Laws & Regulations
Before we get going into the depth of how one can go catfish fishing there are several terms and conditions you need to be aware of. There are a lot of regulations which are linked to going for catfish fishing. Make sure you are well versed with the laws of the place you reside at or else, you will be exposed to a lot of legal procedures if you are found guilty of any offence relating to the catfish. The regulations imposed upon such procedures vary from place to place and you might want to contact the concerned person who has the entire knowledge about the law and will guide you accordingly.
Laws in some places forbid trap method of catching fish. Some places even have laws where is it allowed to go trap fishing in some large water bodies but might be illegal in some areas or the parts of the same water body. It sounds weird but is true and the law is in regards with the nature of the catfish. The channel catfish has always been in a move around and hence to let the fishes breathe, laws have been constituted and there are fixed rules regarding the size of the trap and also how often they have to be checked.
It is very important to know the laws residing in your area because laws regarding the safeguarding of the fish are taken very strictly. The safety of the fish is very important and hence the law demands the rules to be strictly followed.
Making a Catfish Trap: The Best Procedure
There are a lot of ways in which you can try fishing catfish, but the most effective ways is the slat traps. This method is the most effective of all the other methods, simply because this method is rarely practiced. This method, widely known as slat traps, is derived from the rectangular look-alike box, which comes out in a way and shape in which catfishes can easily get inside the box, but is very difficult for them to get out of the same box.
You can go and buy a slat trap from the market but it is eventually easy to actually put all the things together, given, availability of all the supplies. Hence, people are choosing their own way of constructing the slat traps. Most of the traps use oak as the material but there are equal presence of the traps which are made up of wire mesh. The preference is never to be mistaken for the best, because both the traps are affective in an equal way. Go for the one you personally feel like. Let’s get going: –
- The first thing to do is, choose the material you wish to deploy in the building of traps.
- Secondly, you need to go, perform some research on the area you wish to go fishing. The research must include, knowing the standard size of the catfish.
Building a Mesh Trap: Complete Step-by-Step Process
This process is of building the trap with wire mesh just for the sake of better explanation. If this is the material you wish to go for, you need to get yourself a good quality roll of mesh. The mesh must contain holes which are an inch in diameter or even less. The other supplies you are in need of is, another roll of wire, pliers and a pair of gloves.
Draft a note of all the above-mentioned items and go hit the store. Make sure you cross-list all the items at the end of shopping because you would not want to fall short of even a single supply. This is to ensure the further process is just like butter for you i.e. all easy.
- Cut the wire into four equal pieces of rectangles. The measurements depend upon you and you may cut the rectangles as per your choice.
- Join all the 4 rectangle pieces into a box using a wire to tie the edges.
- For the backside of the trap, make sure you do it securely, especially the top of it.
- The side and the bottoms are to be tied loosely because it will make the removal of the catfish after getting trapped easy.
- The frontend of the trap must be tied very tightly and a cut has to be made at the same side which would be slightly bigger than the catfish’s size.
- The next thing to do is, cut a piece of mesh in a conical shape.
- Further, secure the shape together very cautiously. The outside part of the piece should be the same as the end of the trap.
- Once you are done with the cutting and securing of the cone, for the next step, place the smaller end of the cone into the trap right from the cut you prior did.
- Let the wider end stick out through the front side of the wire.
- Recheck in order to make sure all the edges of the entire trap are secured well enough. This is very important to do as any loose tie may lead to loss of fishes from the traps. This would be the last thing you would want, so in order to be on the safer side, recheck all the edges.
Note: – before you hit the shores, make sure you took a weather check because in case of high current, the traps usually go through a rough experience and hence, it is a must that you secure it well just so to prevent your traps from being carried away from the forceful and strong current. You can use a rope to tie the trap just so you don’t lose it, irrespective of the circumstances.
Also, think about the bait you will be setting up in the trap. The best options are chicken liver, rotting cheese, dog food as well as shrimp etc.
