River catfish - what works?

[Sid Packard]

He didn't get it from me, but my son has gotten very interested in fishing. We live a couple blocks from a good-sized river (the Fox), and he'd really like to tie into some catfish. Unfortunately we've been skunked all summer, and we're getting desperate.

What works for cat fishermen? Please keep in mind that we're novices. You could say "jig with cut bait", and we'd know you're talking about fishing, but we wouldn't know what it means :>). Supposedly there's lots of smallmouth in there, too, so feel free to offer tips on those as well.

TIA.

Sid

[Rocky Raab]

Well, most catfish are bottom feeders that depend on smell more than sight, so traditional baits are fished right on the bottom and allowed to soak a while, putting out a scent path. Worms, chicken livers, chunks of fish, cheese and even oddball baits like Ivory Soap all put out scent trails - and catch catfish.

I like to use a slip-sinker rig. Thread your line through a heavy sinker (weight depends on water flow) and then through a small glass bead before tying to a heavy swivel. Then add a leader of heavy mono and a circle hook (just ask the salesman, they're the hottest thing going now).

You can buy commercial cat bait in pecan-size chunks. They work fine. Pick the flavor that seems most disgusting or whatever the sales guy recommends - assuming it's a decent store with knowledgeable slerks.

Heave it out in a spot where the current breaks: behind deadfalls, in undercuts, deep holes or anything similar. Take up most of the slack and sit back. You'll see or feel the line going out when you have cat company. Circle hooks shouldn't be set with a huge heave; just tighten up and apply pressure. Fight's on.

Post back when successful. Cleaning a cat can be tricky.

Forgot to add: cats are least active in daylight. Dawn, dusk and night are best.

[Sid Packard]

Thanks for responding, Rocky. The "expert" at the tackle shop recommended Berkley chicken livers, so we tried those but got skunked again. A front was blowing in that took us from a humid 90 to a dry 65 over a couple of hours, and it was also quite windy. I wasn't sure if the weather would help or hurt us, but you can't catch any sitting on the couch, right? BTW, does "behind deadfalls" mean upstream from them, downstream, or just "in the vicinity".

You'll see a pic when we get one.

Sid

[charlie sterner]

Hey Sid,

To answer your question above, behind deadfalls means downstream, right up against them. Cats lie right up in the thick tangled branches, and right up against/under boulders. They like to find places that are dark and out of the current, and they lie in wait for the current to swirl "food" into the little protected pockets of water behind deadfalls and boulders. They do move more at night, but evening/morning are good times too. I've even done well mid day.

The cats we have back here in the east are channel cats, and they take a wide variety of baits. I've caught them on corn, live or dead shiners, and cut baits, but one of the most productive is the old favorite, the nightcrawler. Thread a big juicy one on the hook and throw it in the slack water along the edge of a current break behind a rock and wait. Usually doesn't take long.

Good luck!

Charlie

[Samson]

I use the same slip sinker method that Rocky mentioned with a weight ranging from 1/4 oz to 4oz depending on the current and like it was mentioned thow your bait into areas of slack water , behind the point in the bend of a river , deadfalls , rock ledges , where a small bayou ties into the main river.

As for baits I have used everything from hot dogs,cheese,soap,homemade dough balls to the conventional baits like live and dead shiners , baby perch , chicken livers , night crawlers , live crawfish , beef melts and just about anthing else that seems have way sturdy enough to stay on a hook and smells bad.

[llg]

All said so far is true. Chicken livers that have had a little time to ripen are more effective for catching catfish and chasing the wife.

For channel cats I like Cattracker baits in Almost Illegal Shrimp and Pole Snatcher. They have a new flavor for rivers, Wicked Sticky or something like that. Fish them with the artificial worms and circle hooks. I cut off the treble hooks and add 4/0 circles.

For big flatheads, you need the biggest bluegills you can get.

Bass, smallmouth, largemouth, or Kentucky, hate the Zoom white or cherryseed lizard rigged weedless.

[mc223]

Chicken livers or night crawlers floated a foot off the bottom near the bank. If all else fails get the dynomite.

