I could only shake my head as I stared at a dead-ended household project. Instead of searching diligently for the proper screwdriver, I'd settled for one that was too small, but handy. The screw was rusted in, and by pressing extra hard with the wrong tool for the task, I'd only managed to strip the Phillips head opening into an even, round hole, rendering all screwdrivers equally useless.

It is a cautionary tale that can be translated to catfish angling.

A catfisherman's toolbox is filled with hooks, swivels, sinkers and other terminal-end hardware items -- pieces that are combined to form rigs for various fishing applications. Although an angler often can suffice with a variety of rigs, he'll do a far better job of presenting baits in the proper places, staying out of snags and hooking fish effectively if he selects the right tools for the task at hand. The end result to all is catching more catfish.

Plenty has been written about popular catfishing techniques and how to execute each and about the best baits to use for various kinds of cats. Here we'll focus on the stuff that gets tied to the end of the line and how to best put it together into rigs for various types of fishing.

SLIDING BOTTOM RIG
For many stationary catfishing approaches, the most efficient set-up is a simple sliding bottom rig. The rig, which can be adapted for different situations by varying the amount of lead and the style and size of hook used, carries the bait to the bottom and keeps it in place. It can be fished with a tight line, which is sometimes necessary in significant current, or with an open bail to allow fish more opportunity to get the bait without feeling line tension.

The best style of weight for a sliding bottom rig is a bell, or teardrop-shaped sinker that has a metal or lead-cast eye for the line to go through at its top. The main line is simply threaded through the eye so that it can slide freely and then is tied to one end of a barrel swivel. Some anglers add a plastic bead between the weight and the swivel to protect the knot from the weight. A 1- to 2-foot section of leader and hook complete the rig.

Hook style and sizes vary in large part based upon the size and type of bait an angler opts to use, but also based on the size of catfish that swim in a given waterway. Some baits commonly used with this type of rig dictate use of a specific type of hook. Chicken livers, for example, stay on the hook best with a small No. 4 or No. 6 treble hook. Dip baits are best presented with special ribbed plastic worms or tubes that normally come pre-rigged with treble hooks and their own leaders and that are designed to be packed with dip bait. For fresh "meaty" offerings, such as cut fish or shrimp, a circle hook in the No. 1 to 4/O size range is a very good choice.

THREE-WAY RIG
A three-way rig, which puts the weight at the end of the line and the hook on a separate leader farther up the rig, provides an outstanding option for vertical or nearly vertical presentations and situations where an angler wants to suspend an offering barely off the bottom. Whether fishermen are anchored over the head of a deep hole, drifting in a tailwater or working a deep hump with the trolling motor, a three-way rig is ideal for keeping the bait right where it needs to be.