Fishing for catfish!

[Creative!]

I'm new here so hello everyone. I'm looking to try to get a few catfish. I've been catching bass lately and I'm wanting to try for some catfish. So what's the best way to catch catfish? Or rather what do yall find works the best for you? By the way my birthday is coming up soon and I do accept gifts!

 

[beerfilter]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

If you are catching bass , slow your retrieve and fish a little ( not much !) deeper . Cats hit lures too . I catch them all the time on crankbaits, jigs , and , spinner baits . The lazy , blind , bottom feeder , scavenger myth is just that .

FYI , if you happen to visit a big freshwater aquarium , you can see that the cats will almost always relate to the same structure the bass are holding on , and are just a few feet underneath them ...

They all have great eyesight and actively pursue live baitfish , especially blue cats and flatheads .

Using live baits like shiners , tuffies , worms , etc.. , is also a good way to stock up for a fish fry .

FRESH cut bait also works , shad , skipjack , bream , check with the locals and see what the cats like best .

No need to use gut wrenching concoctions , unless you just use it as a chum when the bite is slow . Check your local regs .

If you are REALLY crazy for cats , try noodling . No bait or tackle required , just an ability to reach into deep holes under water and grab what is in that hole without knowing exactly what you are grabbing .
This also works for snapping turtles , and is favored by folks who don't care about being able to count to 10 .

 

[dgopetactical]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

When i fish for flatheads i go to a farm pond and catch all the 3-4" blue gills/sunfish i can then go to the river. I fish them on a 00 hook through the mouth w/ a 3oz sinker 3' down the line(bank fishing) in a boat i fish them without weight. Had better luck with this method than using chicken livers. Alot of guys around here use fresh shrimp for channel cats and have pretty good luck....
denny

 

[seaman campbell]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

Ditto the post above, live bait fish hooked though the eyes or mouth.

TC

 

[CheapboatKev]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

I'm new here so hello everyone. I'm looking to try to get a few catfish. I've been catching bass lately and I'm wanting to try for some catfish. So what's the best way to catch catfish? Or rather what do yall find works the best for you? By the way my birthday is coming up soon and I do accept gifts!

Looks like ya just 3......

 

[beerfilter]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

I never liked chicken livers , except as chum . Chum with the livers , fish with the gizzards . They are tough and will stay on a hook . Keeping chicken livers on a hook is like keeping snot on hook .

Small bream are excellent bait . I use them too . Shad are still the king in this area , though .

 

[Starcraftguy1]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

I like taking the boat into a cove with overhanging grass and bracnches.I use a slipbobber after finding the depth around the edges,adjust the slipbobber depth to keep it about a foot off the bottom and use a nightcrawler with a #4 hook and a splitshot about a foot above the hook.Let the current take it around the overhang about a foot or so in the cove.Always works for some nice channels.

 

[CATransplant]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

Nightcrawlers. I thread them just once in the middle onto a bait-holder hook, then fish that on a fish-finder rig with about an 18" leader. The two ends are free and wiggle like crazy.

Of course, in the Mississipi up here in Minnesota, that rig will catch just about everything in the river, so there's always a surprise. My favorite suprise was a freshwater drum (Sheepshead) of about 10 lb. Now, there's a fighting fish.

But, I've caught channel and flathead cats, walleye, smallmouths, suckers, sheepsheads, and even a bowfin on that rig. Nightcrawlers catch everything.

 

[itsaboattime]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

I am right there with CATransplant. nightcrawlers are the bait to use. I've tried leeches, livers, and since it finally became legal here in Illinois, bluegill. Nightcrawlers will always get some nice Rock River cats!!!

 

[The_Kid]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

Most of the time I use cheese hot dogs, a small weight and just tight line while sitting on the dock. I've also had some lick with minnows using a bobber to keep the minnow about a foot off the bottom.

 

[spudshaft]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

Squid also works well

 

[Starcraftguy1]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

We in a largemouth bass tournament yesterday at Alamo Lake in Arizona.5 different guys caught giant catfish using green watermelon gulp worms texas rigged.My buddy was one them,his was a 12 lb. channel cat.It stopped his heart,lol.Thought he had the winning bass.I think anything that works for other fish will work for catfish at some point of time.

 

[jasper60103]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

Just came back from fishing on the Tn river. My son caught a nice 4-5lb channel cat on crawfish. The stripes were very plentiful and small mouth bass.
You have some great suggestions. I think the cats will become more active as the temperature rises too.

 

[Gutz]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

Live nightcrawlers and perch (shiners) fished on or near the bottom and structure is best. If live bait ain't handy, pick up a package of (Rath's?) hickory smoke-flavored hot dogs! Blues and channel cats love 'em!

 

[Gutz]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

Happy Birthday!

 

[mars bar]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

All the above work well, Cheap cuts of fish work also. I tale all my leftover fish scraps and freeze then in margarine containers. Throw one out and let it slowly melt releasing particles in the water for scent. Fish beside it.

 

[EMSMedic79]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

Believe it or not, I use whole kernel sweet corn. I put about 5 or six on a hook and set it on a bottom rig. The bright color and sweet smell seem to really attract them. Good luck!

 

[thefairlaneman]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

Cats like almost any meat that stinks but the best bait I have ever used for them is blood worms, sorta hard to find inland but cats go crazy for them. Keeping the chicken liver on the hook is done by wrapping it with a little medical gause. I often use a large egg sinker with a swivel and 2 hooks. You can then let the bait drift on the bottom which makes it more interesting to the cats who are deep and just off of the bottom. Also its best to throw out into deep channels if you know where they are. I love cat fishing and you can fish for sharks the same way.

 

[zebstarnes]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

Depending on what species you are going after it varies. Flathead catfish prefer live bait such as sunfish, shad, shiners, or small bullheads. Blue and Channel catfish prefer dead bait and nightcrawlers. You can also use doughbaits which can be very good for channel cats. In southern MO i caught some huge Flatheads using a live Bullhead about 9 to 10 inches long. I would fish 3 rods for about 7 hours a night though and might get one or might not, but if you did you knew he was going 20lbs plus. For channels i always preferred using 3 rods. One with chicken liver, another with nightcrawler, and another with cut shad. If one bait became more active than the rest then I would switch all three rods over to that bait. And although you can catch catfish during the day your going to have a lot more success at night. That is when they are most active and move into the shallows to feed. For this reason I always used a reel with the baitclicker feature so that you could identify hook-ups by sound as opposed to sight.

 

[bowman316]

Re: Fishing for catfish!

does anyone actually eat catfish?
up here in the chesapeake bay they taste pretty nasty.
I just throw them back now.
the bay is dirty thou, and they eat the crap at the botttom, i suppose a opnd raised cat will taste decent.
they are just fun to reel in, and easy to catch any time of day, beyond that they are useless.