Do jugs work in the winter? I assume they do, but just rarely see anyone doing it in our area anytime other than spring/summer.

Anyhow, I am taking a buddy and our little boys out on Friday/Saturday either to Ray Hubbard or Lavon. Any tips/guidance/direction would be helpful. I am thinking we'd drift some deep holes with some fresh dead baits. I have seen that cheese bait on the flats/trees is working well on channels. I'd just like to get the boys into some fish and haven't fished this year much, but about to get serious about it.

My kids loved jug fishing. On any lake I like to fish main lake points and run jugs with two different line lengths. On will have 12 food of line and 2 hooks 3 feet apart. These are the best for kids to fool with as they only have to worry about two hooks. In the summer I like to have a few that are 20 feet long and have 3 hooks 3 feet apart starting 3 feet from the weight. Same deal main lake points. Typically I pick the windward side of the lake and let them drift into shore, the weight on the bottom stopping them. Weight being a 18 oz red party cup filled with concrete and a piece of chain for an eye. Jug itself is often a bleach jug 1/2 gallon of one gallon. Make sure it can float your weight.

Well, we may have to give that a shot this weekend! I've got about 20 jugs made. About half with variable depths and the other half with a double hook system at 12' deep. I may focus the 12'ers drifting some flats on main lake points and then the adjustables, run them over some deep holes/drop offs. Mine are all pool noodle drifting style set ups.

I will often put them out in deep water and let the wind drift them into the target area.

Jugs DO work in the winter..... we made one drift with them, set for about an hour and a half. Drifted from 30' to 9' on a main lake point and let the wind work for us. The boys (and big boys) had a blast!

Good job dad, the smiles tell a story. Keep them interested in the wonderful outdoors.

Well done, looks like a great time was had

Yes, jugs work in the winter.

I recall one T-Day (November 2005 I think) trip, one of my jugs got into No Man's Land (restricted area by the dam) on Lake Limestone. Sadly, I did not know all of the rules. If you contact the Lake Ranger you can get permission to go rertrieve it. I left it & some of the BRA (Brazos Ruiver Authority guys told me the next October that they were sent to retrieve it finally & was allowed to keep it (the fish). It was a 40 pound Blue. That would have been my biggest BlueCat.

One of my prize YellowCat & Catfish Calendar students, he & his wife both had two jugs on Limestone at what I refer to as the Near Corner by the pumping station. Their lines got intertwined with two big 40 pound Blues each. James had his at a pound or two heavier. That was February 2013.

Use my Catfish Calendar (I just posted March) to bring up your volume.

Y'all my grandsons love Jug fishing. I haven't done it seriously in years but I have a couple questions for you Texas jug fishermen...

I was taught jug fishing in Southern Illinois, on Rend Lake. The fellas that taught me did things a little different than what the law allows here in Texas. Back home, you were allowed to anchor your jugs to a tree stump or branch sticking out of the water. So we would tie a length of 100 pound test braided nylon cord to the jug and tie a 1" think section of a tire innertube to the other end. The piece of tire innertube acted as a bungee and kept the jug where we put it and kept the fish from breaking away with the jug. There were exceptions of course, when a big fish would break the bungee and then the hunt would be on for the roaming jug. Some of our results from 25 years ago...





As I understand the law here in Texas, you are not allowed to anchor the jug and it must remain free floating. I have however seen guys with what I see as a vertical set line with a jug at the top, a brick or some other weight at the bottom and several hooks in between. Help me out here guys. How do y'all do it?

Catfish Tim,

Due to so many changes in the laws, it has become like a game of Twister. Even though they still come out with the printed booklet (I heard, but have not gotten a copy), which I prefer, sometimes the interpretation is different from the way it may be read or understood. And while its nice to have a digital copy online or to be able to pull in a copy of what you want to reference, digital items can be alterred. I do not trust it, because of that. As you know, lately (last 10 years or less) they have alterred certain rules in mid-season. That is not cool with me, as that means they canm alter at any time & therefore what was stated at the first of the season, halfway thru may be now illegal & you get hung on that.

