Equipment you will need :

• Fishing Craft
• Boat Anchors
• 12v Auxiliary Power System
• External Night Lights
• Submerged Lighting
• Live Bait Keeper
• System For Chumming
• Boat Rod Holders
• Heavy Bait Casting Or Spinning Rig
• Insect Repellent

Night fishing for catfish can be a very rewarding fishing trip. If you follow the steps I have outlined and do some research on your own, You will be amazed how many catfish you can catch at night. All species of catfish are very active at feeding and foraging. If you put yourself in the right place were the cats are feeding aggressively you will be in for a amazing night of fishing. Catfish are attracted to submerged lighting And have a very keen sense of smell. If you can put yourself in the catfish's nightly habitat location there are some simple methods you can use to entice the cats to feed more aggressively. Before I explain these methods in detail, there are some basic night fishing setups we need to address. Fishing at night is a totally different ball game then fishing during the day.

Boat Setup for night fishing

There are some key items that are a must if you are planing a night fishing trip for catfish. The Items are as follows:, External Lights to attach inside the boat ,battery powered, or propane powered Coleman type two mantle lanterns Set up your lights so they distribute light evenly inside the boat. I personally fish from a 20 foot pontoon and I have 3 halogen battery powered lights hung 2in the front, left and right and one hanging from my canopy in the rear.(You could replace battery powered lights with propane lights, just remember the propane lights attract a ton of insects)

You also will need a secondary light on your person. This light is used for re-rigging your fishing poles.You are probably asking why do i need these lights when I already have inside lights, Good question;These small lights have pin pointed light intensity that is great when you have to thread line through a hook or when putting bait and sinkers on. (you can limit this by using heavy tackle and making sure your line is fresh) I personally use a led light that clips to the visor on my ball cap.

You also will need a light to illuminate the water surface. I recommend 12v halogen light that can be directed outside the boat. Mount it on the side of your boat, in the center. I personally use and adjustable halogen that I can clip to the railing on my pontoon. Direct the light at a 60 degree angle from boat to water. This will illuminate the surface.

You will need a submerged light source. You are probably asking your self right now why do I need submerged lighting?The underwater fishing lights will attract bait fish by the hundreds, and I am sure you already know the baitfish attract the cats. The reason the underwater fishing lights attract bait fish is because they generate what is called a plankton swirl, of which the baitfish feed from. You will be amazed how fast the big catfish will come and position themselves around the bait fish ball generated for the submerged fishing lights. Underwater fishing light rigs come in a variety of sizes and shapes. I use a submerged fishing light that is 4" in dia and 36" long.Center the submerged fishing light in the illumination pattern of the surface water lighting you just set up. Anchor your submerged lighting about 12 " off the bottom, (without an anchor they will float on top of the water).. make sure the light completely submerged under the water. I recommend you use a 5lb weight as an anchor. If possible, anchor the submerged light about 2 to 3 ft from the boat.

I haven't mentioned much about the secondary 12v power source that you will need to have on board your boat to power your underwater fishing light,other secondary light sources, and your bait aerator. "do not use your boats power source" This will drain your battery."you don't want to get stuck on the lake at night right? If you take a well charged 12v marine battery as your second source it will last through the night.

I recommend you have minimum of three catfish poles pre-rigged and ready to cast out into the water.Rigging tackle at night can be a real pain the butt , and you want to have your poles in the water as much as possible.You won't get away without re-rigging poles, but you want to avoid it as much as possible.

We suggest that you visit Swiftys Fishing Tackle for fishing tackle suitable for fishing for Catfish in the UK

The Importance Of Knowing where the catfish are at night

It is very important that you do some pre-planning and research the body of water you intend to go night fishing for catfish on. Every body of water is different when it comes to catfish habitat locations, but it has been my experience, that in any body of water the bigger cats roam the shore lines or back waters in search of food at night. I highly recommend you do some research on the body of water you intend to night fish for catfish on. At Minimum Get a topographical map of the area before you attempt your trip. These can be attained at any of the local bait and tackle shops in the area. (I recommend you visit one of these shops to get the local scoop anyway, if you dig deep enough these guys can pin point on the map Where to start fishing. This will save you lots of time.)

Enticing the Cats to your boat.

If you can get the catfish's sense of smell perked up with the following additional step, you can push the catfish into night fishing feeding frenzy! The submerged lighting will get the schools of bait fish coming , but I take it step one step further because if you play on the catfish's extra sensitive sense of smell you can drive the Big cats into a feeding frenzy! Ok You say how?

Well the answer is by introducing "chumming". Chumming releases a slick of dead fish smells and fish guts that the small bait fish and catfish feed on.There are many commercial chumming systems you can purchase and they work very well, but I use a simple very inexpensive method that anyone can set up.First you will need a nylon netted bag that you can close tight. (a good example would the netted bags that you put golf balls in that have a string closure adjustment) This is what I use, works perfect , very inexpensive.Get yourself some good size freezer bags, at least 3 for a one night fishing for catfish trip.

I always cut up small bluegill if I can get them, or I i purchase about 2 dozen chubs an cut them into 1" to 2" slices, and put the guts pieces and juices in a pan that won't drain. Fill the freezer bags pieces and juice all together, and let them sit outside in the sun all day long. Yes it will stink to high heaven by the end of the day, but that is what you want! Once you you are out on your boat, and at the position you want to fish, Place the freezer bags inside the meshed netted bag,attach a line to the bag with a small weight to get it to the bottom, then take a ice pick or knife and puncture the freezer bag many times to let the juices flow.

Now its time to fish! But before we go there lets re-visit Your catfish rigs. There are many catfish rigs you can use, and they all work in situations they are designed for. Your rigs do not need to be setup for long casting, keep in mind you will be placing your line only a few feet away from the boat, at the edge of your underwater fishing light source.

You will be fishing only a short distance from the boat, so your rigs need to be set up to fish in close proximity to the boat. You could fish tight line with a basic catfish hook and a small sinker. Or use a slip bobber system. I prefer to use the slip bobber system.

ok I use the single hook rig. Both rigs work fine but I just have preference for the single hook rig. I do use the double hook rig when fishing for other types of fish. I use all heavy duty, open face , and spin cast rod and reels with 30lb test. I use a heavy test line because you never know when you will hook into a monster catfish when you are night fishing.You miss some smaller cats, but it's well worth it when you catch your first 10lb plus catfish.

Baits To Use

Blue catfish and channel catfish will eat just about anything that has an oder, and they love small suckers,small shad, bluegills alive our dead. I use both live bait and dead "cut bait". I will normally set one pole up with a small live gill no more that 3 inches in length. My other poles will be baited with cut bait , normally LARGE suckers 6" or longer cut in 1" to 2" chunks.

Now Bait your rigs,Get Your Boat Setup and get ready for an exciting Night fishing for Catfish Trip! Once you catch a lunker 10 pounder + You will be Hooked for life! So have fun and good luck!

Mark Fleagle Webmaster. 30+ Years Of Fishing Experience Expert Author At Ezinearticles.com. Click This Link To Find Out More About night fishing catfish~catfish at night~Fishing For Catfish At Night~Night catfishing~Catfish At Night~Fishing Cats At Night~underwater fishing lights~submerged fishing lightsFishing Webmasters , Need 100% Free Automated Fishing Content Instantly? Click This Link: Free Fishing Content