Jug Fishing Great For Getting Kids Outdoors

“Pull him in the boat” I yelled with excitement as I watched my youngest boy tussle with a nice-sized channel cat.

The fish was thrashing its tail on the surface trying to make an escape, but my 4-year-old pulled him over the gunnel and into the bottom of the boat. He held up the cord with the 3-lb. fish attached like he had just landed the new state record. He was smiling so big I could almost see every tooth in his mouth.

“He’s a big fish and he’s going in the box!” he said, as I unhooked the fish and tossed it in the livewell.

I’m grinning, and he was still giggling from the fight, as I rebaited the hook and he threw the jug overboard. This is living!

Being an active outdoorsman and the father of two young boys, finding ways to get them outside and grow their interests is something I find significant. Grabbing an ultralight and some crickets is the way most people lean during this situation, and that type of fishing is a lot of fun. But one thing I have found that my boys seriously enjoy is fishing with jugs for catfish.

Jugging for catfish may not be the most glamorous way to put fish in the boat, but it’s effective, and it sure is fun. The best part is seeing your kid stretched out across the bow of the boat reaching for a jug that a fish is pulling while trying its best to get away. 

It’s not just plenty of eating-sized channel catfish that can be caught on jugs. Clayton Hewett (left) and Gabriel O’Neil show off a big blue catfish caught during a jugging trip.

I keep my jugging setup simple. Using a 32-oz. Gatorade bottle, I peel the label off and spray paint the bottle fluorescent orange. Around the neck of the bottle, I tie 6 to 7 feet of trotline cord. For the business end, I tie on a 3/0 circle hook and place a 1/4-oz. split shot a foot above it.

One trick that makes this a lot easier to transport is putting a rubber band around the jug to hold the hook secure and in place when they are not in the water. When you bait the hook, you just leave the rubber band around the jug and it will be there for when you pack up for the day. A plastic laundry basket works well for carrying an array of jugs. 

Painting Gatorade bottles orange makes them easy to see and keep up with while fishing, and a simple trick is to add rubber bands to hold the hooks when transporting the jugs.

There are a lot of baits you can use on jugs, but my favorite is cut shad. There are also numerous store-bought options that will put fish in the boat. Packaged shad, catfish dough bait, small raw shrimp and hot dog chunks have all caught their fair share of fish. 

This sure beats sitting in the house playing video games! Clayton Hewett was a nice-sized catfish caught on a jugging trip with his father.

We primarily fish this method on the Chattahoochee River. Bartletts Ferry, Goat Rock and Lake Oliver Dams all have ramps available just below them and have successfully produced good fish. Going up the river on West Point Lake from Ringer Access is also a great place to put in and spend the day running jugs. I try to find areas with some current or pockets on lakes that I can cover an area pretty well when putting out my jugs. I bait the hooks and let my boys throw the jugs into the water. Once all the jugs are in the water we cruise around keeping a keen eye, waiting on one of them to stand on end and disappear under the surface.

If you’re looking to get the kids off the couch and want to keep their interest peaked, give jug fishing a try for some family fun and it may end in a fish fry!

The author Clay Hewett with a good one.