I was once told by the office workers at TP&W offices here locally, that they could answer certain questions, but about game & fish rules, you needed to talk to a Game Warden who officially interpret or have been updated on the correct rules for that area. In other words, it is best to ask the Game Warden who officiates on a certain lake, county, or river. As rules are different from county to county, lake to lake, and river to river, including city lakes & such.

Supposedly, a jugline in Texas cannot have more than 5 hooks. I used to think a jugline or throwline must be spaced at least 3 feet apaert on the leaders, but not so, as that is just for trotlines. As you can look at them, normally a jugline or throwline may slant at an angle to drop straight down. While there may be sonme slant to a trotline on each end, basically the main line runs crossways, which may be one reason for that 3 foot minimum between each leader. As a sense, it might be considered a sort of net (snagline dangling hooks so close fish can't avoid it traveling thru & get snagged).

If the rules do not allow a connection line from the jug, then it would be considered a throwline. Plus that extra line from the bank or attachment item, leaves a line to get tangled in by props.

I do my juglines as follows:

I set my jug mainlines with a knot or double knot on the end which ties to the jug. I wrap twice around the handle, then tie 2 to 3 standard knots. I have sprayed some a few years back about half full of spray foam (as it expands & can burst the jug). This way if someone runs over your jug, it still may float & the line & fish are still retrievable.

I make up mainlines of 4 or 5 leader spots (intervals). They may have beads (from Wal-Mart), or not, but I use brass trotline brads (which can slide if a really big one tugs hard enough), along with 3/0 to 4/0 brass barrel or S/S barrel swivels (DO NOT use clips or Y ot T style, as they will break or snap or come unclipped), in order to prevent as much spinning or twisting as possible (including the beads (two on each side). My main lines are cut to length & leaders spots are placed according to the areas I set them in. If I am in 24' area, then I might have X amount between jug & 1st leader spot. Depending on that the leader spots are between 3 to 5 feet apart. I also have a loop at the bottom of the mainline. I make up Cup or tumbler size concrete weights (and tie them to to the metal loop in the concrete, in order to keep from polluting the water body of plastic, if the concrete comes out of the cup). I use the weights to anchor or position them. I usually set them out (several juglines) in a row. Even though the weights may be considered fixed, a 5 pounder or more can take off with a jugline, so it is not actually attached or fixed. But it helps to slow them down.

In my opinion, attaching a line to a root or stump that connects to a jugline would make it a throwline, but depending on how much line is between them may impede boat traffic. Yes there are laws that can be interpreted as such. We had several fender floats constantly being struck at the bottom of the lake (Lake Limestone) back in 2009 or 2010. My uncle made a PVC frame which floated. It was about 6 feet long x 4 feet wide x about 2 or so feet tall. You could not miss it, as we needed the safety to be able to find at least one end of "The Planter" trotlines, in order to check them or retrieve them. He also made another one from a 4 foot PVC tube, in which he capped at both ends with a S/S eyelet in each cap siliconed. But before he capped one end (I did not watch exactly how he did it), but he put concrete in one end. Both, along with the trotlines & opposite ends were removed by a Game Warden & Park Ranger. We were told that they had complaints that they obstructed the passageway. I checked into the laws & it is very vague and can be interpreted many such ways. After awhile, we were given our gear back (except the two anchors for each which weigh between 60 to 72 pounds each & 30+ feet of braided nylon rope on each end for 2 trotlines), but stayed with flexible fender floats, just hoping people would not try to run them over for fun.

"The Giant" has not succeeded in breaking any of my barrel swivels (but did break a 3/0 Y or T style in 2009-2011), but succeeded on 5-5-2018 in snapping size 36 3 strand twist geeen nylon leader & taking the hook. I think the hook may have been a Mustad S/S short shank stump hook, which he took. But that was on a trotline & we both were going in opposite directions full blast at the same time.

So the best thing is to check with the Game Warden who is over (assigned) to that area or water body. That way you know you are doing it right. Call your local TP&W office & they can put you in contact (they will give you their cell number).