If you’re only going to learn one catfish rig, the slip sinker rig is an excellent choice and considered one of the essential catfish rigs for many anglers.
Bass fishermen use a similar setup commonly referred to as the “Carolina rig”. The slip sinker rig is the same setup but the tackle used when fishing for catfish is much difference. Catfish anglers generally refer to this as a slip sinker rig and it’s rare to hear the term “Carolina rig” from a catfish angler.
The slip sinker rig is one of the most popular catfish rigs and the “go to” setup for fishing for catfish for many anglers across the United States.
It’s not fancy, it’s not complicated but it’s versatile and….
- It can be used for fishing on anchor, drift fishing, fishing vertical, using techniques like controlled drifting or fished on the bottom with a “tight line”.
- It can be used for all three of the major species of catfish, blues, channels and flatheads.
- It can also be used in any body of water from lakes and reservoirs to big rivers or ponds and everything in between.
Popularity of the Slip Sinker Rig
The slip sinker rig is popular for several reasons:
- It allows catfish to pull line without meeting significant resistance from the sinker.
- It allows functional use of the bait clicker (line alarm) allowing fish to “run” with the bait
- It’s effective for smaller fish and big trophy class cats as well.
- Adding a small peg float helps lift the bait off the bottom of the lake or river, turning it into a Santee rig
- It’s versatile for fishing with a number of different types of catfish baits.
Items Needed For The Slip Sinker Catfish Rig
Leader Line: 40 to 50 Lb clear monofilament leader or fluorocarbon leader. The heavier weight leader line helps serve as a shock absorber during aggressive strikes as well as additional abrasion resistance for the rough mouth of a catfish.
Hook: Any hook will work for the most part so you’re preferred option is fine. For channel catfish fishing with prepared baits we prefer a #4 or #6 4X strong treble hook. For blue catfish, flatheads and larger channel cats then circle hooks are our favorites. Popular circle hook options are the Team Catfish Double Action Circle Hook in size 5/0 or 8/0. If you prefer an octopus style circle hook check out the Whisker Seeker Octo-Circle.
Swivel: There’s many sizes and styles of barrel swivels that will work. You can use the basic brass barrel swivel or for extra performance try something like a ball bearing swivel or crane swivel. Popular sizes are size 1/0 and size three. Just tailor the swivel size to the size catfish you’ll be targeting.
Sinker/Weight: Egg sinkers or no roll sinker are preferred by most catfish anglers when fishing on anchor or suspend fishing cats with the slip sinker rig. For drift fishing consider using a snagless drift fishing sinker like the Team Catfish Smooth Operator Sinker.
For more in depth information on the catfishing gear needed for this rig and more be sure to check out the Ultimate Guide To Catfishing Gear.
How To Tie The Slip Sinker Rig
- Determine leader length and cut to appropriate length (allow a couple of extra inches for knot tying etc so you have some room to work with). Twelve to eighteen inches is a good general length and is preferred by most anglers.
- The longer the leader the more a fish can move with your bait without you feeling it and the more the bait will move around in the water.
- Longer leaders also have tendency to hang up more so if you are fishing in water where there are a lot of snags or you are having problems getting hung up, try shortening your leader.
- For aggressive fish a longer leader can be used but when fish are less aggressive a shorter leader length will give you greater feeling and you’ll know sooner when a fish is “playing” with your bait.
- Tie the hook to the leader line using a Palomar knot or the easy snell knot. The easy snell is preferred for circles as it impacts the hook direction and can affect the hook set. Learn more about these knots in the four fishing knots every catfish angler should know.
- Tie the swivel to the leader using a Palomar knot.
- Slide an egg sinker, no roll sinker or other sliding sinker on the main line (fishing line going to your reel) .
- Slide a bead or sinker bumper on the main line after the sinker. This helps absorb the impact of the sinker sliding into the swivel and protects the knot.
- Tie main line (from your fishing reel) to the end of swivel that’s not tied to the leader using a Trilene knot.
- Cut the excess line from all knots.
When you’re done the slip sinker rig should look like the illustration above
Here’s The Video Walkthrough
Beads and Bumpers, Are They Necessary?
