CATFISH TACTICS & SECRET BAITS

Fishing Locations Cats can be found in just about any body of water, all around the world. There is even some saltwater species that, well, live in the ocean. But we will be focusing on the more popular catfish waters such as lakes, rivers and ponds. I wouldnt say either one of them is any better than the other. While I have better luck in rivers, I find lake or pond catfishing more pleasurable. Rivers Rivers can be found just about any where in the United States. They offer a wide variety of fishing conditions and most importantly are usually stocked full of monster catfish. If I am having a hard time getting them to bite in the lakes or ponds I will head over to the river where they are always biting. The biggest problem with rivers is the current. You will snag a lot of lines fishing in rivers for they carry limbs, tree trunks, rocks and all other kinds of stuff for you to get hung-up on. The current requires you to use heavier equipment, lines and sinkers to stay on the bottom. And because of the current you cant fish with a bobber. Yes, catfishing with a bobber. We will go into that later in this article. The pictures to the left are of the Neuse River in North Carolina. This is a very dirty and muddy river. I would not eat anything from it unless I absolutely had to. In 1996 we had hurricane Fran and then some time later hurricane Floyd which both flooded the heck out of us here and caused water treatment lakes to overflow into the river as well as several poultry and swine farms. It was pretty gross and needless to say, not many people eat fish from this river and I would suggest checking the history of your before eating from it. The pictures to the right were taken from a landing underneath a bridge that passes over the river. This is my favorite place to fish on the river from because one it is just down the street and the structure around the piling of the bridge offer great cover for catfish to hideout during the day. The other reason I frequent this spot is for the stop in the current that the landing under the bridge creates. If you look at the bottom of the two pictures you will see the area I am talking about. Any place where an object can obstruct the current form the surface to the bottom of the river will offer these sweet honey holes. I guess the cats just want to relax from the constant current so they come here to do that. At any time I can cast a line into this section of the river and start pulling them out almost as fast as I can cast a line in. The draw back to these stops in the current is that the catfish that come here are usually a bit smaller but they are really fun to catch. Ponds and Lakes I frequent ponds and lakes because they are a lot more stress free than the ripping current and all of the snags found in the rivers. And I get to use my bobber rig which I really enjoy. The problem with these bodies of water (although rare) is that there is some that well do not have catfish. Most larger lakes you find will have them but unfortunately I have found out the hard way that some private ponds are not always stocked with catfish. So it is a good idea to ask the owner or local expert before wasting all night trying to catch the impossible. Look for ponds and lakes that are deep. The surface size of the water is not all that important. I have a friend who owns a two acre pond that is deep and it holds some of the nicest eating sized cats that I have found. I know of another small two acre pond that is mostly stocked with catfish and you can pull them out all day long, one after another.

Catfish Identifications Channel Catfish Spotted Catfish Blue Catfish Flathead Catfish Mud Cat, Shovelhead, Yellow Cat Bullhead Catfish White Catfish

