Fishing Jugs Info - Jug Fishing
Jugs
To purchase ready made juglines for jug fishing visit Redneck's Juglines
When jug fishing you basically
have two options. You can either build your own, or purchase some commerically
made fishing jugs. There are several commercially made fishing jugs available
for jug fishing but most of them do not come in white color, which they
must be for Texas.
Building jugs is like anything
else with fishing. you learn and make mistakes and improve on them as you
progress with your fishing. This page is meant to serve as a reference on
some general information on building your own fishing jugs for jug fishing,
or as many Texans call them, "juglines".
If you plan on building your own,
I strongly suggest coming up with a plan and materials list and then posting
a message at the Texas
Catfish Message Board, often times
someone else has done what your planning and can save you some time, trouble
and money.
Most of this information is pertaining
to Anchored Juglines for Jug Fishing or Anchored Fishing Jugs, rather than
Free Floating Fishing Jugs. Anchored Jug Fishing simply means that you have
a 1-2 Lb weight at the bottom of your jug so it is where you left it, or
close by, when you go back. Free floating jugs are the more traditional
style but are difficult to keep up with and can move all over the river
or lake very quickly.
Whichever you choose, Jug Fishing
is fun and a great way to catch fish, all the way from small eating sized
fish to Trophy Blue Catfish and Flathead Catfish. Just tailor your fishing
jugs to the type of fish your wanting to catch and the bait your planning
to use.
By Albert
My favorite fishing jug is made
from a 2L soda bottle, stripped of it's label, spray-painted with white
spray paint and 360 banded with reflective tape on the big end, one cup
of dry sand or pea gravel poured in and the cap sealed down with RTV sealant.
I write my tagging information directly on the bottle with permanent marker.
I use 200# nylon seine twine for
the anchor line with a 3-way swivel above the weight at 5 foot intervals
for a total of three swivels. 5/0 to 8/0 circle hooks on 50# mono leaders
finish out the assembly. The anchor line is wound on the outside of the
bottle and held in place with a strip of electrical tape or a rubber band.
I use anything I happen to have
for an anchor, from half a red brick to a chunk of scrap metal. Cheap is
the name of the game for me, 'cause often the jugs will "disappear"
when boats are around.
When I set out jugs for jug fishing,
I sit in my boat watching the jugs so that when one gets a hit, I can run
it down before it goes out of sight. I never leave the jugs unattended unless
they are attached to a shore fixture such as a tree limb or a rock.
I keep eight jugs in a soda case
that used to hold the full soda bottles assembled for shipment. This keeps
the jugs from rolling everywhere on the bottom of the boat, and makes for
easier storage.
By Phillip Parrish -
What kind of Jugs do you use for Jug
Fishing with Juglines? (2 Liter, Bleach Bottle etc)
Sunny Delight Gallon Bottles.
What kind of line do you use (i.e. fishing
line or braided nylon and what # test)
#18 Braided Nylon Trotline String.
How much weight should I use, how do
you make them or where do you get them?
I use 2lbs, Mine are old bushing out of a concrete trucks suspension. (Scrap
Metal)
What are the best hooks to use (type
and size)
I like Circle Hooks, 4/0 to 8/0 depending on what I'm targeting.
Do you use free floating lines or anchored
lines
All my jugs are anchored, I like them to be where I left them, useless a
BIG fish gets them, then it's fun to go look for them.
What is the best way to mark them so
you can see them at night?
Reflective Tape.
What do you do to them to tell if they
have been "hit" or not (if any)
You can put a cup of sand or pea gravel in them to make them sit different
in the water when hit, but sometimes the waves will make it look like you
have a hit. I don't do anything to them, I just keep an eye on them and
check them every couple of hours. (If a big one gets on, you'll know it.)
By David Moulton
I use laundry detergent bottles for my
fishing jugs. Go by any laundry mat and find them. I use the twine from
Academy. It works alright for me. I use 4/0 and 5/0 circle and tru turn
hooks on my jugs. I went way overboard on my weights. My neighbor talked
me into it. It is 3 inch pvc with concrete in it. They are about 10 inches
long. I am going to be making some different weights though. The pvc with
concrete gets heavy carrying 15 around. I have seen some with a coke bottle.
Cut the top off and fill with concrete with some wire hanging out of the
top for the tie off. I think circle hooks work best. I very rarely loose
fish on the circle hooks with my juglines.
By Shifty
What kind of Jugline do you use for
jug fishing? (2 Liter, Bleach Bottle etc)
A. 2 Liter Painted white (by law) with
my name and address and date I am to be fishing written on them with a medium
sized sharpie.
What kind of line do you use (i.e. fishing
line or braided nylon and what # test)
A. 60# Big Game.
How much weight should I use, how do
you make them or where do you get them?
A. about a quarter pound.
What are the best hooks to use (type
and size)
A. All I have ever used is Trotline Eagle
Claw 6/0 but I am going to try the circle hooks RNT mentioned.
Do you use free floating lines or anchored
lines
Anchored (personal prefrence)
A. Don't know don't use em at night.
When I fish at night it is the summertime....so I am fishing shallow. I
run Jugs in about 25 ft. of water so I am normally nowhere where I can keep
an eye on em. So I just pole fish. I am a very paranoid fisherman.............meaning
that I feel someone not willing to do the work will take what I have worked
to catch (ie. Taking fish off my fishing jugs when I am not around).
What do you do to them to tell if they
have been "hit" or not
A. I was just taught to drop em and bait
em at the same time move to a second location and drop my next batch and
bait em. Then I go get more bait and return to the first batch and check
em all. Then go to the second batch and check em all. Then go get bait and
so on, and so on, and so on...
By Ron Jordan
I use 1-liter pop bottles with about 40
feet of 80# mono for the main line for my fishing Jugs. Weights are probably
about 1/2 pound but I never really checked, donut shaped so they fit snug
over the bottle cap. That keeps everything from coming unwound and tangled.
Eleven of these will fit in one of those plastic milk crates which is why
I chose the small size jugs. Put a barrel swivel at the weight and the line
won't twist so much when you're winding them up by hand. (use a carpet lined
coffee can attached to a cordless drill and they won't twist anyway) I've
quickly become a believer in circle hooks, size is a personal thing but
bigger is not necessarily better, never more than two hooks per line although
the law (OK) allows up to 5. I usually let my weight to the bottom and then
put a couple of half-hitches around the neck of the bottle so there's not
a lot of slack in the line. They don't move much. I paint my juglines flourescent
green (ok in OK) but do most of my fishing in daylight hours anyway. I've
put a couple of ounces of shot in some of my bottles to work as a strike
indicator but it gives a false alarm in on windy days anyway.
For more information visit : The
Texas Catfish Message Board
For Fishing Jugs and Jug Fishing visit Redneck's
Juglines
For Bait for Jug Fishing and Trotline Fishing visit Rednecks Catfish Bait | 
