Channel Cats

[Avid Angler FL]

If anyone has any advice or wants to share tips and tactics about channel catfish, please feel free to post! Thanks. My personal best Channel for the record was about 8-9 lbs !

[LWD]

Dang that's a big cat to me. I just use liver on a #8 treble. Dinks is what I catch mostly. Too afraid to fish the Ocmulgee river here close to where I live. There was a man who caught a 103lb cat. They fight pretty hard ain't no telling what big catfish lurking in the Ocmulgee. I fish out of a kayak so I think a 10lb channel would be my max able to handle. Love fishing them though. You ever fish for them in dense grass before? Have you ever used a carolina floater for catfish bait successfully? Thanks

[zero limit]

Have always done well with DEAD minnows fishing the Kankakee river, In a local park district pond here the stock channels and always catch em on a wad of night crawlers

[Sam]

I use Gulp!, squid and chicken livers to catch caftish.

If possible, I will cut up a shad if I can find one.

I do what everyone else does: rig up - cast out - sit back and wait.

[Avid Angler FL]

Dang that's a big cat to me. I just use liver on a #8 treble. Dinks is what I catch mostly. Too afraid to fish the Ocmulgee river here close to where I live. There was a man who caught a 103lb cat. They fight pretty hard ain't no telling what big catfish lurking in the Ocmulgee. I fish out of a kayak so I think a 10lb channel would be my max able to handle. Love fishing them though. You ever fish for them in dense grass before? Have you ever used a carolina floater for catfish bait successfully? Thanks

I've never used a Carolina Floater before, so I couldn't tell ya, but I HAVE caught catfish in dense grass and vegetation before, but never a nice channel. Only yellow bullheads (i believe that's what they are). When it comes to channels, look for a muddy/sandy bottom or right where a weedline meets a dirt bottom.

[Avid Angler FL]

I use Gulp!, squid and chicken livers to catch caftish.

If possible, I will cut up a shad if I can find one.

I do what everyone else does: rig up - cast out - sit back and wait.

Cut up shad works GREAT from what I hear, but I haven't ever used it. I agree on the chicken livers though! For some reason catfish can't resist them. And your catfishing style fits mine. Catfishing can be the most relaxing because you can just sit back and relax. As far as rigs are concerned, I usually use 10-12 lb main line, mono. I'll take a 1/2oz bank sinker and slide that up the main line, then add a plastic bead (flourescent orange) then tie on a swivel. Then I'll use either 15 lb mono or 50 lb Powerpro Braided Line, about a foot to a foot and a half of it, tie it to the other end of the swivel, then tie on your hook. The reason why I'll use a leader is because catfish have sandpaper type teeth, and they'll cause line abrasion like crazy. So after a few catches, you can just clip the leader off, then add another without sacrificing an inch of main line. Hope this helps some people!

[endless]

Cut up shad works GREAT from what I hear, but I haven't ever used it. I agree on the chicken livers though! For some reason catfish can't resist them. And your catfishing style fits mine. Catfishing can be the most relaxing because you can just sit back and relax. As far as rigs are concerned, I usually use 10-12 lb main line, mono. I'll take a 1/2oz bank sinker and slide that up the main line, then add a plastic bead (flourescent orange) then tie on a swivel. Then I'll use either 15 lb mono or 50 lb Powerpro Braided Line, about a foot to a foot and a half of it, tie it to the other end of the swivel, then tie on your hook. The reason why I'll use a leader is because catfish have sandpaper type teeth, and they'll cause line abrasion like crazy. So after a few catches, you can just clip the leader off, then add another without sacrificing an inch of main line. Hope this helps some people!

If ever used Shad or Herring make sure it's fresh.

Spinners and Chatterbaits does the trick for me,lol. For real though I ave caught cats on em. If I'm going to a stock ponds minnows work for me. Outside of that cut bait or liver.

[boystcroix]

I use live creek chubs that I catch in a minnow trap, or nightcrawlers. I have heard of using canned corn too.

[Avid Angler FL]

I've heard of using canned corn for bluegill or other panfish, but not cats. I'll have to try it sometime.

[tomustang]

I've heard of using canned corn for bluegill or other panfish, but not cats. I'll have to try it sometime.

Corn's got some good applications, from carp baits to imitating eggs for trout

[Fat-G]

Channel cat bite has been on fire recently. Chicken Liver and a whole bunch of dip.

[Avid Angler FL]

Channel cat bite has been on fire recently. Chicken Liver and a whole bunch of dip.

What kind of dip bait do you use? I like Premo, by Hog Wild, and Catfish Charlie's blood dip bait. Smalls absolutely awful but once you land a few good cats you learn to get used to it once that stringer starts to fill!