Tackle Selection Depending on the size of catfish you are after depends on the type of tackle I would suggest. The smaller the fish the lighter the tackle. And visa versa. IT is not very fun to reel in a 3 pound eating sized cat on a heavy rod and 20 pound line. There is no challenge there. I would say one of the most important items in your tackle selection is the line that you use. You want the smallest sized diameter line you can find without sacrificing line strength. Thinner line give your greater casting accuracy, more line on the reel and a greater feel of the fish. Some manufacturers have come out with a new braided line (not Spider Wire) that is great for this. You can get a really high strength line with a really small diameter. With this line you will loose less fish, less rigs on snags and because of the ruff or serrated feel of the line I have noticed that it will cut through seaweed pretty good leaving less of that junk on your bait. So depending on what size you are after, read below. 3-5 Pound Eating Sized Catfish I would use a 6 foot medium weight rod with a spinning reel. Any will do, you can find some pretty cheap combinations at Wal-Mart for under twenty bucks. I would use at least 12 lbs test line. You can use mono but I prefer to use the newer braided brands (not spider wire) because you can get a heavier weight with a smaller diameter than mono. Maybe a 20 lbs weight with an eight lb diameter will work good and give you good feel in the line. Anything Bigger I use a heavy weight rod with a spinning reel. I actually have several of the same setup that I found at Wal-Mart for under twenty bucks each. They are a white Eagle Claw rod with a Eagle Claw Spinning reel. I use these combinations every time I go out. This was the normal price at Wal-Mart not a clearance or anything, so I am sure you can find something similar. Just remember it doesnt have to be expensive. For the line I would not use anything under a 20 lbs test. If you are using mono line I would not go over 20 lb test. But as with any other setup I would suggest getting the newer braided line with a greater than 20 lbs test and under a 15 lbs diameter. Line Tips Use the section above to determine what type of line and strength to use. Just remember the thinner the diameter of line. The smoother the castings and the less stress on your bait. Thinner line will allow you to cast your bait farther with greater accuracy and without loosing your bait. You should use minimal effort in casting achieving fairly good distances. If you are not casting very far with minimal effort then you have either too much line on your spool or more than likely the diameter of your line is too thick. Terminal Tackle Your hooks and sinkers are really important as well. Your sinkers I would say are more important in moving currents such as rivers. You need a heavier sinker to keep you on the bottom. I would suggest using the river or coin sinker because its shape allows for it to plane up when reeling it in, keeping it off the bottom. I have noticed far less snags when using this sinker. When bottom fishing and using smaller tackle or even when just fishing in ponds or lakes I will add a 1/2 egg sinker to my line and add a small split shot about 24 above the hook. This is described more in the Bottom Rigs section of this article. Your hooks need to be really sharp. Depending on what bait you are using depends on if you should use a single barbed bait-holder hook or treble hook. It is pretty simple, if you are using bait such as dough balls of any kind you should probably use a treble hook and maybe wrap it in a square piece of pantyhose. I like to use smaller hooks than larger. Catfish have a pretty big mouth but they tend to inhale their food versus opening up wide and swallowing. So larger hooks may sometimes be harder for a cat to get in their mouth in one shot. Also, I have heard studies of catfish that have been previously hooked can drop a bait quickly if they feel that metal hook again. I believe it, so should you.

Tackle Selection Bait Handling Catfish bait can be pretty disgusting at times and even though I have been doing this all of my life I still cannot stand the thought of nasty rotten chicken livers being on my hands. And not to mention the threat of all the nasty stuff we hear about like salmonella that festers on things like raw meat. I have never actually heard of someone getting sick from handling catfish bait but I am more than sure it is possible. So lets just be prepared at least for the sake of the smell of our hands. Cloth Towel This is probably the best thing to have because your hands will get nasty and you can wipe them off with the towel. I also use the towel to hold around the slippery cats to remove the hooks and prevent myself from being stuck by their more than sharp spines. Baby Wipes or Clorox Wipes Even better than the towel you can use these to thoroughly clean your hands after handling the bait. Just be sure that you do not infect your bait with the scent or chemicals on these wipes because I can assure you Clorox is not a fish attractant. Use rubber gloves like explained below. Rubber Gloves Go to your local grocery store and pickup a pair of Extra Large rubber cleaning gloves. This helps get them on and off easily without using both hands. I cut the long cuffs off of them leave only about 2 inches covering your wrists. This also helps in getting them on and off easily with one hand. I normally only use one glove as well to pick up the liver or bait and I use my other hand (without the glove) to thread the hook into the bait.

