PapaJ Loc: South of Greenville, TX. Near Lake Tawakoni

Good morning,

As I posted earlier this week, I have been given access to catalpa worms. I haven't been to the lake yet but I did go to my neighbor's pond. I've caught a lot of crappie and bass there but never any catfish. No clue if there are catfish there or not. I baited my hook with a catalpa worm like I would rig a night crawler. Robbed blind about 6 or 7 times before I gave up. I'm guessing some small bluegill were robbing me but no clue.

Any hints, based on this limited information, on what I did wrong?

Thanks!
jps

OJdidit Loc: Oak Creek Wisconsin

Perhaps thread them on a hook…not sure how you are rigging them now?

Catfish Smith Loc: Alabama

I go in the worms tail end and out of the head with the hook. Will stay on the hook better. Have caught two or more cat’s with same worm.

PapaJ Loc: South of Greenville, TX. Near Lake Tawakoni

Justoldjim Loc: JUNCTION CITY, OR.

I used them a lot as a kid in Missouri caught all kinds of fish in 7 mile ditch

Jim Kay Loc: Franklin, Virginia

Your hooks may be too large or the fish are too small.

Catfish hunter Loc: Riggins idaho (Paradise)

I thread the worm on a hook with a needle. Start at the tail and come out through the center of the head. Put a really small barrel swivel on the end of my leader that will go through the worm and slide it down the leader until the tail is about half way down the hook. I used to just thread the line through the needle but multiple hook ups makes it more simple to have a leader ready to just hook onto a snap swivel on my main line. That solved the robber from eating my bait without a hook in it. The worm is more on the line than the hook.

calbrec Loc: Clearwater Florida

You can freeze the worms and them and use them later.

tbirddude Loc: Wills Point,TX

There was an old man near Lake Ray Hubbard back in the 70's who had loads of Catawba trees. He was a bait seller. He used to have Catfish heads hanging from a tree in his side yard , some big enough to swallow a cat or small dog.
I'll try to remember what he did to rig his hook. I think he used a #5 hook
(fair sized hook)
on the end of a jug line. He would poke the worm through the body then wrap the body around the hook stem and then rehook the worm, it looked like a bow when he was done. I think he placed his jugs deep in the old river channel. I guess from his side yard he knew what he was doing. I never really tried it I always used crawdads, because I fished the East Fork of the Trinity down below the Dam. Which is what he suggested.
I caught a few Cats not as big as his
but I was happy.