Most instructions you’ll find on the slip sinker rig will tell you that the weight constantly banging into the swivel will cause the knot to weaken or the line to break and you must use a sinker bumper or bead.
I’ve been a catfish guide over 15 years and have countless years experience targeting catfish prior to that . In that time i’ve never once had my line break or a knot fail because I didn’t have a bead or bumper on a slip sinker rig.
If you’re fishing rivers with heavy current or using larger heavy sinkers then it’s a good idea to use a bumper or bead. If you’re fishing in still water and using smaller sinkers they’re really not necessary in many applications.
They’re an inexpensive piece of tackle and easy so I do recommend their use but not nearly as essential as many will make you believe they are.
The Must Know Catfishing Rig
The slip sinker rig is one of the most popular ways to rig for catfish due to the versatility and effectiveness, and definitely a catfishing rig you should try if you’ve never used it before.
Experiment with leader length and try using this catfishing rig with different catfishing techniques and you’ll find that it’s an effective and versatile way of setting up that works very well for catching all species of catfish.
If you’re fishing with circle hooks like we suggest make sure you’re using a catfish rod that’s built to perform well with circle hooks and made for catching catfish of all sizes like my Chad Ferguson Signature Series Catfish Rod.
To get on the fast track to catching more catfish check out the Catfish Edge products. These in depth guides are meant to help provide all the details you need for catching catfish using different techniques or during different seasons. They’re like a guided fishing trip at a fraction of the cost of being on the water.
Want More On Catfish Rigs?
Check out all of our tutorials on catfish rigs covering everything you need to know and more. You’ll learn the essentials of rigging for different species of catfish and different catfishing techniques here at the catfish rigs page.
[Free Download] The Top 12 Catfish Rig Tips
If you want even more cutting edge tips for catching catfish then download our free ebook, the Top 12 Catfish Rig Tips.
Just click the “Download Now” button below, enter your name and email and submit the form and we’ll email you this free ebook. It’s jam packed with information about catfish rigs and catching more cats!
Should you always go as light as possible with the wieght?
Will bigger weights hender catching smaller fish?
I like to use as little weight as possible for channel catfish but otherwise is not a big issue.
Just getting into catfishing
I have tried fishing this rig in a fast moving current while bank fishing and i find my rod tip is constantly dipping up and down. I am using a fishing weight slider with pyramid sinkers usually 3oz followed by a barrel swivel with 18 to 23 inch leader and a 5/0 circle. I know my weight is on bottom and stuck i believe its the current pulling and slacking my bait is there a trick to getting around this or would you recommend a different rig for fast currents?
Thank You
The current will make the pole tip dip up and down slowly. We always added a small bell on the end of the rod when bank fishing the Sacramento River. That way you pretty much knew for sure when the fish hit it. We’ve landed many big strippers and cats off the banks with this set up.
When fishing on anchor which catfish rig do you prefer? If you use the slip sinker rig do you use a cork to keep your bait up? I sometimes find the cork causes the bait to become entangled in the main line…….. curious
I use both and see what the fish want
I’ve been fishing for over 50 years but never for Catfish
I think it is time to learn, thanks for the advise.
50 years and not one catfish ? thats remarkable lol. they are a blast to catch , hope you nail a bigon for your first catfish
Thanks
The three way rig, with two droppers is superior to the touted slip rig for two major reasons.
Snags and snags. A slip rig, when snagged, requires the angler to over stress the main line.
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ched, i like to ask your advice on something . me and my wife fish for catfish on the tchefunteriver in a little town in madisonville la. at night when the days gets to hot for us. will here our problems. every year they have parades doing mardi gran. and unfortunatly they have mardi gran there too. and the beads go in the river. i dont like it. but what can i do. will anyway when me and my wife fishing for catfish we get hung up on them dam beads on bottom is there anything i can do to stop from getting hung up. we wood appeciate . thanks. john and donna dixon
Eagle claw 449wa weedless chunk bait hook will work if your snagging the beads with a regular hook.
I have tried fishing this rig in a fast moving current while bank fishing and i find my rod tip is constantly dipping up and down. I am using an egg sinker but it gets swept back close to the bank. It’s followed by a barrel swivel with 18 to 23 inch leader and a 5/0 circle. I know my weight is on bottom and stuck i believe its the current pulling and slacking my bait is there a trick to getting around this or would you recommend a different rig for fast currents? What weight should I be using.