Floating Off The Bottom This is by far my favorite way to catfish in still waters like lakes and ponds. A lot of people think that just because catfish are bottom feeders that you must fish your bait on the bottom. This is by far not the case. And for those of us who have been fishing on the bottom all this time we know how fun reeling in a big pile of seaweed or algae is. Well, with the modern technology of slip bobbers we can now get our baits near the bottom and suspend them above the gunk that likes to infest our hooks. With the use of a slip bobber you can place the bobber stop several feet above your hook and even reel it into your reel casing or spindle. When you line is cast into the water the bait and sinker sink down pulling your line down with it until the bobber stop hits the top of the bobber. Many people know of this method but incase you did not I wanted to explain this cutting edge technology. These bobbers and bobber stops can be purchased from just about any tackle store or Wal-Mart. FISHING DEPTH / DEPTH BAIT WILL SUSPEND BELOW SURFACE 1 TO 2 SPACING LARGE SLIP BOBBER BOBBER STOP SPLITSHOT SINKER BEAD TO REEL Another reason a lot of people fish for cats on the bottom is that they are normally fishing during the night and that makes it impossible to see a bobber. There are two solutions to this minor problem. The first solution is to just change the time you are fishing. Most people think that catfish only feed at night. This myth comes from the fact that catfish frequent deeper waters or lie in and under logs, in holes and under rocks during the day to stay cool. They will skim the shallower waters and coves to find food during the night. But you better believe that if the rotten stinky scent of something nasty passes by a catfish that he is going to pursue it no matter what time of day it is. I have caught my biggest of catfish during the daytime. And a lot of times I will catch many more during the day than at night. So when catfishing during the day remember to get as close to them as possible by placing your bait in deeper waters. And the stinkier the better. The second solution is to add some light. I'm sure most of you have seen the lighted bobbers at the store or even tried to use them before. The problem with this bobber is that they are spring loaded and make it hard to fish at a decent depth because (simply put) they are not slip bobbers. This problem is easily solved by taking the same setup with the slip bobber as described above and attaching a small light stick to it by using a little scotch tape. You can buy these light sticks at most tackle shops that even come with adapters to fit most bobber size and types. The problem is that these light sticks specifically made for fishing can be pretty expensive. I have found these light sticks in children's vending machines in front of stores for as little as $0.25 each.

Bottom Rigs I do prefer to catfish using a slip bobber but some times, when the water is really deep, moving in a current or the fish are just holding the bottom, you must switch to a bottom rig to catch them. Below is the two different bottom rigs that I use when fishing on the bottom. Some people like to equip their poles with bells to notify them of when they are getting a bite, but I like to tape the same glow stick to my rod tip that I use on the bobbers. This way when I get a bite I can see my rod tip jerking back and forth. You can keep the light stick on your rod throughout the night and even while casting. There is even some products out their that you can hook to your line and when you get a bit it sets off an alarm on a remote wireless device that you carry on your belt to notify you. This is great for fishing while you are occupied with something else like grilling, camping, etc But I think it may be a little over kill. I just stick to the bells and light sticks taped or strapped to my rod tip. Light Tackle & Still Waters Below is my favorite rig for fishing on the bottom in still waters or rivers will little current. It uses a light 1/2 ounce egg sinker that slides up and down the line. The lighter sinker lets me feel bites and the fish better than a larger sinker. By allowing the sinker to freely slide you can see and feel small bites better when the fish pulls on the hook. Use a split-shot sinker to stop the sinker from sliding all the way down to your hook. Be careful not to place the split-shot to high. You want the split shot fairly close to the hook to make casting easier and less stressful on your bait. 1.5 TO 2.5 SPACING SLIDING ½ OZ EGG SINKER SPLITSHOT SINKER TO REEL Heavier Tackle & River Fishing This rig is a great heavy tackle setup. It is a steel or mono leader with a river sinker attached to a sliding sleeve. Just like the light tackle rig, the sliding sleeve allows for the line to move freely without interference from the sinker. I have been finding it harder and harder to find this leader so I have actually purchased leader making equipment to make them myself. Bass Pro has all of this equipment and can sometimes be found at Wal-Mart. You will need leader wire or heavy mono, large swivel hooks, large barrel swivels, leader crimps, sliding sleeves and a pair of leader crimpers with wire cutters. You can find the River Sinkers at some bait shops or by searching google.com for River Sinkers. These sinker have also been harder and harder to find. But they are very worth the hunting around. STEEL LEADER SLIDING SLEEVE TO REEL RIVER SINKER

