Catfish

[tylerreid1234]

What bait right now? I bought a casting net and was learning how to throw it pretty good and i ended up getting it hung on a tree underwater but i couldnt find any shad and without a boat, i cant really just move around and find them. And for Skipjack, i know all about the Sabaki rigs and stuff but once again, without a boat its kinda hard to get to them. Im guessing theyd probably eat any cut up panfish right now though. How is the Catfish bite right now? I know theyre coming shallow at night, right?

[Lee J]

Personally, I've not had much luck with catfish at ALL this year(I fish 2-5 times a week). Hope you're having better luck with them than I am. I caught my first one of the year yesterday on an old,dead night crawler right in the middle of the day. I've tried chicken liver, stink bait, and live bait and caught nothing. I've not tried cut bait though. I'd like to know how you do with it. Sorry I'm not much help though.

[bd-]

I have been fly fishing for the Fly South Carp Tournament this month, but I have been picking up a few incidental channel catfish on the flyrod very early in the morning on flats near deep water.

If I am catching a few on the flyrod, then you could probably catch a stack of them if you were really targeting them.

I'd use shad guts for bait. They are nasty but seriously effective.

bd

[tylerreid1234]

Originally Posted by Lee J

Personally, I've not had much luck with catfish at ALL this year(I fish 2-5 times a week). Hope you're having better luck with them than I am. I caught my first one of the year yesterday on an old,dead night crawler right in the middle of the day. I've tried chicken liver, stink bait, and live bait and caught nothing. I've not tried cut bait though. I'd like to know how you do with it. Sorry I'm not much help though.

I am literally having the SAME EXACT problem. I try to fish every day if i can. And ive been targeting catfish most of the summer and have caught 3... ive tried worms, crickets, liver, everything. I caught 2 on shrimp and the other on a nightcrawler. I see people post about 30 pound flatheads on here and theyre always using shad or skipjack so obviously thats working. Its just hard to catch them without a boat.

[eighball15]

I have always use chicken liver or shrimp. I hit the water about 5 morning or about 6 in the afternoon.

[tylerreid1234]

Originally Posted by bd-

I have been fly fishing for the Fly South Carp Tournament this month, but I have been picking up a few incidental channel catfish on the flyrod very early in the morning on flats near deep water.

If I am catching a few on the flyrod, then you could probably catch a stack of them if you were really targeting them.

I'd use shad guts for bait. They are nasty but seriously effective.

bd

I dont even care how nasty they are, hahaha but maybe i can try this out! Good luck with your tournament!

[lforet2002]

Almost all the cats I caught this year I caught with cut bream...If your having trouble finding shad/skips they are the next best thing..I exclusively use cut baits...Worms and liver and prepared baits are effective for catching little dink channel cats, and personally I target big cats.Another effective catfish bait that I have had success with that is easily accessible is creek chubs and shiners..There is a creek near my house that is loaded with them..I also fish at night as catfish are primarily nocturnal..Channel cats and blues should be coming off there beds and hungry..Flatheads are going on bed this time of year so they will be difficult to catch, unless you go noodling..

[agelesssone]

Flathead catfish dine predominantly on live fish. If you want to target flatheads, use a live shad or any legal bream or creek chubs.

Channels and blues like cut bait as in cut up shad or bluegills. Most people make the nistake of using to large of a piece of bait. I try not to use more than 3/4 " square chunk of whatever I'm using and it works well for me.

We also catch flatheads casting flukes and other swimbaits when we fish for stripers. To them it is a live fish swimming by. We also catch plenty of channels and blues that way too. Crankbaits catch a lot of catfish.

Throwing a bait out and letting it sit on the bottom is not the most effective way to fish. Better to use a slip bobber, and vary your setting, letting the bait drift with the current or wind and cover more water.

So, catch you some bluegills, cut up small pieces, put on a slip bobber, set it for a foot or two off the bottom, and catch some cats!!

It's easy to figure out the depth, just keep moving your bobber stop up your line until the bobber lays down. Now move your bobber stop back down towards your hook a foot or two and there you are, a foot or two off the bottom.

[master_cat]

no clue as to why people are sayin its so hard to get shad and skipjack i catch 20 to 30 every time i go off the bank just tie two white curly tails go to any dam throw out and wammo normaly ur going to get them they are below old hick dam center hill chetem and cordell hull good luck

[Travis C.]

We used to get some small flat tuna style cans of cat food, pop holes in the top, put them in a little bucket, pour a little water on them just to get a little inside the cans but not cover and sit them out in the full sun a couple days. After a couple days, we'd put those cans in a potato sack, tie a rope to it so it can be retrieved and a piece of brick to sink it. Around lunch time day of fishing we'd take it chuck it off in the water usually at least 6ft deep then tie off to a tree. That night we'd catch all we wanted using nightcrawls, liver or shrimp.

Not practical but effective as we did this on camping trips for assured easy meals.

Haven't thought about that in years..

[MNfisher]

Originally Posted by Travis C.

We used to get some small flat tuna style cans of cat food, pop holes in the top, put them in a little bucket, pour a little water on them just to get a little inside the cans but not cover and sit them out in the full sun a couple days. After a couple days, we'd put those cans in a potato sack, tie a rope to it so it can be retrieved and a piece of brick to sink it. Around lunch time say of fishing we'd take it chuck it off in the water usually at least 6ft deep then tie off to a tree. That night we'd catch all we wanted using nightcrawls, liver or shrimp.

Not practical but effective as we did this on camping trips for assured easy meals.

Haven't thought about that in years..

That is a very interesting technique! Thanks for sharing and it sure makes sense why it would work!

Originally Posted by tylerreid1234

What bait right now? I bought a casting net and was learning how to throw it pretty good and i ended up getting it hung on a tree underwater but i couldnt find any shad and without a boat, i cant really just move around and find them. And for Skipjack, i know all about the Sabaki rigs and stuff but once again, without a boat its kinda hard to get to them. Im guessing theyd probably eat any cut up panfish right now though. How is the Catfish bite right now? I know theyre coming shallow at night, right?

You do not need a boat to catch skipjack, I get mine all the time below dams from the riprap.

[tylerreid1234]

Originally Posted by Tennesseejugger

You do not need a boat to catch skipjack, I get mine all the time below dams from the riprap.

With Sabaki rigs?

[j19bill]

I usually have good luck with shrimp marinated in imitation vanilla but not so much tonight. Looks like ill be useing some cut bait next time.

[lforet2002]

Originally Posted by Travis C.

We used to get some small flat tuna style cans of cat food, pop holes in the top, put them in a little bucket, pour a little water on them just to get a little inside the cans but not cover and sit them out in the full sun a couple days. After a couple days, we'd put those cans in a potato sack, tie a rope to it so it can be retrieved and a piece of brick to sink it. Around lunch time day of fishing we'd take it chuck it off in the water usually at least 6ft deep then tie off to a tree. That night we'd catch all we wanted using nightcrawls, liver or shrimp.

Not practical but effective as we did this on camping trips for assured easy meals.

Haven't thought about that in years..

Another chum recipe...

5 gallon bucket
8 lbs of cracked corn
1 pkg of yeast
1 can/bottle of beer
Loose fitting cover for the bucket.

Combine cracked corn, yeast and beer in bucket, fill with water so it is about 2 inches over the corn mixture. Stir ingredients completely, cover loosely, set it in direct sunlight. Stir every 3 to 4 days.The chum is ready when you gag hard enough to pull a muscle.