How do I catch catfish? I'm newer to fishing. Started last year catching bass and panfish so I am familiar with that. I found out some waters near me have catfish in them, and I would...

FS Digest

I'm newer to fishing. Started last year catching bass and panfish so I am familiar with that. I found out some waters near me have catfish in them, and I would like to catch them. I live in the northeast US so I'm not going for like giant catfish. Looks like around my area they seem pretty small. Just started watching videos on YouTube so I don't know much. What do I need to know? What gear do I need? From the videos I've seen looks like circle or octopus hooks and some good weights. Any help would be appreciated

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by ConspiracyRobot

Adrian

Hi I worked on the Mississippi river in Minneapolis Minnesota for 18 years at a power plant and every spring cat fishermen would fish below the damm . I talked to some of them and they used there own stink bait in gallon buckets. They would not tell me there secret recipe but I saw it was chicken parts soaked in brine with something else mollass maybe. They were getting some big channel cars and blue cars. I prefer to fish for walleyes and panfish muskie also.🛶

Adrian

Hi I worked on the Mississippi river in Minneapolis Minnesota for 18 years at a power plant and every spring cat fishermen would fish below the damm . I talked to some of them and they used there own stink bait in gallon buckets. They would not tell me there secret recipe but I saw it was chicken parts soaked in brine with something else mollass maybe. They were getting some big channel cars and blue cars. I prefer to fish for walleyes and panfish muskie also.🛶

Jeremy Loc: America

You can make some brine. I would use a 1/2 cup Molasses 1/4 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar. 1/2 gallon Apple Juice.

Soak Chicken Livers or freeze them pre tied to Hooks in the brine. You can make good catfish baits on hooks and freeze them. Then no stinky house.

Chicken Livers and Night Crawlers ( Earth Worms ) tied with elastic thread to a hook work well. You can also encapsulate the chicken liver inside nylons for women ( No Perfume ) . Most important thing with Catfish is that the catfish get hook in mouth before you set hook. Tie bait or use netting helps.

If there is no current where you fish leave some extra slack in mainline so fish eat the bait and swim for a little while before you set hook or try to anyway.

Catfish will usually taste bait and swim with it in mouth a little ways before trying to swallow it.

Chicken Liver , Hot Dogs, Worms, Fish meat/skin all are very good Catfish baits.

john1470 Loc: Sandy Hook, CT

.... first find a swimming cat; tie a rope ..., nah dat ain’t gonna work..

fast_randy Loc: Blackfoot, Idaho

I catch 99 percent of my channel cats with a bobber. I like it one inch from the bottom, so the wave motion will bounce it. If I'm in four foot or shallower I use regular red and white clip on bobbers. In deeper, a slip bobber.

Eric1761 Loc: New Hampshire

FS Digest wrote:

I'm newer to fishing. Started last year catching b... (show quote)

Im in NH and fish for the brown bullhead catfish, they are average size (8 to 10 inch)...i use live worms and a bobber to keep the hook close to the bottom but not touching it, i've had good luck

Jakestake83 Loc: Mooresville NC

If there are catfish in the waters that you fish, you don't have to be a bait wizzard to catch them. one mistake often made is the assumption that catfish lay on the bottom. They generally do not except for flatheads. Use any bait that you would eat and then some that you might throw away. Use a crawler with a bobber and stay a few inched from the bottom. If you don't catch anything it is likely that there are no fish there. For more bait suggestions, try small hot dog pieces, chicken pieces or liver, or even live bait such as shiners or shad, whatever is available to you.

MSHohman Loc: Nebraska

If you shore fish the above suggestions are great. For small waters I used a float tube working the shore line with a fly rod for bass and panfish. Catfish will hit a streamer or nymph especially early season.
A hook up on a catfish that’s over 3 lbs is a blast.

Harris T. Fudpucker Loc: Lafayette, Louisiana

I've caught cats with a bass spinner bait. Although that is not what you want to use, just to let you know that eat anything. I also use a 'circle hook', I tend to get more hookups with them. I soak my bait in garlic, it works!

Roy G Loc: central Nebraska & Missouri

One of my favorite baits is beef liver cut into egg size pieces, marinated with chopped garlic and a shot of Jim Beam honey flavored bourbon. As I place it on a size 4 treble hook I wrap it with a foot of sewing thread. As stated above I try to keep it a foot off the bottom.
Roy

Chill55 Loc: Pleasant hill California

In the delta California around Antioch we use clams as smelly as possible and also night crawlers but they will bite anchovies and chicken livers

FinFisherman Loc: Born in Ohio - 40 yrs Florida- Clearwater,Fl

FS Digest wrote:

I'm newer to fishing. Started last year catching b... (show quote)

Catfish aren't to particular. They'll eat most anything. I suggest circle hooks. You don't get gut hooks. As soon as they bite set the hook. I've been using smoked thick sliced bacon for the last year and done well with it. You don't want to get stuck with their fins. VERY NASTY!

sun bum Loc: Sarasota, FL

FinFisherman wrote:

Catfish aren't to particular. They'll eat most anything. I suggest circle hooks. You don't get gut hooks. As soon as they bite set the hook. I've been using smoked thick sliced bacon for the last year and done well with it. You don't want to get stuck with their fins. VERY NASTY!

Best advice so far Fin. Forget the bait. You get whipped by the dorsal or pectoral on a cat and the last thing you'll be thinking is what bait to use. You gonna keep him? Snap those 3 puppies with your needle nose first thing.

Doug-1 Loc: Tooele,UT

I fish Utah Lake and the Lower Provo River for channel cats and mud cats. Use chicken tenders from the grocery store and red worms. I like a size 6 bait holder hook. The extra barbs on the shank keep the bait on the hook
longer to aide setting the hook. I always sharpen my hooks between bites because the hard mouth of cats tend to dull them. Nothing better than a pot of catfish stew with hush puppies for supper after a good morning on the water Have a fun day. Dutch