we have a snack, play outdoors, look at wildlife, etc. and then check them again. Evening and night are enjoyable and productive times to fish. With good luck and healthy catfish populations, one could catch enough fish to feed a family for weeks with a night of running bank lines.

We had a great evening on the river on Independence Day, running lines while hearing fireworks. We didn’t catch anything because the snapping turtles were on the bait within 10 seconds of it hitting the water, but we’ll go back out in the fall when it cools down and the turtles are less active.