[Sid Packard]

Thanks for the responses, guys. We went out from 7-9 this evening, but we were armed with helgrammites and Panther Martins and hoping to find a smallmouth. We didn't get any of those, but Matt landed this nice cat.

http://i16.tinypic.com/54lyeso.jpg
He's not holding out to make it look bigger; it was flipping all over the place and he's trying to avoid getting stuck. I'd guess the fish was 17-18" long and 4-5 pounds. This is by far the best fish Matt has caught in at least 50 trips to the river, and I guarantee you he was one happy camper!

Sid

[Rocky Raab]

It hit a Panther Martin? I can't see the tail clearly enough to tell in that snap, but it looks like a channel cat - and channels cats WILL hit lures, sometimes quite aggressively. Here in Utah, guys catch a lot of them during the spawn (now just ending) by slow trolling or casting very near shore and using jointed minnow lures like Rapalas. Anything minnow-like with a wide slow wobble, 4" to 6" long.

It's best to skin cats. My Dad taught me to nail the head to a stout plank, make a shallow cut behind the glls and then pull the skin off with pliers. Gut (being really careful not to puncture the gall bladder) and rinse.

We rolled them in an egg/milk wash, then cornmeal. Fry smallish ones whole and fillet or steak the big ones. Oh my....

[Sid Packard]

I wasn't specific enough about the lure he hit. We were using both Panther Martins and jigged helgies, but Matt's cat hit a helgie.


It hit a Panther Martin? I can't see the tail clearly enough to tell in that snap, but it looks like a channel cat - and channels cats WILL hit lures, sometimes quite aggressively. Here in Utah, guys catch a lot of them during the spawn (now just ending) by slow trolling or casting very near shore and using jointed minnow lures like Rapalas. Anything minnow-like with a wide slow wobble, 4" to 6" long.

It's best to skin cats. My Dad taught me to nail the head to a stout plank, make a shallow cut behind the glls and then pull the skin off with pliers. Gut (being really careful not to puncture the gall bladder) and rinse.

We rolled them in an egg/milk wash, then cornmeal. Fry smallish ones whole and fillet or steak the big ones. Oh my....

[Markbo]

Sweet success! Congratulations to Matt!

[Rocky Raab]

Thought that looked like a PM in his lip, but no matter: Channel cats do hit artificial lures.

Warmest congrats to Matt, and I hope he gets the first platefull!

[Alan in GA]

we fished a creek years ago. We almost always used ultrulite open faced rigs with 2 or 4 lb line. 2" Rapalas and #2 Panther Martins back when almost all of them came with hair on the treble hook. Those seemed to work much better for red eye and large mouth that filled the creek.
HOWEVER,,not sure why, but one day I guided a friend that had not been there before. He brought a tube of crickets and just filled the stringer with channel cats! A few blue cats, but I was really suprised that they hit crickets as well as ANYTHING I've ever used for cats.
Try the river after a few rains just AS the stained water is coming in from the feeder creeks. Seems to "TURN ON" most catfish. Then I'd think about any stink bait would work fine. The old 'stand by' is chicken livers. Shrimp work too.

I filet everything. Don't care how small it is! Makes for super fried filets!

Alan in GA

[Hogchaser]

I had something last year hit a jitterbug in a local river like a ton of bricks, by the sound of the swirl it made downstream hitting the bug it wasnt the smallmouth we were after, happened about 11 one evening, had him for a grand total of maybe 10 seconds until he busted off my 8lb without breaking a sweat(will always wonder what that was) friends at work are big cat guys and they use bluegills, LM, SM, shad, skipjacks, I even had one guy tell me he winged a 3lb carp out in a paylake and something actually took it:eek:

[HEAD0001]

I am assuming you are a varmint hunter. IMO the best catfish bait out there is ground hog liver's. It is better than chicken liver's. Ground hog liver's are very firm, and will stay on the hook, even when wet. Tom.

[Sid Packard]

Thanks, but if we had groundhogs around here, we wouldn't be fishing in the evening :D .

I am assuming you are a varmint hunter. IMO the best catfish bait out there is ground hog liver's. It is better than chicken liver's. Ground hog liver's are very firm, and will stay on the hook, even when wet. Tom.

[Phil]

Check out this link:http://www.catfish1.com/forums/

If it has anything at all to do with catfish or catfishing, these guys have been there done that and have the Tee shirt! Good bunch of folks too I might add.