I’m fishing in heavy current on a river while using this rig . Can I put it in a rod holder on shore. Or I should hold it
Rod holder is fine
What’s the best set up for catfish fishing at a Dam?
I’ve always used live bream cut bait and I always always use the slip sinker rig under a 3 ounce bank sinker as the slip weight. Chad wat would u use in the fall to early winter so I can figure out
should work fine
I love the the slip sinker rig, but i fish in the minnesota river where the current is strong on a 2 oz. Sinker but tend to get snagged alot on the bottom from the current carrying my line. Is there a way to prevent that?
Try some of the other rigs on our catfish rigs page.
Chad, I have recently been turned on to fishing in general as a treatment to help severe P.T.S.D., and I must say it is by far the best medical treatment I have had since my early retirement from the Marine Corps, an I.E.D. got the best of a few times in Iraq, I am fishing Badin Lake here in NC, which has a pretty good rep for good size blues, I am fishing from a Tracker Pro guide 16, and right now the thermocline is at 45 ft on my fishfinder, should I be targeting fish around 30 ft in the creeks at night off the main channel using Carolina rigs or something else, we are using live shad netted at the damn. We are catching about 6 fish per night, and some are around the 20 lb range, seems pretty slow I think or is this common for this time off year, and the water temp is around 88 degrees, any advice you could give or anyone else would be great, I have recently started a program called Fishing for a Cure to get get disabled Vets out from the shadows and into the water to help their minds be at peace, its a brand new program I am putting together with my own money, right now I am taking people out about every night, and it would be nice to here some good advice to help put them on some fish, I am shocked at how many calls I am getting to take these Vets out but I can only put 3 in the boat at a time for now, since I am also new to this sport it has been challenging, looking forward to hearing from you and the other fellow anglers on advice.Thanks and God Bless The USA, Semper Fidelis
I admire what you are doing. I have used fishing for P.T.S.D. ever since I came out of Viet Nam. when I fish thermal cline from a boat I used a fixed sinker with a 20 inch leader(shown to me by a stripper guide. But now I have taken this to a different level for catfish. Take a 2 hook crappie rig and tear it apart. Put swivels and clips with your pan fish supplies we are using the 2 twisted wire hook Use snaps that extenders. I used 30 0r 40 lb. braided line on my heavy reals. I use the same weight clear monofilament line to put the rig together. Tie heavy barrel swivel snap (that have the bent wire so the wire does not pull thru the holder) to leader then tie leader to first Twisted wire holder ( you want 16 Inch leader between snap swivel and twisted wire). Now tie on a heavy barrel swivel to another clear leader then tie the other end to the other side of the twisted wire( allowing 10 inch from wire to swivel with the extended end of the twisted wire sticking out for hook and leader). Now tie another leader on to the barrel swivel and on to the 2nd twisted wire also need 10 inch of leader here. now tie another leader on to 2nd twisted wire (make sure long side is left sticking out for hook leader) and tie heavy snap swivel (use bent wire snap swivels on all snap swivels for this rig) onto that leader, making sure that there is 16 inches between twisted wire to snap swivel (this swivel allows you to add what ever size bell weight you want to use). Now to make the hook leaders. Use clear monofilament for leader line that is 10 lbs. smaller than the main line so if u get snagged hook line should break instead of rig line. Tie leader line the heavy snap swivel then to hook 10 inch between them, then snap on twisted wire. use any stile hook u want. can use this rig straight down from boat or on a slip bobber. just set your depth th where weight is at top of thermocline layer or just under the fish.
Thanks Rowdy and thank you for your service.
Really new to fishing and I really want to go and start snagging up some catfish I go to this local pond in North Western Illinois and I just need help and knowing if the setup commented above is the perfect one to start with or what you would recommend to a novice like me cuz I’m going out there with my kids and they’re really interested in really want to get into fishing as do I so any help would be appreciated.
This is a great option and there’s options as well. Check out the other catfish rigs on the site and experiment.
Can you use dip bait on a Carolina rig? I’m just getting in to catfishing and fishing on a swift moving river near a dam. Any advise to put some fish on the bank would be greatly appreciated!