Catfish are pushing out the bass

[Koz]

I hit a bunch of my favorite bass spots out on my kayak today and it was catfish, catfish, catfish, and more catfish. It's getting ridiculous. Today they hit chatterbaits, spinnerbaits, minnows, and soft swimbaits.

 

I caught two about 20 pounds, another over ten, and three in the 7-10 pound range. One of the big ones launched itself out of the water like a big bass.  And not one bass today.

 

They're a pain because I don't want to bring them on the deck and slime everything up or tail slap my center console electronics. And they twist so much they leave a coating of slime on my line.

 

I know a lot of folks enjoy catching catfish, but they really seem to be taking over Lake Sinclair.  There's an early morning, shallow bass bite but after that the catfish take over the lake until sunrise.

[Vilas15]

What kind? I'm not familiar with the different species enough to know whether they're all good for eating or not. I'm sure somebody here's got a good recipe.

[Koz]

36 minutes ago, Vilas15 said:

What kind? I'm not familiar with the different species enough to know whether they're all good for eating or not. I'm sure somebody here's got a good recipe.

Blues.

[Woody B]

I've caught a BUNCH of them Bass fishing.  I enjoy the HUGE ones, but the rest are just a pain.  Blues are mostly scavengers, but they're more aggressive toward live prey during pre spawn, and spawn times.   I usually only catch Blues this time of year.  Flatheads are predators.  You can catch them on artificial baits year round.   

 

It might just be a coincidence, but I haven't caught a Blue on a spinnerbait with a trailer.   I normally use either a Mann's Classic Spinnerbait trailer, or a Damiki Armor Shad for a trailer.   Pretty much anytime the last month I've thrown a spinnerbait without one I've caught a Blue.  I haven't caught on when using a trailer.   Maybe my trailers are Catfish repellant.   

 

 

Be careful if you end up with a Blue on your 'Yak.   They'll fight like heck for a few seconds then just quit.   I call it playing dead.  I had a 15 pounder that Mrs B caught come "back to life" in my boat.  I ended up with a fin in the top of my foot all the way to the bone.  

[gim]

The MN DNR stocked channel catfish in a central Minnesota chain of lakes years ago called the Horseshoe Chain to trim up the undersized population of panfish there, primarily sunfish.

 

It backfired. The channel catfish proliferated and began gorging on bass, walleye, and stocked muskie fingerlings there after they finished off the panfish.

 

They have voracious appetites and obviously can grow to immense size. I have a friend who fishes there multiple times per season and he catches a couple monstrosities each season.

 

 

[MediumMouthBass]

This reminds of me some parts of my local river, the state biologists are predicting the catfish (invasive ones) cant remember which species of them will eventually destroy the bass fishing in a few years to a decade in some areas....

 

Alot of people have been catching them and then throwing them on the side of the bank, in the summer it starts to smell, thats how they are dealing with them i guess.

Id recommend you get a group together and catch as many as you all can, take them home and eat them. Might be all thats needed to reduce their population.

 

All fish species are cool and interesting to me, and i think each one has a purpose (even those from the esox family) but when one gets out of control its usually bad for every other species.

And any fish can do it, whether its the largest or the smallest, i once saw a pond get destroyed just from bluegill overpopulation. They were also trying to get as many of them to eat to fix that problem.

[Koz]

2 hours ago, Woody B said:

 

It might just be a coincidence, but I haven't caught a Blue on a spinnerbait with a trailer. 

 

 

Be careful if you end up with a Blue on your 'Yak.   

I had a Missile Baits spunk shad trailer on both the spinnerbait and the chatterbait today.

 

I’d rather cut my line than put it on the deck of my kayak. 

[T-Billy]

My guess is they're spawning. Channels typically spawn here in OH in June, and Flatheads in July. I catch some big channels every year on chatterbaits while night fishing for bass and eyes.

[TnRiver46]

8 hours ago, Vilas15 said:

What kind? I'm not familiar with the different species enough to know whether they're all good for eating or not. I'm sure somebody here's got a good recipe.

They are all good eating. Had some at a wedding last night haha

1 hour ago, T-Billy said:

My guess is they're spawning. Channels typically spawn here in OH in June, and Flatheads in July. I catch some big channels every year on chatterbaits while night fishing for bass and eyes.