The Stinky Stuff There are several different baits used for catfishing. It seems like every store sells a different brand of catfish dough balls or mixtures. They all have one thing in common, they stink. Now I'm sure some work better than others but there is so many, cheaper and better alternatives. Let s start with some of the one step easy and cheap ones. 1. Hot Dogs Store bought, hot dogs of any kind will do. Cut them into equal chunks about the same diameter as the hot dog itself. Place them in a plastic sandwich baggie, close and set in the sun for a few hours to cook, get greasy and stinky. When your ready just place on a hook and cast it in. Hot dogs do really well for the perfect eating sized cats. 2. Bacon Once again, store bought bacon. Place in a sandwich bag and let sit in the sun for a few hours. Cut in twos and place on the hook. Also great for eating sized catfish. 3. Canadian Night Crawlers The big ones bought at any bait store or even Wal-Mart. I have found that sometimes the catfish even don t like it stinky and the night crawlers are the delicacy they are looking for. I have fished all night using other baits without a bite, then tried a big Canadian crawler and started reeling them in one after the other. This bait should probably be fished on the bottom do to the fact that the brim will stip them off the hook very quickly if given the opportunity. Normally you will not have this problem at night when using a bobber. 4. Catalpa Worms Or Catawba worm, is probably the most favorite catfish bait among true catfisherman. The worm (actually a caterpillar) comes from the sphinx month which lays thousands of tiny eggs on the underside on the big leaves of a Catalpa Tree. The eggs hatch and the larva begin devouring the leaves of the trees in mass numbers. Eventually the larva will grow to a size of three to four inches. The worms usually arrive around May August (depending on your region and each tree) So you need to find these trees in early to late spring. If possible ask some of the local fisherman if they know when the worms arrive at particular trees. I have seen some trees here get worms in June, and then a patch of them just 7 miles down the road not get worms until mid August. You need to come with a long stick (maybe a cane pole) and a bucket or something to put them in. Gather as many as you can, but don t take them all because these worms were brought there from a sphinx moth that hatched there the year before. If they are all stripped of the trees there will be very few the next year. Catalpa worms can be used right away or placed in a freezer with wood shavings or dust and kept for a long time. When you take them out of the freezer or refrigerator they will slowly thaw and come to life wiggling around just like the day they were caught. Now, for fishing preparation. Get a pack of the wooden stick matches and your worms. Take the bottom end of the match (the side without the sulfur) and stick it in the head of the worm, pushing it all the way through the worm and out the tail. The end result is that the worm will be turned inside out exposing the yummy neon green fish attractant. Now just place a couple of these on the hook and cast it out. As, with the night crawlers, the worms should probably be fished on the bottom due to the fact that the brim love these worms just as much as the catfish do. 5. Brim/Bluegill depending on what part of the county you are from. Now this is the bait used for the big ones. Some fishermen will go out the day of there catfishing expedition and catch an ice cooler full of brim about 3 to 5 inches long. (depending on the size of cats you are going for) Using a large single barbed hook you can hook the dead brim under the dorsal fin and cast it out. Some people will either stomp on the dead fish or cut small incisions in the fish to help release some of the blood and other stinky stuff. I am a little to soft hearted for this bait but it does work well in catching those monster cats.

