What baits, rigs, and techniques are effective on channel catfish?
qp727 asked:
I consider myself as a experienced fisherman, but I have trouble catching channel catfish at this particular pond in Southern Colorado. I know there is channel cat , because I see them patrolling the area and I have caught some, but want to catch more.
I have used the liver, doughbait, worms, cut bait, live fish,tadpoles, crayfish,and grasshoppers. The rigs I use are the ganglion and attaching a light weight 18′ above the hook. I fish anytime of the day besides late morning to mid afternoon. Any suggestions?
JULY
I consider myself as a experienced fisherman, but I have trouble catching channel catfish at this particular pond in Southern Colorado. I know there is channel cat , because I see them patrolling the area and I have caught some, but want to catch more.
I have used the liver, doughbait, worms, cut bait, live fish,tadpoles, crayfish,and grasshoppers. The rigs I use are the ganglion and attaching a light weight 18′ above the hook. I fish anytime of the day besides late morning to mid afternoon. Any suggestions?
JULY
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This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 9th, 2008 at 9:59 pm and is filed under Fishing Techniques. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
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on December 10th, 2008 at 2:33 pm
TRACI
All I ever use is stinkbait,works well…or chicken livers work, if you let them sour a bit.Ive been able to fill my freezer with ‘em this way.The stronger the smell the better as they go by smell and not sight(.this is a known fact.)
on December 12th, 2008 at 9:41 am
COY
channel cat particularly like live food. you might try fishing with live minnows, worms, goldfish, or crayfish. we used to run trotlines alot and have caught many channels using this and also blood baits such as liver.
on December 14th, 2008 at 8:29 am
IVIE
Hotdogs!
on December 14th, 2008 at 9:36 pm
SOLANGE
try some rotten shrimp.
on December 17th, 2008 at 6:01 am
YVONNE
fish nightcrawlers off the bottom or just off the bottom. if that doesnt work, chicken liver wrapped in panty hose, if that doesnt work…maybe theres no fish there.
on December 17th, 2008 at 7:28 pm
GASTON
First, before getting into the actual fishing techniques it might be advantageous to take a look at the natural feeding habits of this species. Catfish, by and large, are omnivorous feeders with a well developed sense of smell. This simply means they consume a wide variety of food items, and the fish is most often attracted to odoriferous or “smelly” morsels of food. The single greatest determinant of catfish food preference is body size. Smaller catfish, those less than 14 inches, feed primarily on bottom-dwelling organisms, such as aquatic insect larvae and other invertebrates. As catfish grow to a larger size, their diet changes and a wider variety of food items are eaten. Fish, however, either alive or dead, make up the bulk of their forage after they reach 16 inches.
The diet of channel catfish also varies with the different seasons. Some food items are more available at one time of the year than another, and, being an opportunistic forager, channel catfish take what food is vulnerable to predation at that time. During late winter and early spring the most abundant food is a wide variety of organisms, including fish, that have succumbed to the harsh winter. These morsels, in various stages of decomposition, are consumed in large quantities by catfish. It is not unusual to find catfish stomachs gorged with decaying fish shortly after ice-out. As the water warms into late spring and summer the diet of catfish shifts continually to food items that are again most available and vulnerable. The most prevalent foods at this time of the year are aquatic and terrestrial worms, fish, frogs, crayfish, mulberries, insects and their larvae forms, elm seeds and algae. Many other items are consumed but usually make up only a small portion of the menu. Catfish food habits in the fall again change as the water cools. More fish is consumed along with aquatic invertebrates and terrestrial insects. Frogs become increasingly important for food as they move into streams before the onset of winter. Under the ice cover catfish feeding is reduced to a low level and consists mostly of dead fish that are picked up from the bottom.
on December 19th, 2008 at 1:04 am
COLE
I’ll throw in another vote for rotten shrimp. Use a slip (sliding) sinker with the bait on a small treble hook. When you get a bite let some slack out until the fish starts to travel. By that time they usually have the bait completely in their mouth. It always worked for my Dad and Grandfather.
on December 19th, 2008 at 6:05 am
FLOWER
I like using liver soaked in minced garlic. After the liver has soaked overnight, wrap pieces of liver in a piece of nylon stocking and tie the ends to make a ball. The liver stays on very well, and you don’t loose your bait everytime.
on December 19th, 2008 at 9:33 am
FENTON
use fresh shrimp not cooked but peeled. another option is cut mackerel. these baits usually work well around the southern california area. also try to fish right after a good rain. the rain and muddy waters seem to turn the catfish on. catfish will bite bait right on the bottom, but if you put a small balsa float near the bait, they have an easier time finding the bait. aother thing, catfish feed continuously when the water is warm, cold water slows them down and they get picky…
on December 22nd, 2008 at 8:48 am
BRAND
try shrimp or cut up shad…i use a regular crappie rig, a 1 oz. sinker at the bottom and number 1 hooks
on December 25th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
THANE
try beef liver, live small frogs, frog legs
on December 25th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
KENNARD
ahem…you talking to a pro here…yeah…ahahaha. get a size 2 octopus hook. i usually put 3 mealworms at a time and add a lil extra onto there. like 3 mealworms + half a shrimp or 4 mealworms + 1 nightcrawler or 2 mealworms + some stinky stuff. there’s a lot of combinations you can do. always worked out for me.
:]
yup…leaned it from my dad.
x]
on December 26th, 2008 at 6:47 pm
VALENTINE
You’ve got the right idea. Stick with your rig and the chicken liver, just try it at night. That’s when I have the best luck with the monster cats.