Catfish Baits?

[antoniojay]

I'm heading out to fish for some channel cats on the Grand this weekend, and I was wondering what other people use as bait. Personally, I've had catfish hit anything, from nightcrawlers to freshwater clam meat (there are 100s of them where I fish), but I've been hearing a lot of buzz about grocery store bait, and I wanted to know that was all about.

Things such as shrimp, liver, and cheese. Do you buy these items fresh or frozen? Also, how would you go about rigging it? Thanks

 

[RedSkullz]

I seem to get the most and biggest cats on my special blend...3/0 hook droppshotted over a bell sinker.
1 NIghtcrawler folded onto the hook
+ 1 Nightcrawler folded onto hook
+ 1 small 2-3" minnow hooked through the head
+ 1 nightcrawler half folded onto hook and the last half skewered.

I call it the SSS SuperSpecialSandwich

Carefull!! Nice and easy lob casts or you lose much of your sandwich!
Best thing is baits free...crawlers from the lawn night before and the minnows i catch by hand when at the catfishing hole..i should get a minnow net i guess, but i like showing by buddies my ninja skills...hehehe

If i feel extra crazy i put a crayfish on it too...lol

 

[antoniojay]

Lol, sounds like a solid catfish killer.

A buddy of mine suggested I use nightcrawlers, and sprinkle some garlic salt on it before I cast. Is garlic salt really that effective on live baits?

 

[RedSkullz]

Never tried garlic salt before....theres a pic of a nice cat and carp i got about a month in this category on the SSS....i think cats will take almost anything that smells. I personally avoid chicken livers as i dont like the idea of salmonella poisoning. I'd try shrimp but only if i take a frying pan and some butter/garlic.

 

[staffman]

I buy chicken livers and thread them on a hook making sure the hook goes through the liver at least twice. I want to try shrimp next time I get to go ,because chicken livers are messy . If you take worms you may be able to catch a sucker and cut it up in small pieces , this usually works well also.

 

[antoniojay]

Thanks for the tips guys, I don't really like chicken livers either, they seem extremely messy.

Maybe I should just road trip to Oklahoma and go catfish noodling instead

Btw, saw those pics Redskullz, good job! Did you catch those from shore?

 

[Chrisr]

Shrimp is a pretty sure bet to get some action.. i had lots of sucess with it earlier this week. If you find your having trouble hooking the cats with a big piece of shrimp on id use a little stinger hook lots of times they would miss the big hook and end up with that little treble hook in the corner of the mouth.

 

[antoniojay]

Shrimp is a pretty sure bet to get some action.. i had lots of sucess with it earlier this week. If you find your having trouble hooking the cats with a big piece of shrimp on id use a little stinger hook lots of times they would miss the big hook and end up with that little treble hook in the corner of the mouth.

Thank you! Do you use frozen or fresh shrimp? I've heard lots of different things, some say frozen holds better on the hook, others say fresh is more appealing to cats, and I've even heard that cocktail shrimp work best, Any help guys?

 

[RedSkullz]

Thanks for the tips guys, I don't really like chicken livers either, they seem extremely messy.

Maybe I should just road trip to Oklahoma and go catfish noodling instead

Btw, saw those pics Redskullz, good job! Did you catch those from shore?

Yes they were caught from shore in dunnville.

 

[RedSkullz]

Thanks for the tips guys, I don't really like chicken livers either, they seem extremely messy.

Maybe I should just road trip to Oklahoma and go catfish noodling instead

Btw, saw those pics Redskullz, good job! Did you catch those from shore?

Yes they were caught from shore in dunnville.

 

[Alfiegee]

I keep frozen sardines in my freezer and I won't eat those nasty things, they're for channel cats. When I go for cats I take a sardine with me. I cut off the head and tail and use them for "chum." The rest is cut up into 1 in by 1 in cubes and hooked on C-hooks. Make sure you penitrate the skin with your hook or you will lose your bait all the time. Works well in the Grand and Cootes Paradise.

Alfie.

 

[RedCat]

Sorry I am little late to post on this topic. But I just joined.

I catch a lot of cats. I mean a lot. I target them specifically throughout the summer.

I use many baits for them. My go to bait is shrimp, the kind you buy in the frozen food section. Uncooked head on or head off. Thaw as needed. Sometimes they like them better when they are stinky and sometimes better fresh, you also might want to try and spray a little wd-40 on a few to see if this adds to your hook ups. I fish them on a catfish rig, similar to a carolina rig with a 3oz weight and a 5/0 octopus hook. I tie all my own rigs with 20-25lbs lead line on a large barrel swivel.

Other baits that seem to work for me that aren't available at the local grocery store is sucker and goldeye cut baits. Live leopard frogs seem to work in the fall.

