Going fishing for catfish for the FIRST time this weekend. I've never attempted it. I'd be extremely grateful if you people could throw some tips my way. Thanks.
Help with catfish fishing
- Thread starter ShaneRiordan
- Start date
go at night. if you're fishing from shore, toss a nylon stuffed with raw shrimp which has been left in the sun all day out (a few hours prior to fishing). all the cats will be in the vicinity looking for food.
Night is generally the best time to fish for cats, but when the water is cooler they sometimes bite just as good (if not better) during the day. As for bait, there are two general schools of thought...many people say get the nastiest, stinkiest, rotten bait you can find, but most of the best catfishermen will tell you the fresher the bait, the better. This is especially true for bigger cats. I like to use shad, bluegill, or yellow perch (use whatever the cats are used to seeing in their home lake...I've even heard its best to gather bait from the same waterway you will be fishing). For channels, use cut pieces of the fish. For flatheads, you want live bait. Blues seem to like it either way.
Rig up your bait with a big circle hook on a slip sinker rig. Sometimes a bobber set up can be good as well. They will likely be fairly shallow this time of year...sometimes in as little as 1'-2' of water. There are a couple ponds I fish where I commonly spot channels cruising around 1'-3' of (clear) water, usually near sunfish.
I am by no means an expert, and some people may disagree with me, but this is what I've found actually works (for me). A lot of people say fishing in Colorado is much different than other states, so it could be different for you.
Rig up your bait with a big circle hook on a slip sinker rig. Sometimes a bobber set up can be good as well. They will likely be fairly shallow this time of year...sometimes in as little as 1'-2' of water. There are a couple ponds I fish where I commonly spot channels cruising around 1'-3' of (clear) water, usually near sunfish.
I am by no means an expert, and some people may disagree with me, but this is what I've found actually works (for me). A lot of people say fishing in Colorado is much different than other states, so it could be different for you.
ok go at dusk or dawn and make sure you grab some bait like fish but make sure the skin is still on the cut bait it helps it stay on longer..and make sure you have good line and good rod and reel for action cause you never know how big it is gonna be..good luck
agreed with cutbait/live fish - it really depends on the type of catfish you're catching, if you aren't squeamish i've found what works exceptionally well is catching a small live bream, scaling it a bit with a knife and cutting up the seam of the gut, they tend to stay alive for at least 30 minutes if you don't cut too deep and the combination of motion and smell drives channel cats insane, IMO you get some harder hits
these guys said most of it, try raw shrimp too if your looking for some nice eating size channel catfish. starting to hit at dusk and into the night right now
I've been thinking about this as well. Any particular bodies of water or tips for locating the cats?
TMartinez;5164825; said:
Can't help you out with specific bodies of water, but they will probably be fairly shallow...I would start around 3'-5'. Check small coves and near inlets.
The only thing I would add to above posts is to make sure you leave the bale open on your reel when the bait is in the water. A 30+ lb catfish can easily yank your rod and reel into the water if you are not ready for it. I usually have two lines out at a time, put my rods in a holder or on the ground, open the bale and just watch the lines. When I start seeing the line go out, I close the bale and set the hook. That way my hands are free to hold beverages, snacks or whatever instead of holding my rod the whole time.