bluegills for big catties .....

[coolbikeguy]

my step dad really enjoys fishing just below the conowingo damn in Md. he uses night crawlers and had caught some pretty nice cats ... 20-25 inch range. he ran into a guy fishing yesterday that was using small bluegills and a 4 oz. sinker ( to get the bait out further ). he said that he watched the guy catch is first cat which was in the 25" range. he continued to keep his eye on the fellow and his 2nd was 3foot +. step dad said he could just about fit both his fists in its mouth and he caught another just as big. have any of you guys used bluegills or similar as live bait for catties ??? i always had good luck with cats on something dead and very rotten smelling lol this bluegill thing is new to me .... CBG

 

[RicMic]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

Big flatheads are almost always caught on live fish, usually bluegills, in fact flatheads have nearly wiped out the bluegill populations in some of the rivers here. I have caught lots of channel cats on live or fresh cut bait. I've even caught some very big ones on lures. I never use stinkbait, I much prefer fresh, it smells better and stays on the hook better.

 

[MRS]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

Yup bluegill fish them here in California and Arizona. That is what they get the big flatheads with 20 to 30 pounders..... Plus goldfish or small carp...

 

[Vanover]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

I use live minows or fresh cut and buterflied shad. Also realy good on fresh shrimp and live pile or blood worms.

 

[mommicked]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

live bait catches big fish.thats how they got big. fresh shrimp works well and when fishin cats from the bank you can build a fire and cook them on sticks like a hotdog while you fish( bring sauce and crackers and extra "bait",nobody wants to eat all the bait when the fish are biting)!!and fresh bait of all kinds usually stays on the hook better w the cast,older or dead baits gets soft/falls off, shrimp included.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

I use live blue gills and small tiger perch for catfish.
The bait i catch around the docks using worms then come night time they get casted out to the bottom hooked under the dorsal fin.
The big cats love them.

I watched a guy pull in a 60 pound cat one night using live blue gills for bait.

 

[Bigperch]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

Used to catch lots of cats when I was a kid with small bluegills as bait.

We'd run a heavy line across the creek with half a dozen or so 2 to 3 foot lines hanging down from it. Hook the BG's through below the dorsal fin and they swim in circles, drives big catfish nuts, they can't resist.

Next morning was always a lot of fun. Sometimes it was all we could do to haul it ashore with 3 or 4 big cats a fighting all at once and going every different direction.

 

[CN Spots]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

I saw a guy setting limb lines using 10-12" gar as bait. There was about a ten pound cat on one a few hours later but I'm not sure it was one baited w/gar.

Check your local laws before using 'gills as bait. They are considered gamefish here and their use as bait is restricted by size. I think it's 4" and under are ok.

 

[bloxhamboy]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

there is a stinkbait that you can buy. it was advertised in a recent field and stream, i think its called sudden impact, look under teamcatfish.com it's supposed to be irresistable

 

[Huron Angler]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

We use bluegill for bait routinely when fishing for big cats, bowfin, pike and bass and they work very well.

As mentioned a hook under the dorsal lets then swim a bit...but to really keep them attached we slide the hook thru the gills and then bring it thru the body, very hard to lose one that way.

One thing I'd like to try is some trot lines like BigPerch mentioned.

Not sure if they are legal to use here in Michigan since I never hear folks talking about it.

 

[Bigperch]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

It was over 30 years ago. Someone saw us setting our trot lines and told us that, and our noodling, were illegal.

We just laughed.

But then we went and found the regs and started doing it the legal way. Still very successful but it did limit us (can't remember what changes we had to make, too long ago).

We didn't stop noodling, though, lol. We just quit doing it within view of the road

 

[RicMic]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

Set lines, limb lines, trot lines etc. not legal in Michigan. In fact we used to call trotlines, "night lines", because you had to run them at night to avoid unwanted attention. Michigan also strict on the number of lines per person and the number of hooks per line. So two rods with two hooks each is NOT the same as four rods with one hooks each, at least thats what the CO emphathized to me! Anyway we could actually catch just as many or more cats on rod and reel than on set hooks, because we were continually checking and replacing bait and removing nuciance fish and it was more fun and a lot less like work.

 

[Al-53]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

When the Stripers are running the river here we live line bluegills and perch ..they eat these right up...

also use live gills during the ice for Pike...and bullheads....

Al

 

[ajgraz]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

No minimum size limit on bluegill in MD:
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/fisheries/regulations/nontidalregs.html

Nor did I find anything in the MD rules and restrictions to prevent using bluegill as bait:
http://dnr.maryland.gov/fisheries/fishing_guide/2010_MD_Fishing_Guide_Final_LowRes.pdf

So tell your step dad to have at it

 

[Silverskeeter]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

Always used goldfish and perch on our trotlines in the river. Caught 30-40 pounders off of em alot of the time ! And the guys at teamcatfish.com were using secret 7 and sudden impact down here at the kansas river near i-435 just a few miles from my house.They were also using blood spray w/ cut shad. Pullin out some nice clean channel cats.They have a video of it on the website at teamcatfish.com. I have had some good luck w/ shrimp too,I always take a 1/2 lb w/ me when I go out always fresh ( stays on hook better/longer).

 

[hoytvectrix]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

Love to use nice sized bluegills on trotlines or limblines. I also use them with a rod and reel. This past summer caught a 74 pound blue cat on the missouri river with a fresh bluegill. You will catch channel and blues using dead or frozen bait, while flatheads mostly like the live stuff.

 

[Silverskeeter]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

Love to use nice sized bluegills on trotlines or limblines. I also use them with a rod and reel. This past summer caught a 74 pound blue cat on the missouri river with a fresh bluegill. You will catch channel and blues using dead or frozen bait, while flatheads mostly like the live stuff.

Yes Sir ! Gotta love the big fat water pigs !Was that w/ rod or on limb?

 

[mommicked]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

Live bait for Flatheads and blues.I have caught alot of catfish on cut up hot dogs! they're cheap and like the shrimps you can eat them too! chicken livers tied up w pantyhose stays on the hook better and works well also.Ive caught more Channel cats lately while bass fishing!on everything from topwater to crankbaits to rubber worms!

 

[bass or bass ?]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

Yep, bluegills or carp for flatheads. My favorite channel cat bait is frozen squid. Very tough and stays on the hook till you take it off. Squid heads with their tentacles make a terrific bass jig trailer too!

 

[hoytvectrix]

Re: bluegills for big catties .....

Yes Sir ! Gotta love the big fat water pigs !Was that w/ rod or on limb?

It was on a limb