BakerJosh Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 So recently i have had a problem, maybe. Im not sure if it counts as a problem. Anyways, I have been fishing a 1/4 ounce RoosterTail Inline-Spinner. In the past few weeks I have caught 5-6 catfish. I have caught some bas, but the catfish is what i am interested in. From my understanding, catfish are scavengers of sorts and work only very rarely attack a moving bait. I have been fishing the bait fairly fast, and am not sure why it seems to catch catfish. Also, this has not been in just one lake, but multiple local lakes. Anyways, Can some one explain this to me? Is it the color(all white)? Is it the time of year? Is this just some sort of weird coincidence? Thanks! Quote
MassBass Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 With all the inline spinner fishing i have done in the river, i have never caught a catfish on it. But you got different cats down south there. Quote
bkohlman Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 I have also caught a few cats on an inline spinner, and pretty much anything else you can catch in Kansas. 1 Quote
einscodek Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 I recently caught a 16" 3.5lb bullhead catfish on a .. huddleston shad. Catfish are like any other fish and can be aggressive but they generally dont swim that fast. Try working your lure alil faster and off the bottom. Quote
Super User FishTank Posted July 17, 2014 Super User Posted July 17, 2014 When catfish are hungry they will go after anything. Last week I caught one on a Fat Ika but I have caught catfish on crankbaits, lipless cranks, spoons, and as a kid, popcorn. Quote
georgeyew Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 I've also caught a catfish on an inline spinnerbait. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen. Quote
stk Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 I've caught a channel cat here in Illinois on a black spinnerbait. Quote
Super User Dwight Hottle Posted July 17, 2014 Super User Posted July 17, 2014 Old school theory was that cats only bit chicken livers & cut bait. As a kid I baited a trot line with bluegills & liver & caught them on both. As an adult fishing for bass I have caught them on plastics, cranks, jerkbaits & spinnerbaits. Flatheads & channel cats are especially aggressive with most moving baits. I have had some serious tussles with channel cats on smallie tackle between 15-20 lbs hitting jerkbaits in 20-30 feet of water. They are serious predators. 2 Quote
Super User Raul Posted July 17, 2014 Super User Posted July 17, 2014 One of the largest channel cats I've caught bit a spinnerbait. Really, if you are after cats try with bait, not lures, you' ll catch a lot more. Quote
crazyjoeclemens Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 Catfish aren't strictly scavengers. Larger cats go for worms and live shad just like bass will. If you're into some catfish during the day, you're running a little too deep. An extra catfish is no problem to me, regardless of what i'm after. They fry up really well. Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted July 17, 2014 Global Moderator Posted July 17, 2014 Catfish are much more predatory than they'll probably ever be given credit for. They don't have great eyesight, which makes tracking moving baits a little more difficult. They are however, extremely sensitive to vibration and smells which is probably why they're so often caught on baits with strong, continuous vibrations (like your inline spinner), or baits with scents added (like plastic baits or jigs). I've caught catfish up to 40lbs on lures and have even fished for them on purpose with artificials. Trolling crankbaits for catfish has a small cult following in some of the lakes here in the midwest and produces some monster flathead and blues. The Gulp lineup of plastic baits is probably one of the best catfish catching lures I've ever used. There's days fishing a bladed jig that I seem to catch more channel cats than bass. I've even caught several on a buzzbait and one on a hollow bodied frog. 2 Quote
Super User Crestliner2008 Posted July 17, 2014 Super User Posted July 17, 2014 When I use to troll for northern pike I use to catch a lot of quality cats. This was on musky sized inline spinner, 8" Believers and spinnerbaits. They are far more "predatory" than most folks give them credit for. Quote
sprint61 Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 Yea cats are a big predator especially flatheads. During the warmer months I have noticed all species of catfish to be much more agressive and feed a lot more because the warm water boosts there metabolism. According where you are ar this time of year cats could either be pre spawn or post spawn and in those two times they become more agressive then they already are to get *** before they enter their den to guard the eggs or lay the eggs. But either way to me it sounds like you have a good problem catfish are tasty. Quote