[Bluebasser86]

I caught my PB channel 35 1/2lbs on a live sunfish fishing for flatheads. I fish for cats a lot when it gets really hot out and cut shad/herring/bluegill consistantly catches bigger catfish than liver or stinkbait for me. Crawdads are another really good option if you don't mind catching them.

[zero limit]

I caught my PB channel 35 1/2lbs on a live sunfish fishing for flatheads. I fish for cats a lot when it gets really hot out and cut shad/herring/bluegill consistantly catches bigger catfish than liver or stinkbait for me. Crawdads are another really good option if you don't mind catching them.

I was going to mention crawdads too, took the kids fishing for bluegills and kept catching crawdads on the worm and also caught channels going after the crawdads

[Fat-G]

What kind of dip bait do you use? I like Premo, by Hog Wild, and Catfish Charlie's blood dip bait. Smalls absolutely awful but once you land a few good cats you learn to get used to it once that stringer starts to fill!

Copenhagen Wintergreen.

I don't use dip baits but dead shad, Ivory soap, and smoked sausage work well too.

[VolFan]

Kind of along the lines of what's already been said: for eater sized cats, nightcrawlers or chicken or beef liver; for quality, live minnows/sunfish or fresh cut bait. I like bait or filets about the size of a deck of cards, and clip the fins if you're using sunnies.

[heyitskirby]

We mostly target big Blue Cats here, but I've fished for Channel Cats with live minnows and then kept using them after they died. The cats don't care.

Best bet for using live bait (other than worms) is to catch fish in the body of water you plan on fishing and then use it, either cut or live.

We usually will set a gill net for an hour or so for shad and cut them in thirds. Use the head and body, throw out the tail.

I think the funnest way to do it is to go fishing for bluegill in the late evening and then use them for catfish bait at night. Allows you to target different species with a purpose.

[fishingkidPA]

cut up sunfish and night crawler have been so succesful to me. If you are gonna use crawler you need to know where they are or it wont be effective. i caught a 10+ channel on a crawler

[Fat-G]

Gonna give the live and freshly cut gills a shot tonight, my brother will use chicken liver. I really want to get a real big one, like 15+.

[VolFan]

Cut a fin or two off or some off the top of the tail, it makes the 'gills struggle to maintain their balance. It really calls in the cats.

[Avid Angler FL]

Kind of along the lines of what's already been said: for eater sized cats, nightcrawlers or chicken or beef liver; for quality, live minnows/sunfish or fresh cut bait. I like bait or filets about the size of a deck of cards, and clip the fins if you're using sunnies.

Eater sized channels will usually eat anything, but the livers are the most effective to me. But for good quality fish or a few eaters, try dip bait as well. It draws in a lot of cats if you're in a good spot.

[Avid Angler FL]

Also a good tip: when you bring home a stringer full of cats next time, save the livers while you clean them, and freeze em. Catfish livers are really great as well, and many people overlook them. If ya think about it, for every catfish caught and kept, you're getting free bait back!

[Hyrule Bass]

cut up sunfish and night crawler have been so succesful to me. If you are gonna use crawler you need to know where they are or it wont be effective. i caught a 10+ channel on a crawler

ive hooked a 40+(estimated) pound catfish one night using a single live night crawler on small hook, it ended up snapping my 8lb line when it surfaced a few feet from the dock and started rolling on top of the water. because of this it always kills me when someone says they use a 'wad' of nightcrawlers.

[Avid Angler FL]

ive hooked a 40+(estimated) pound catfish one night using a single live night crawler on small hook, it ended up snapping my 8lb line when it surfaced a few feet from the dock and started rolling on top of the water. because of this it always kills me when someone says they use a 'wad' of nightcrawlers.

40 lbs estimated? There's been a 40 confirmed at the lake I go to. It was probably released. I just wish wish I could know where this beast would be at night. I'd sure love to catch it! It might be a blue cat, but also maybe a flathead? I've never caught flathead catfish so does anyone know if they thrive in a small (around 5 acre) lake? Thanks!

[Bluebasser86]

Big flatheads and blues will eat tiny baits. I caught a 23lb flathead on a Yo-Zuri Killifish crankbait fishing for crappie in a pond. I think they're 1 3/8" long? A friend of mine caught his PB 60+lb flathead on a 3" sunfish fishing for channels. Most guys that use the wad of nightcrawlers are fishing in areas with lots of small channels/bluegills/drum or other bait stealers. The big ball of crawlers is to prevent you from having to reel in constatntly to rebait. Plus the big ball of nightcrawlers will appeal to bigger flats more often than a single one will.