Once I learn to post pics I will add some in. My biggest channel cat is 39.75" caught on cut goldeye. OK I will try the pics now.... I hope they work. One ios of my rigs and one is a big channel cat caught on goldeye

 

[NADO]

Is that a channel cat? I thought channel cats were the ones with yellow coloring like the one below?? Either way nice catch!

(for those of you who remember my lost rod incident that is the shimano compre/shimano symetre combo that was pulled into the water by a boat as I sat eating my sandwich at Turkey Point this summer :cry: )...I have since replaced it with another Shimano Compre, a Shimano Saros, a Quantium P Tour and a Shimano Sahara so life isnt so bad lol

 

[RedCat]

Channel cats have lots of different colours. I have caught them in green, yellow, grey (many shades) and even black. Not sure why, gives me something to look up on the net during the off season. I have almost lost several rods now...... due to cats hitting my bait. Here once they reach a certain size they are almost all grey or shades thereof. You can tell a channel cat by the forked tail and the rounded anal fin. Blue cats have a straight anal fin. Bullheads and flathead cats don't have a forked tail.
See the anal fin, the one on the bottom rear of the fish is rounded on both yours and mine. A blue cats anal fin would be much more streamlined and very straight.

The photo above is one such incident. I dove into the river to grab my rod at the last second. Wasn't even a big cat, only measured 32". Just a very agrressive hit. I did ruin my phone by diving in, but I got my rod back and landed the fish.

 

[RedCat]

Check this link out. Shows a blue and channel cat in the same pic

http://twra.us/SpeciesFishInformation_TWRA/BlueCatfishTennessee_IctalurusFurcatus_TWRA.htm

Here is an explanation for the colours.
http://www.fishwagon.com/Fish_Wagon/Channel_Catfish.html

 

[Blair]

Thanks for all the nice pics and info!



This year I have promised myself to start targeting Cats (Even more).

I love fishing diversification and cant wait to get into some of the BIG ONEs.

Will be learning a lot of new techniques and locations.



Appreciate your willingness to share with others!

*There are "other great species" out there .... other than Trout!



*SMILES*



Fish on

 

[RedCat]

I have and will always be willing to help others.
Some of my best fishing partners are just guys I met on the riverbank. Imagine fishing on a fairly busy riverbank and the guy beside you is hammering big fish, could be frustrating to say the least. While fishing cats here you often get people come watch you reel in a big one, sometimes they might ask a few questions. Nothing makes me happier than helping someone out that is new to the sport or new to a species or maybe they just have done things one way their whole lives and don't want to change. One of my best fishing partners,whom I met on the riverbank. I just couldn't stand watching him fish..... he was getting frustrated, almost angry. Losing rigs with almost on every cast. I just put myself out there and gave him a few tips, he didn't have all the right gear so I gave him some bait, rigs and weights, heck I even ended up lending him my spare rod. Thats just me though.

And by the way with a little research I found mooneye is available to be caught in lake ontario and erie, its pretty much the same as goldeye. I remember casting spoons off a pier in Oakville and snagging a few small ones way back when. Some of you guys may want to try them for bait if legal.

RedCat

 

[RedCat]

Here's one I found in my archives with the yellow green colouring. If you notice this one is missing a whisker on the left side and the one on the right side is broken. Also notice the cuts all over the face. These fish are aggressive. I am certain that some of those cuts are from fighting during the spawning season and some are from debris floating down the river in the spring runoff. You should see some of the stuff that comes down river. I have seen full size trees float by in the early season. 2 years ago I watched a garage floating downriver with an ice pack and flow under a bridge...... I never saw much more than splinters come out the other side, it was completely destroyed.

And just to let everyone know, every single picture of a fish that I have posted in this thread is of a different fish.

 

[ChaseChrome]

Guess maybe an old smelly sock would work for bait <_<

Beauty HAS to be in the eye of the beholder, d*mn those things are fugly... :razz:

Seriously though--nice pics guys (loving the coverage here!!)

 

[RedCat]

Just trying to share my passion for channel cats.

Think about it. 20 years ago, how many fishermen would target carp? How about sheepshead (drum)? Anglers these days are after a good time. They want to catch fish and most times release them so others can catch them when they get bigger.

A dirty sock? If you would like to send me one I would try it out for you, not for long though. Every species out there has a specific food at a given time of year. Try steelhead, what are they feeding on right now? Catfish are no different. They may be a rough fish but they are at the top of the food chain around here, I am sure they eat small walleye/sauger at times. I have caught them while fishing other species.... mainly goldeye (shad) and they will hit a worm, but I have also had them take a 14" shad hole(live) while reeling them in. Its no wonder there is no trout in the red river..... the catfish would have hunted then out as they are good eating.

My nickname for catfish is 'riverbuffalo' because they are all shoulders. Its a great fight when you hook into a good one!

PS, coverage will continue! Lets continue to share