Well, when they spawn they get into a rock cave or undercut bank and bunker down. Sounds to me like they are eating not spawning 😂 

[Susky River Rat]

@MediumMouthBass everyone bass guy in the susky blames their not catching to the flatheads. The bass fishing is better now then 15 years ago and that’s about how long the flatheads have been here If not longer. I’ve also fished below the Conowingo where the snakehead, flathead  and blue cats roam. I’ve had some of the best bass fishing there too. 
 

I hate catfish but they are by no means ruining the fishing on the susky. Just like musky don’t ruin the walleye or bass populations. It just changes where they maybe located. 
 

edit: the flatheads  have been in the susky at safe harbor since 2002.

Edited May 13, 2024 by Susky River Rat
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[Woody B]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Sounds to me like they are eating not spawning 😂 

 

I'm thinking they pretty much eat anything in sight during pre spawn.   

8 hours ago, Koz said:

I had a Missile Baits spunk shad trailer on both the spinnerbait and the chatterbait today.

 

Great!!!!  Now I can't use trailers to keep Blues from biting.  I didn't "believe" the trailer kept them from hitting, but in the past few weeks I've probably made 10 or less casts with a spinnerbait and no trailer.  4 of those casts caught Blues, on caught a White Perch.   No Cats or Perch when using a trailer.  

 

 

 

I suppose in big enough numbers any species could be bad for Bass but I don't think the Blues, or other Cats hurt Bass fishing where I'm at.  However, this time of year I believe the Bass stay away from them.  

 

 

I'm thinking a Channel Cat would be the less of a threat to Bass than any other Cat due to their size, and the size of their mouth.  I suspect Blues are only a threat this time of year when they're in crazy eat everything pre spawn mode.   

 

They have Catfish tournaments all the time at the lake I fish.  IIRC there's State regulations that you can only have 2 Blues over 30 inches in your boat.   I suppose the state wants to protect the big ones.   The State also advises not to eat more than one serving a month due to PCB's and mercury in the water.   

[TnRiver46]

@Woody B, isn’t that nice of the state to watch over us. Maybe they should test some food at the grocery store 😂 

[flatcreek]

Time to get that boat so you can throttle down and high tail it outta there to another area down the lake to catch bass.Same thing with catching dink Spots on our Savannah River lakes, you gotta keep moving to find the bigger fish.

[gim]

34 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Maybe they should test some food at the grocery store

 

That's already being done.  Every single piece of food you buy has passed inspection, otherwise it wouldn't be there.  And there's a disclaimer in the meat case about consuming undercooked meat/seafood at your own risk too.  And yet, some people still do it, get violently ill, and the wonder why it occured.

[Koz]

15 minutes ago, flatcreek said:

Time to get that boat so you can throttle down and high tail it outta there to another area down the lake to catch bass.Same thing with catching dink Spots on our Savannah River lakes, you gotta keep moving to find the bigger fish.

Now you tell me to get a boat 😀

 

 

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, gimruis said:

 

That's already being done.  Every single piece of food you buy has passed inspection, otherwise it wouldn't be there.  And there's a disclaimer in the meat case about consuming undercooked meat/seafood at your own risk too.  And yet, some people still do it, get violently ill, and the wonder why it occured.

I’ll take my chances with my river fish over whatever they are inspecting from god knows cesspool. They are worried about cash money not my personal safety. People get violently ill off grocery store lettuce and spinach more than anything 

[gim]

25 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

People get violently ill off grocery store lettuce and spinach more than anything 

 

That's because its raw.  There's no kill step.  It relies on the end user (you) to properly wash it before eating it.

 

I think catfish is pretty good eating, but I don't target them and I've never caught one, so its kind of irrelevant for me personally.

[MN Fisher]

9 minutes ago, gimruis said:

It relies on the end user (you) to properly wash it before eating it.

Everything you get from a grocery store, farmer's market, where-ever should be washed. Not only do you not know what chemicals were put on it, you don't know who handled it before you. If you don't wash your raw food before preparation...then it's on you.

 

I actually prefer bullhead over catfish...any I catch go in the livewell.

