what is the basic set up on a jug line. i have never set one up and would like to try it. What bait is good and what size hook? thanks for any info

I use a pool noodle with pvc stuck through the hole and white duct tape on it.

Tarred line about 30' long with two 7/0 circle hooks, 2' and 6' from the bottom. I use those little bungee cords with a plastic ball on them to control line length.

3lb weight so it does not move.

Live brim for bait.

That's just one way.

basics are a main line with hooks attached

i tie loop knots in my main line to make droppers and then use another loop knot to attach hook lines made of a smaller cord to the droppers on the main line

you will see lots of rigs made lots of ways

we use at least 5 pounds of weight at the bottom and use a white plastic jug labeled with our name address and phone number

we prefer shad and use weenies (all meat red colored) when we can't find shad-

we do not try for big fish so we use a smaller hook- when we do catch a big one we just take a photo and let em go if they are not badly injured- we space our hooks about three feet apart

again, lots of people have many different setups but that works for me and i can have a new jugline ready to go in about 15 minutes or so and we are by no means experts- we do jug up a lot of cats at tawakoni

For Jugs you can use anything that floats just paint it white. Some of the better working things are bleach bottles, milk jugs, laundry soap etc...

For line anything heavy enough to catch fish. Most use 150# Plus test twine. I prefer braided twine over twisted.

For hooks, anything from basic Eagle Claw 2/0 up to 7/0 or 8/0 or bigger.

For bait, whatever your favorite catfish bait is...

Weight, whatever your comfortable with.... I've run 3oz sinkers to 5 pound scuba weights. I prefer on the lighter side, but then I spend more time chasing my jugs too.
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My setup is as follows:

White Catfish jugs from Academy $2.50 ea. These are basically a white jug with a lid and ears on either side to tie your line to. They come with a line, weight and hook but those go straight into the trash.

150# Test Braided line. 30-40 foot in length. I tie one end off to the jug and the other end I put a barrel swivel. Then I tie two dropper loops one at about 5' and one at about 10' from the end.

I've been running 3oz lead sinkers tied to 25# mono line and then tied off to the barrel swivel, but Im going to increase weight in the near future. I'll stick with the 25# mono here because the sinker often is what gets snagged and I hate losing everything so I create a weak point here.

I then make my own leaders using 18" 60# mono line, barrel swivel and snap shackel. I use the barrel swivel to attach to the dropper loops.

For Hooks I've been using whater I had lose in my tackel box in the 4/0 size range. My next trip to Bass Pro I plan to pick up some 6/0 Circle hooks.

For bait, I've tried Chicken liver, Chicken Gizzards, hotdogs, charlies catfish bait so far this year. Livers and Gizzards are going the best for me so far. Hotdogs and charlies both have zero fish. Gizzards holds lots better on the hooks.

Hope this helps.

I USED THE SNAP LEADERS FROM A TROTLINE. I LIKE THIS SET UP SO I CAN TAKE THE EMPTY HOOKS OFF THE MAIN LINE IF THERE IS A FISH ON THE OTHER HOOKS.I AM NEW TO THE JUGLINE THING , HAD THEM OUT THIS WEEKEND.I TRIED HOTDOGS ,THEY DIDNT WORK FOR ME.WENT TO FRESH SHAD AND CAUGHT 2 FISH,ONE ON JUG AND ONE ON TROTLINE.I TIED KNOTS IN THE MAIN LINE FOR HOOK STOPS AND LOST SOME HOOKS.I AM GOING TO TIE IN SOME BEADS TO SEE IF I CAN KEEP FROM LOOSING HOOKS. I AM NOT SURE IF THE HOOKS CAME OFF WITH FISH OR IF SOMEONE ELSE RAN MY JUGS FOR ME. NEVER THOUGHT THOSE CLIPS WOULD COME OFF COMPLETELY.

try using a short leader off the main line rather than having the bait right on the main line, the leader will allow it to swing a little.

Don't feel too bad on the hotdogs, Ive come up zero each time Ive tried them too

not to start an argument here but we have been fishing with the bar s all meat (more red colored mixed meat) for three years at tawakoni and they work great, three weeks ago we kept 95 on seven jugs in less than 20 feet of water and released three cats in five days of jugging
no chum involved
i'd much rather fish with shad but we cannot catch them in the winter months when the cats seem to bite best and I have not been smart enought to freeze em for later use- we have some jugs with the clips as well but I have seen no real difference when you have a fish with the amount of tangle in lines with or without the clips- we store our hooks inside the jug by simply sticking the lead lines in and closing the cap our lead lines are whatever waxed (coated) line we can get and again all of our knots are loops
there are many ways to set up jugs but I would recommend not using a flimsy main line and enough weight to keep em in place unless you are going to sit in a nearby boat and chase em (which can be a lot of fun too- we bait our out and let ems soak 2 to 3 hours in daylight and overnight as well and I like to be able to find them the next day
but- a novice like me can catch a lot of fish on the setup I described in my first post and you can learn from there and get as fancy as you want- i see a lot of jugs at tawakoni that are no where near any others and most folks don't just set one at a time so they have either been tugged off by a fish or dod not have enough weight to keep them in place- ran into a whole spread last weekened of 15 or so jugs and not one of them was white-

do you want an anchored jug or a drifting jug?

well thanks for all the info so far, that will defently get me started. I was maybe thinking about anchored jug first. i dont know but it seems a little easier.

