Catfish Help

[rat-l-trapper]

I've never fished for catfish before but I want to try to catch some tomorrow. The lake I'm going  to fish has channel cats and bullheads. I need to know what areas to try. The lake is really low right now, and there isn't much cover in the water. The lake is pretty deep with some rock piles, but mostly it's sandy or muddy. What areas should I fish? Also, I need to know what bait to use. I'll probably get some worms, but I don't know if I should get doughballs or some kind of meat. Any advice or tips are appreciated.

[Kowen117]

Chicken skin from Publix and fish it on the bottom I catch em all the time on that

[bwell]

Stick with the muddy areas, and either use chicken liver, or try and catch a bluegill or shad and use that as bait....  Also, when you rig your line make sure your weight can slide freely on your line, if the catfish feels resistance when picking up the bait it will let go.  Also keep your spool open, dont close it, once you see your line start going out then set the hook.

Check out this link for other info: http://www.catfished.com/page16.html 

[NorCalFishinguru]

This isn't the best time of year to try your luck at catfishing

[bass or bass ?]

This isn't the best time of year to try your luck at catfishing

Actually, that depends on what species you are targeting. Flatheads go dormant in winter, even accumulating a layer of silt on them. Channels and especially blues remain active, this may even be the best time to target large blues. Use locally caught cut bait for blues and channels fished on or near the bottom rigged Carolina style.     Happy catfishing.

[swilly78]

Also, big shiners and suckers off the botom work well.

[VolFan]

Chicken or beef livers and/or nightcrawlers have always been my best bait for "eaters" (less than10 lbs).  For the big girls, I like fresh bluegill (where legal) on a circle hook,  or, fresh cut shad or carp filets if you can't use live bluegill.  Since your lake has channels and bullheads, I'd go with the crawlers and/or livers.  Find the deeper holes with some cover and let it sit.  If the wind is blowing or there is current, set the bait upwind/current of these deeper areas.

[rat-l-trapper]

Thanks for the advice everybody. I went out once and tried, but it was during the day and I didn't get any bites. I'm gonna go tomorrow and try at night. I'll probably stick with chicken livers and worms, since I cant use any live bait (illegal). Merry Christmas everyone.

[VolFan]

For the livers, get some panty hose andcut it into 1.5 inch or so  squares.  Put the liver in the middle of the square, fold up the corners and run your hook through that.  It'll stay together.  Or, leave the liver out for a few hours to toughen it up. Hopefully it'l save you some frustration.

[looking4structure]

Ive tore up the channels on Danny Kings Punch Bait.But as the others have stated, worms and liver are excellent.

[bass or bass ?]

For flatheads and large channels, live bluegill is by far the best bait. These cats are strictly predators and won't take dead or prepared baits (normally). Blues will always take cut bait. I also like Strike King Catfish Dynamite for smaller channels.

[DawsonH]

Try  to find a spot where the rocks transition to mud, the catfish will work these areas for food, and you should put yours there for them to find. Chicken liver is great for eating sized channel cats or bullheads. Use a sharp knife to cut it into 1" strips. A #2 bait holder hook is fine for eating sized catfish. If you are targeting larger fish then you can use larger hooks and larger baits, preferably cut pieces of whatever it is legal to use in the body of water you are fishing. In some places bullheads are legal bait, and you may try those if you catch them.

[Eternal Angler]

It doesn't really matter I think if you do a little chuming in the water.  Once the catfish get that scent in the water a lot of them will come into your spot.

[Chaz Hickcox]

When I was a kid I would fish for cats in the creek near my house. I knew they lived in the roots near the bottom of a small waterfall. The roots came out over the pool and I could stand on it and look down the 6ft or so to the bottom.  The water was gin clear.  I could never get them to come out when I was just putting the blood bait near the holes. So I would chum the hell out of the place, dumping almost have the bag. When the entire school of cats would come out I would bounce the bloodbait that was on my rod right on the cats. They would take it, but only in their gums for awhile. I would open the bail on my reel and let them have it until I saw the bait disappear in their mouths.

I guess in short I am saying, you need to chum the hell out of a place. Then when they take your bait give them some time (amount is all relative to size and species) before you set the hook.

[NewAngler]

Dude, check your DNR if chumming is legal. Something tells me its not, in VA at least.

But, you've already been, so how'd you do?