The Stinky Stuff 6. Chicken LiversProbably the most widely used catfish bait is the chicken liver. They are cheap, bloody and very effective. Livers are probably the hardest bait to keep on the hook. I used to only used treble hooks when fishing livers but recently found that if I lightly hook a piece of liver on a single point hook several times over and bury the point in the last hook the liver generally stays on pretty well, as long as I do not cast to hard. Another method for keeping the liver on the hook is using a square piece of pantyhose slightly larger than your liver to wrap around the liver and hook. This will keep the liver on while in the water as well as while casting pretty hard. The problem is getting the liver off the hook when you are finished. Finally another good way to keep the bait on your hook is to set it out in the sun, sprinkled with sea salt for several hours. Draining the fluids as needed. We will discuss this further in this section under the recipes. 7. Raw ShrimpGet this from the local bait store (if you live near the ocean), or you can go to your local fish market or grocery store and ask if they have any expired or expiring whole raw shrimps. (preferably with the heads.) peel of the heads and shells and hook any way you would like onto pretty much any type of bait hook. Cast in and enjoy. Chumming Just like sharks, catfish love blood and have a sense of smell like none other. Since catfish do not see very well they primarily use their keen sense of smell to locate food. The catfish is said to have over 27,000 taste buds located on its body. That is more than any other animal. And notice how I said body the catfish has several taste buds in and around their mouths, all over their barbels or whiskers and all over their body. A cat can taste its food prior to even touching it with their mouth. This is why, sometime if you are fishing with a bobber you will see the bobber sway back and forth prior to going under. The cat is swimming by either rubbing its whiskers or body on the bait to taste it first. So the basic point here is that if you supply lots of smelly stuff in an area where you are going to be fishing, the cats will come and go into a natural feeding frenzy. Types of Chum The most important part of chumming is to chum with something that includes the bait you are using for bait. So if you are fishing with livers, dont chum with fish parts and innards. (Or visa versa) Second most important part is that you do not want to feed the catfish. Use small portions of chum to get the scent out but not large enough to where the cats are focused on eating the chum. Otherwise your bait will be competing with the chum to be eaten. If you are fishing with brim or raw shrimp, you can go to your local fish market and ask them for fish waste and scraps that they are going to discard. Either cut into very small parts (or just use the innards cut into small parts) or you can place the whole scraps and innards into a potato or onion bags tied off with strings and tossed into the water anchored to the shore or your boat. When river chumming this method works well because it keeps your chum near the casting area. If you are fishing with livers you need to buy extra livers or ask the meat department at your local grocery for innards and poultry waste. They may even have beef livers and waste for you to use. I know this sounds really disgusting but it get the job done. In a five gallon bucket you need to add your innards and or livers to use for chum. Mix it up will with a stick making sure you break up all the larger edible parts into smaller pieces not likely to be eaten. Start adding a cup or so of normal baking flour (any kind will do, we are just making a filler) mixing to a fairly dry coarse texture but not dry enough to make dough. About 30 minutes prior to fishing toss out small handfuls around the area where you will be fishing. Keep throwing out small handfuls scattered around your fishing area throughout the time you are fishing. This will drive them WILD!. When river chumming, use less flour and dont worry about the size of the chum. Place into a small plastic bucket or two tied to a string anchored to the shore or boat with small holes drilled in the top, bottom and sides of the buckets.

Chumming Ahh, the great one. This chum recipe will be mentioned later in the baits section. But it is a good chumming recipe as well. It consist of three, less disgusting ingredients. The first two are flour and water and the third is allpurpose flaked fish food. Thats it. Just mix the fish food and water (2 parts food, 1 part water) and then add the flour as needed to create a flaky texture. Now just crumble up the mixture and toss in small handfuls in and around your casting area. This method is not suggested for moving current waters or daytime catfishing because it will attract an abundance of brim. Secret Baits Garlic Liver Delight 1 pint chicken or turkey livers Aluminum Foil 1 cup sea salt Cookie Baking Sheet or similar 1/2 cup minced garlic in oil or garlic powder Drain the liquids from the livers. Mix the livers and minced garlic and oil together in a small mixing bowl (or similar). Replace the liver mixture back into the pint container it came in. Cover with the lid and set in the sun (but out of animals reach) and let sit for about 1 to 2 hours. If you wish you can not add the minced garlic and oil. I just find that it is a very powerful fish attractant and I prefer to use it but it does not have to be used. On a cookie baking sheet (that your probably do not want to use again), place a layer of aluminum foil. Sprinkle with some of the sea salt. Now individually place the marinated livers onto aluminum foil and sprinkle with more sea salt. Again, set in the sun this time leave uncovered. Check every 2 to 3 hours, draining excess liquids and sprinkling with more sea salt each time. Do this until the livers reach the desired texture. Usually at least 6 hours. The sea salt helps pull the liquids from the liver and gives them a tougher leathery texture. The sun helps this process but also gets the livers nice and stinky. You will have a much better time keeping these livers on your hook as well. Now just bait, cast and hold on. Goldfish Food 1 cup Flake Fish Food 1/2 cup minced garlic in oil or garlic powder 1 cup All-Purpose Flour 1/4 cup Table Salt 1 pt heavy whipping cream (not whip cream) In a medium sized mixing bowl mix the Flake Fish food and table salt. Add the minced garlic in oil and mix well. Now slowly stir in the heavy whipping cream. Next start adding the flour mixing into a workable dough. You will know when you have the right texture when you can knead the dough without it sticking to your hands. Knead the dough for several minutes to toughen the dough. Place into closable sandwich bag or Tupperware and refrigerate until ready for use. To bait pinch off enough to cover your treble hook entirely. To make hooking easier roll into small balls and insert the eye of the treble hook into the ball pushing through the other side and then attach to your line using a leader or swivel hook. Look in the References section of this document to find bulk fish food. If desired you can add blood from chicken livers to added scent and attractant.