[gim]

1 minute ago, MN Fisher said:

I actually prefer bullhead over catfish...any I catch go in the livewell.

Haha.  Do you catch many bullhead (or catfish)?  Its been years since I caught a bull head and I've literally never caught a catfish in 25 years fishing here.

[TnRiver46]

6 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Everything you get from a grocery store, farmer's market, where-ever should be washed. Not only do you not know what chemicals were put on it, you don't know who handled it before you. If you don't wash your raw food before preparation...then it's on you.

 

I actually prefer bullhead over catfish...any I catch go in the livewell.

All the more reason to catch your own fish and grow your own veggies. 
 

hillbillies have been on this program for a long time, weren’t that many grocery stores two generations ago. Our elders only went to the store for sugar to make moonshine and flour to make biscuits 😂 

[MN Fisher]

Just now, gimruis said:

Haha.  Do you catch many bullhead (or catfish)? 

Average year, I'll pull half-a-dozen bullheads out of Tonka during the course of the year...they primarily hang out in West Arm around Deering Island.

[T-Billy]

9 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

Well, when they spawn they get into a rock cave or undercut bank and bunker down. Sounds to me like they are eating not spawning

Maybe it's both? All I can tell ya is, there's a couple weeks every June when I catch channels up shallow on chatterbaits at night and early morning. They're everywhere, rock, laydowns, weed flats... Couple weeks of that, then they're gone till next year.

[Woody B]

A good friend of mine is a Catfishing freak.    Most of my Catfish knowledge comes from him.   He says the 3 BIG species around here (Blues, Channels and Flatheads) go on a feeding spree before spawning.  He also says generally they don't eat while spawning.....but will attack anything that get's near their "nest".  (he used the word nest, not bed)

 

According to my friend.

Generally Blues are the biggest, and easiest to catch using traditional Catfish methods.  Blues are scavengers and normally eat dead stuff.   Drifting, (or at some times trolling) using cut, fresh Bluegill or White Perch are the method most use.  They use floats that look like cut down pool noodles fanned out at different depths on multiple rods.   I was surprised by this method as I thought Catfish were mostly bottom feeders.   They catch a bunch of Blues like this, along with an occasional Flathead, or Channel cat.  Fatheads are predators, who's diet is similar to Bass.  They mainly eat (live) fish, and crawfish.   Channels are smaller that Blues or Flatheads.  Their diet is somewhere between Blues and Flatheads.  

 

The World record Blue is 143 pounds.  It was caught in Kerr Lake in Virginia.  Part of Kerr lake is in NC, but the record was caught in VA.  The record for a Blue is over 100 pounds in over a dozen states. (including here in NC, as well as GA, SC TN ect) Blues aren't native to NC.  I'm not sure about other states.  

 

The World record Flathead is 123 pounds, caught in Kansas.   No other State that I can find has a record over 100 pounds.  The NC record is just under 78 pounds.  The SC record is 84 pounds.  I caught one weighing 53 pounds a couple years ago.  (on a Bandit 200, and 12 pound test).   Flatheads are native in a small part of NC, but not the lakes I fish.   

 

Channel Cats are smaller.   They look similar to Blues.  I used to confuse them but finally learned the differences.   The World record Channel is 58 pounds and was caught in Santee-Cooper in SC.   The NC record in only 27 pounds.  

 

 

There's other catfish species, both freshwater and saltwater.  Around here you'll occasionally see a couple different species of Bullheads, as well as Yellow Catfish.  These are much smaller than the other 3 species I've listed.   

 

I'm not a big seafood/fish eater.  I have no idea how the different species compare for cooking/eating.   

[Susky River Rat]

@Woody B from what I have be told channels and blues school up flats do not. 
 

Edit: flats will school up in the deeper winter holes here during that time. As a whole they just roam. 

Edited May 13, 2024 by Susky River Rat
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[TnRiver46]

I’ve always heard flatheads are hunters predators blah blah but I know plenty of folks that catch massive flathead on cutbait and massive blues on live bait also. They are catfish, they eat everything they can and then some more 

 

one thing is for sure, channel cats fight like crazy and blues will chomp down on your hand and won’t let go