bait?

[shrub]

a fish that is native to the waters that your fishing.
bluegills, suckers, shad, herring, heck I've used small smallies cut in half down in VA on the rivers. 
Catfish aren't to picky, they'll eat about anything, heck did you see the big flathead that got the basketball stuck in it's mouth last year. 

i read about that in a N.A fisherman

[archbishop]

with the bluegills do you cut them in peices or leave them whole? and how would you hook them through the lip or back i would assume lip but not sure or would a pike style quick strike rig work better?              and here is the michael jordan of catfish

[Pasquatch]

Live bluegills work great for flatheads, but I'm guessing that using them cut in half might be better for channels. JMHO. I would hook live ones through the lips, but others may think the back is better. I don't see any need for a quick strike rig, cats inhale the bait.

Yeah, that flathead was something else...

[archbishop]

thanks wes if i catch some i will use them live but i have some dead ones now about 10 i found in the back of my freezer from ice fishing i think they are old and i thawed them out and they stink so ill give them a shot also have shrimp to use im leaving in a couple hours so ill let you know how i did thanks for the info

[Pasquatch]

Good luck!  Cats on the Catt?

[archbishop]

Good luck!  Cats on the Catt?

catfish on the cattaraugus heres onyunn with a 16 pounder
 
and wormwigglr with a 10 pounder


i took a pic of the bait we were using but it didnt turn out but we were using cut perch and gills, chicken livers and shrimp

[bigredfishing]

WOW that is a slammin' catty cat!!!  What was that hog's length??

[archbishop]

i could be wrong but i believe onyunns was 34" and wigglrs was 27" but to put in better perspective onyunn is 6'4" so it could be longer than 34"

[Stink Bait]

When I use cut bluegills I cut them right behind the fin at the gill and just slice them down through the belly on one side where it will leave the guts hanging. I hook them through the tail where it just starts to taper from the main body, where I can still get the hook into a pretty thick piece but it is thin enough to leave the point of the hook exposed. I do this because I have found that it conceals the hook well and suspends the bait where whe cat will come up and bite and will usually hook himself. It works great for me. I also like to fish them live for flatheads too and usually won't cut them until they die.

[Pasquatch]

Nice cats...

[Stink Bait]

Oh yeah, I also meant to say that I like to catch the smaller bluegills and fish them whole when I cut them. I seem to catch more fish like this than when I use just the heads or halfs.

[archbishop]

how do you fish the live ones?  cut a fin and under a bobber or sink them to the bottom?

[Stink Bait]

I fish the live ones the same as I do the cut ones. I hook it through the meaty part of the spot where the body starts to taper into the tail. stick your hook in where it is still a little thick at the point behind where it starts to taper. When you fish the cut ones, check it from time to time and make sure the point of the hook is not getting buried into the flesh. They can tend to do that once they start to get a little mushy. I fish with a slip floater at different depths. I like to fish about a foot of the bottom a lot and I have also had a lot of luck fishing them 4 to 5 feet deep. I use multiple poles and try different depths with my slip floaters then when I zero in on the depth they are biting at, I adjust all of my floats accordingly.

[susquayuga fisher]

Theres a Catfish Derby planned for June 4 and 5 in Owego, In the Susquehanna river. If anyone wants details, say the word, Ill post it.  The best cat bait for me has been cut up chubs, hands down. We spend about an hour fishing with tiny hooks and worms in a creek that flows into the river, so its a local bait, which the kitties go nuts over! Either cut it or crush it, and use a 1/0 circle hook, with the hook exposed, yes exposed! The circle hook will set itself in the corner of the mouth EVERY TIME! The only fish I ever caught on a circle hook that wasn't in the corner of the mouth was last weekend, when I got a LL Salmon at Cayuga that hooked in the roof of the mouth. By leaving the point of the hook  exposed, its easier to penetrate the jaw, and the point they feel isn't distinguishable from bones that they chomp down every day. My only complaint this time of year is that the fishing is so good everywhere, you have to decide where your brownie points will be spent

 Andy

[FisherGirl]

i dunno where you guys are fishin', but up here in Minnesota a big ol' juicy nirght crawler works beautifully... or, if you happen to have some leftover venison in the freaser from last year's hunt, cut it up in hunks and the cats go nuts!!