The Fishing Experts

Bank Sinkers

10 Things You Need to Go Catfish Fishing

Ready to go catfish angling? You do not need much equipment and it will not cost you a fortune. I am going to give you a list of what I believe to be the bare minimum catfish gear needed to fish from the bank and how to set your catfish rig. Ok, we are going to start with what you have to have.

1 Fishing rod 61/2 to 7 ft medium/heavy action

2 Fishing reel, type is your choice but if is the first time I suggest a spin casting model

3 Fishing line, your reel should have 8-10lb test line

4 Assorted sinkers, should include egg and split sinkers

5 Assorted bait hoots, sizes 6-1/0

6 Small package of corks or bobbers

7 Leaders, at least a half dozen 12-24 inches in length

8 Bait, zillions of choices here but suggest a tub of chicken livers and a tub of night crawlers

9 Small scissors, need something to cut your line.

10 Pliers, needle nose are the best. You will need to take the hook out of the catfish

That is it, bare minimum and you can not keep any of the catfish you catch. Ok, want a little bit more than the bare minimum, here are some accessories I am fond of for bank fishing.

1 Chair, much softer and more comfortable than a rock or log

2 Rod holders, a good stick with a Y at the top will work. Mine is homemade from pipe. You have to have someway to set your rod down if you are going to be there for any length of time.

3. Cooler, I have to have my soda. Mine is very small only holds 6 cans and a couple of sandwiches.

4 Tackle box, you do not need a big one but you do need something to keep and carry your tackle in

5 Stringer, if you want to keep the catfish you catch you will need this.

6 Lantern, much easier to rig your gear at night if you have a lantern. Turn it off though when you do not need it.

7 Glow sticks, you can find these for the end of your rod for about a dollar and they will work several hours

Pack everything above in advance and you can carry it from your vehicle to the bank in one trip.

Now its time to set up your catfish rig. I am going to assume that you have the reel on the rod and the line is through the eyes on the rod. Slip a 3-5 oz egg sinker onto the line. Tie a 12-18" lead onto the line using the Palomar knot. Simply put the leader though instead of the hook as shown. Clip your hook onto the leader and bait the hook.

Your ready. Cast it into the water and wait for the catfish to bite. If you have a glow stick and do not want to hold your rod all the time attach it to the tip and you will be able to see it when you get a bite. Do not get discouraged if you do not catch something your first time out. Catfish are very good at stealing your bait so reel it in every 20-30 minutes and check your bait. If the blood is out of the liver change it. Cast again into a slightly different location. GOOD LUCK!

About the Author

Doug Burns is founder of Catfish Angling. A leading source for tips, tricks and information on catfish fishing. Doug has been an avid angler for 35 years and a steady contributor.

Have a Catfishing Question? Click Here. Catfish Fishing

Oscillations and Gravitation questions?

1. Pluto is an average distance of 5.91 x 10^9 km from the Sun. Estimate the length of the Plutonian year given that the Earth is 1.50 x 10^8 km from the Sun on the average.
2.Tarzan plans to cross a gorge by swinging in an arc from a hanging vine. If his arms are capable of exerting a force of 1100 N on the rope, what is the maximum speed he can tolerate at the lowest point of his swing? His mass is 74 kg and the vine is 4.8 m long.
3. A curve of radius 90 m is banked for a design speed of 60 km/h. If the coefficient of static friction is 0.30 (wet pavement), at what range of speeds can a car safely make the curve?
4. While fishing, you get bored and start to swing a sinker weight around in a circle below you on a 0.20 m piece of fishing line. The weight makes a complete circle every 0.70 s. What is the angle that the fishing line makes with the vertical?
For the third one the car's weight isn't given, so what should I do?

1) Kepler's law relates the period, T, and the semi-major axis, a.

T^2 is proportional to a^3.

So T2 = T1 * (r2/r1)^(3/2)

This calculation will be flawed, however, if you try to plug in the average distance of pluto from the sun. Pluto is fairly eccentric, so the semi-major axis is significantly less than the average distance.

2) Tarzan will have to hold up his own weight plus the centrifugal force since he's rotating.

F = mg + mv^2/r

Solve for the maximum speed:
v = sqrt ( (F - mg) * r)

They give you the force and his mass and the length of the vine. You know the acceleration due to gravity at the earth's surface, g. Plugnchug.

3) The banking cancels the centrifugal force,
F = mv^2/r

Now increase the force by mu (the coefficient of friction) times the car's weight and recalculate to estimate the max speed. Now decrease the force by mu times the car's weight to get the min speed. If mu times the car's weight exceeds the bank's force (which normally it should), then the car can be stationary on the bank.

4) Find the centrifugal force:
F = m omega^2 r = m (2 pi / T)^2 R
= m (2 pi / T)^2 r cos(theta)

The force of gravity is mg

the tangent of the angle is the vertical (gravity) over horizontal (centrifugal) forces.
tan(theta) = mg / ( m (2 pi / T)^2 r cos(theta))

Solve for the angle:
theta = arcsine (g (T/2pi)^2 / r)

That's actually the angle with horizontal. It's complement will be the angle with vertical.