PersicoTrotaVA Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 If you think a bass' lateral line is sensitive, a catfish's barbels are way more sensitive. Our lips are very sensitive, imagine if we had barbels hanging off how much more could we tell about our surroundings... Anyone that has kept tropical catfish know they aren't just scavengers. I have caught catfish on a wacky rig, a jig, a spinnerbait and t-rig...just this year. My fav lake is stocked with blue cats only and they like to find a dock or some kinda structure in a deep(for around here) water current. I have fished a dock for an hour pulling nothing but cats out from under it, 1 after another. Quote
Kevin22 Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 Catfish are predators. While bass fishing I have caught them on spinnerbaits chatterbaits buzzbaits t-rig worm/craw tubes flukes flippin jig and swimming jigs crankbaits of all sorts topwater popper topwater frog large mepps #5 custom small musky spinner targeting pike weedless spoons I think that's it, but I've probably missed a few. Quote
Siebert Outdoors Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 I've caught cats on just about all the lures I throw. Lately they have been smashing my crankbaits. Around here when they start the spawn they seem to hit these types of baits well. Then it usually goes back to the normal bit of worms and liver. Quote
EmersonFish Posted July 17, 2014 Posted July 17, 2014 Full Disclosure: I probably catfish more than I fish for bass. (GASP! I know.) Anyway, catfish eat all of the same stuff bass eat: minnows, shad, bluegill, other bass, worms, crawfish, bugs, etc.... They are known to primarily seek their food by smell and taste, but they have great sight as well (particularly channel cat), can feel vibration in the water, and they are predatory fish. After all, the primary method of catching flathead is with large, live baits. People drift fish with live bait for blue cat (although without question, fresh cut, native shad is the king of all blue cat baits). I use bluegill and other live sunfish to target big channel cat. There are those who target catfish with artificial lures. I think they see it as more of a challenge however. Although you can catch cats that way, that is definitely not the most efficient/effective way to do it. I've been in a few catfish tournaments and have been to a lot more. You won't see guys with a lot of artificial lures on the deck any time soon. In any case, I've accidentally caught some nice BASS when I was fishing for CATFISH; although it's not quite as exciting because the tackle is usually a little too heavy. Quote
notevenanibble Posted July 20, 2014 Posted July 20, 2014 caught one Friday night on a fluke. about a three pounder Quote
Nelson Wormefeller Posted July 22, 2014 Posted July 22, 2014 They really do go after stuff you wouldn't expect. Quote
Global Moderator Bluebasser86 Posted July 23, 2014 Global Moderator Posted July 23, 2014 Baby brush hog Power minnow under a bobber Home made casting jig Zman Zinker Havoc Fatty Craw Home made casting jig Gulp minnow Home made finesse jig Shakyhead and stick worm Shakyhead and trick worm That's a home made bladed jig all the way down there believe it or not. Strike King jig and rage craw Home made finesse jig Lots and lots of them on other baits that didn't get their pictures taken. Most of the other ones are smaller fish not really worth having a picture of and if they're caught on trebles I usually unhook them without grabbing them to try and avoid getting hooked. Quote
tholmes Posted July 23, 2014 Posted July 23, 2014 I have also caught a few cats on an inline spinner, and pretty much anything else you can catch in Kansas. ^ This. I fish a small lake near here where I've caught several catfish on small Panther Martin spinners while fishing for crappie or bluegill. A 5lb. channel cat puts up a fair fight on an ultralight spinning rig. Tom Quote
Dillo Posted July 24, 2014 Posted July 24, 2014 The spinner is something unfamiliar to the fish and when you rip it by them quickly, they react fast and attack it, its a reflex. Quote
Super User everythingthatswims Posted July 24, 2014 Super User Posted July 24, 2014 My brother was trolling a 2.5" minnow style crank that dives 3' in the middle of lake anna around midday when we were kayak fishing (we always have baits out when we are paddling from spot to spot) something slammed it in about 25' of water...3lb channel cat...suspended near the surface I guess! Quote
The Dark Knight Posted August 10, 2014 Posted August 10, 2014 Opportunist is a far better description of catfish than scavenger. I have caught them on rooster tails in the past . Rattle baits such as the cotton cordell spot have worked , too, from time to time. Recently, I have caught some nice channel cats on various rapala minnows and the bx swimmer . Quote
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