It's the little tricks that really help when jugging. For more information search this website for jug info and you will find more information than you will know what to do with.

I keep my jugs in a duck decoy bag. My favorite weight is the heaviest decoy weight I can find. I like the type you can bend. But be warned that type of weight is not going to keep your jug stationary.

I like my jugs to move. I set them up according to which way the wind is blowing and let them move across or with whatever area I am targeting. A creek channel, point, hump, etc....

As far as bait goes use what you have the most confidence in AND what species you are targeting. It has been my experience that it is hard to be beat fresh shad.

Good luck

I like to use #72 braided trotline cord for the main line. I run it thru the biggest swivels I can get from Wally world without snaps. Normally I use two hooks and make my mainline 12-14 feet long. I make a slip knot, put a plastic tie thru it and run it up tight on each side of the swivel, trim the end off the wire tie and do this at 3 and 6 food intervals. This really cuts down on the tangles, often all you have to do is give the line a shake and it will untangle. My leaders are doubled #18 or #15 tarred line about 8 inches long. run the end of the loop thru the hook and over it, run the other end thru the swivel and put the hook thru it, bring tight. My weights are 16 ounce cups filled with concrete and a piece of chain cast in to it. I make a loop big enough at each end so I can run it through the chain or the handle hole of a bleach jug and then over either the jug or the weight. Normally the loop at the weight end is smaller. I like to put some pea gravel in the jug to make it heavier and sort of self flagging. Have the jug hit the water bottom first and when a fish pulls on it it will go upside down and stay that way. Favorite hooks are 6/0-7/0 circles if using cut bait or eagle claw 3/0-4/0 smoothe shank baitholder hooks for live bait which I hook sideways thru the nose. Best cut baits are #1 buffalo, perch and shad in that order. favorite live bait is a perch 4-6 inches long.

How to run them. I cruise at a slow speed up to them and net the jug after have chopped the throttle and turning the wheel to where I will start a circle around the down wind side of the jug, I wrap a bit of the line around a rodholder and walk down the boat pulling in line and fish. Unhook the fish and rebait, get underway, throw the float out , pull it where i want it and then throw the weight out. I usually only put three in any one location, i like them to be at least 30 feet out from anyones dock and far enough from shore so the bass fisherman can fish between the jugs and shore. I like to fish the windward side of points, creekmouths and anywhere I know there is riprap. I also like to fish outside of the roped off swimming areas.

This is the medulla762 jugline setup.

Jugs are made similar to the diagram below.

I like wrapping the foam with reflective tape instead of wrapping the cap.

#36 Tarred Twisted Nylon Twine(I will be using braided twine in the future)

#1 Rosco Crane Swivels

L197 5/0 Eagle Claw CircleSea hooks

1# dumbell weight

All knots are oysterman stopper knots. Google it. There is no way I can explain.

The oysterman stopper knot is more labor intensive than most folks care for but it is a great way to set up jugs.

The swivel spins around the line. The leader spins inside the swivel. The hook spins on the leader.

Fish have a hard time twisting off this setup.

Notice on both sides of the swivel the square side of the knot is facing the swivel.
This is not by chance. Tricky knot tieing but with a little practice it is easily accomplished.

Place hooks in foam saver in order. This way it is easier to set lines at night knowing exactly which hook needs to come out next.


I run the juglines similar to rickt300. Pick the jug up and start running line. Toss jug out away from boat. Op0erate throttle in such a manner to keep jug 90 degrees from boat and to keep jugline weight straight down. This gets very involved with a little wind and takes some time to get the handle of. Surely safer to run jugs with one hook. Be CAREFUL and always keep a knife on your person.

I do something similar, but with a boat hook, I come up on the downwind side of the jug, as it gets about to the bow I go to neutral, and hook the jug as I pass. Most of the time I just wind the line around the jug until the fish is at the boat. If it's a large fish I just make a couple wraps around a pole holder until it's handled.

I made a mistake of leaving the boat in gear a few days ago thinking I could idle into the wind and avoid some trees while I hooked the jug. Ended up spending 30 minutes using the boat hook to fish the line around the prop to get it released.

As for where I fish, I like open water, along drop-offs such as sunk levies and bridges. Anywhere there is a wall that catfish can burrow into...

man- there are some great tips on this thread
jugging is a lot of fun, I feel much safer than trotlines and many productive methods