Jug fishing ("jugging") for catfish in Louisiana

Photos below demonstrate a classic Cajun custom of setting jug lines for big catfish. It's akin to our Cajun heritage of setting limb lines off the banks of a bayou. The theory is the same: the buoyancy of a floating jug and the bouncing nature of a tree limb will achieve the same result--a hooked fish. Either way, when a fish (catfish or garfish) bite down on the hook and try to pull the bait down toward the muddy bottom below, the hook will swing back up in an equal & opposite reaction (it's simple physics of an equal but opposite reaction to an action!).

So, all one has to do is to locate a few dozen empty gallon containers that have handles--i.e. empty clothes detergent or Clorox bottles. Buy some nylon string and some large hooks. Tie the strings, with attached hooks, to the handles of the bottles, then bait the hooks. Choice of bait will determine the species of fish you'll likely catch. Live bait, such as small perch, that are hooked through their back, will remain alive for several hours and attract large Opelousas catfish (a.k.a. Yellow cat, Flat head cat); moreover, you'll likely catch large Alligator garfish, too. An ideal bait for Blue catfish is chicken gizzards: they are too tough to be pulled off, bloody, and cheap.

Ideal length of the line is about 3 feet deep. Toss the dozen or more jugs into the middle of the bayou as you drive down its length. If you toss them too close to the banks, then the hooks and lines will get tangled in the shrubs, roots and other debris along the banks. Space them out initially so that you get a good enough spread to find where the large catfish and garfish are feeding. Then, when you go back to check your jugs and put them back out the 2nd time, you'll be able to concentrate all of your jugs in the high density waterway.


Here are some photos of me cleaning the Blue catfish. I set out 12 jugs baited with chicken gizzards, ran them each twice (at 4PM during the later afternoon feeding period and then again at 9PM when the fish also begin their hunt at night).




Blue catfish caught on juglines in the bayou at Mallard Bay









Large Blue catfish hanging to be skinned and dressed







Skinning a catfish





Skinning a catfish: the skin is almost pulled off using catfish pliers


Pulling the head off from the body

Here are some photos of me and my very good friend, Louis Turner.

Victor and Louis at the Camp





Louis and I holding some fried catfish and alligator that I fried on the porch; his brother pan fried some fresh Deer sausage that they hunted earlier this year!



Louis Turner, me, and Dillan Landry


Here is some pics of us inside the camp: Louis Turner and his brother Roger.

Louis and Roger Turner, and Scott Smith, Dillan Landry: eating some delicious Deer sausage, fried alligator, fried catfish and catfish courtbouillion. Good eatin' of some fresh, wild food! Nothin' better out there...

Louis Turner cooked the most wonderful, tasty, fresh catfish Courtbouillion. A Cajun Courtbouillion is made with a roux, tomato sauce, diced garlic, chopped white onions and green & red bellpeppers, with some butterfly shrimp. Serve it over rice and garnish it with fresh, cut shallots/green onion tops and parsley. It's tres bonne (French for "very good")!


It was such a wonderful weekend--spending time with great friends, hunting for rabbits, fishing for catfish, cooking spectacular meals, and sharing good conversations. There's nothing quite like our Cajun culture.