Secret Baits Cherry Bombs 1 lb Ground Beef 2 packets cherry kool-aide 1 cup Corn Flakes (or similar) 1/2 cup sugar In a medium sized mixing bowl break up the ground beef and knead to a paste. Set aside. In a bowl or freezer bag, add the Corn Flakes and crush into a powder. Add the sugar and cherry kool-aide and mix well. Now slowly add the dry mixture of Corn Flakes, sugar and kool-aide to the ground beef, kneading and mixing well. To bait pinch off enough to cover your treble hook entirely. To make hooking easier roll into small balls and insert the eye of the treble hook into the ball pushing through the other side and then attach to your line using a leader or swivel hook. If you are having problems with keeping the bait on your hook, wrap baited treble hook in a square piece of pantyhose.

Catfish Recipes Here is some great recipes that I have used in the past and some that others have given me. Enjoy! Blackened Cajun Catfish 1 lb catfish filets 3 tbsp butter 2 tsp cayenne pepper 2 tsp salt 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp pepper 2 tsp lemon pepper 1 cup Italian Dressing Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease the bottom of a shallow baking dish. In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. (cayenne pepper, garlic powder, lemon pepper, salt and pepper) In a small dish, melt 2tbsp butter and brush onto both sides of catfish filets. Now rub the cayenne pepper mixture all over the filets on both sides. Heat a frying skillet on medium heat. Add 1 tbsp butter to the skillet. When the butter has melted and is simmering add the catfish filets and cook about 2 minutes on each side or until they are slightly blackened. Now move the blackened filets to the prepared baking dish and coat with the Italian dressing. Bake for 3035 minutes, until the fish flakes easily. Beer Battered Catfish 3 lb catfish filets 1/4 cup cornmeal 1/4 cup flour 2 eggs, beaten 12 oz of your favorite beer 1/4 minced onions 3 cups vegetable oil In a medium mixing bowl add the cornmeal flour and maybe some salt and pepper. Blend ingredients well. In another separate medium mixing bowl add the eggs and beat well, and the beer and onions and mix well. Add the vegetable oil to a skillet and heat. Cut the catfish filets into vertical strips (if desired). Now roll the strips into the cornmeal mixture and dip into the beer mixture. Now place the strips back into the cornmeal mixture and coat. Add the strips to the heated skillet and fry until golden brown or until the fish flakes easily.

Catfish Recipes Lemon Catfish 1 lb catfish filets 2 tbsp melted butter 2 tbsp lemon juice 1/4 cup crushed Ritz Crackers 1 tsp lemon pepper 1/2 tsp seasoned salt 1/4 tsp dillweed 1/2 tsp paprika 1 whole lemon Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease the bottom of a shallow baking dish. In a shallow dish, combine and mix the melted butter and lemon juice, then set aside. In another shallow dish, combine the crushed Ritz crackers, lemon pepper, seasoned salt, and dillweed. Rinse the catfish filets and pat dry. Dip into the butter mixture coating all sides and then into the Ritz Cracker mixture turning to coat evenly. Place coated filets into prepared baking dish. Drizzle any remaining butter mixture over the fish filets and sprinkle with the paprika. Cut the lemon into thin slices and place on top of prepared filets in baking dish. Bake for 3035 minutes, until the fish flakes easily. Grilled Dijon Catfish 4 catfish filets 3 tbsp melted butter 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce 1 tsp lemon pepper 1/2 cup sour cream 1/2 cup Dijon Mustard Rinse filets and pat dry. Combine the melted butter, 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce and lemon pepper, mix well. Brush (or coat) filets in butter mixture and place in heavy duty aluminum foil or on a well greased fish grilling basket. Grill over a medium heated grill for 58 minutes. Turn filets and grill for another 58 minutes, or until the fish flakes easily. Combine sour cream 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce and Dijon Mustard and mix well. Heat in a microwave safe dish for 3045 seconds (depending on microwave). Stir and pour over grilled catfish filets.