catfish on lures

[scrubs]

Ok it's been almost 2 years since the last catfish post but I'll ask anyway.

Back in Wisconsin I used to catch a lot of channel cats in the river on homemade mepps style spinners. Here in NM I've only had a little luck at one spot a few years back.

Any jig or jig spinner tips for me? There's a couple of places close by but I hate bait fishing.

bill

 

[Hawnjigs]

JiggerJohn says:

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And I agree. Its also probably less painful to lose a Boolie than a Spinner to a bottom snag.

 

[scrubs]

Cheaper anyway! That's a really nice cat. I'll have to take some Boolies along tomorrow. The place where I'm fishing the cats hang around aerators. I'll probably find em with bait then experiment with lures.

bill

 

[Pup]

I really think your best bets for catching channel cats on lures with any degree of regularity would be:

1. A scented worm that you might use for black bass.
2. Chompers. Their baits are so stinky that I've ruined several tackle bags while storing them. The bags absolutely reek, seemingly permanently!

My personal best channel cat (CCF) was caught on a 6-inch scented worm. I catch the occasional CCF on spinners too. However, I'd stick with the scented baits if you intend to catch them regularly. Fish ultra-slowly on the bottom too.

 

[scrubs]

Got some 4" Gulps in the bag too.

bill

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

I've caught them on about everything including buzz baits and crank baits but the best is definitely a jig. I once caught 11 channel cats in one day crappie fishing with a duck jig with a nickel plated head.

 

[hookup]

Just about any scented plastic on a jig will catch a cat in the mid-atlantic fluvial waters.

I've got them on grubs, senkos, tubes, and creature baits. They hit like a freight train, fight good making you think you have the smallie of a life-time until the tire out & start doing their death roll ....

 

[Hawnjigs]

Tanking advantage of an unusually mild stretch of midwest winter weather, I investigated a power plant warm water discharge canal with snow free banks. Managed 2 decent channels, 3 & 4# on a 1/4 white Boolie. But a pair of local guys outfished me 10-1 with their cut bait. Their truck bed was a slime pit of 3-5#ers. Think I'm gonna go to the new WalMart and break my plastics fast with something stinky.

Altho visual and vibration triggers will take cats, I'm guessing scent and taste become more critical at certain places & times.

 

[Radtexan]

All good info...I think most cats caught on anything other than cut baits and stink baits are accidental..

I have caught them on jigs,spinners,plastic worms,and cranks..Some will remember my PB cat a few years back on a 6 ' diving crank bait with 12 # test :head_scratch:

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[AllenOK]

Nice Flatty!

I've done a lot of reading about catfish (I used to target cats all the time). While the smaller cats, like Bullheads, and juvenille Channel and Blue cats, will scavenge and take smelly baits, the bigger ones ARE predators. They will target and consume live baits. I've read about people using deep-diving crankbaits in tailraces, as well as swimbait jigs and/or bladebaits for Flatheads. Heck, I have a buddy that targets Flatties with jigs from an inner tube! I've witnessed a guy catch two Flatheads out of the same hole using chartreuse jigs with chartreuse sassy shads.

Personally, I caught a Bullhead on size 3 Mepps Black Fury when I was a kid. Two years ago, I was Bass fishing with a Jitterbug, got a huge hit, pulled my kayak around a bit, and was surprised to see a 5 lbs Channel on the line. It wasn't snagged.

 

[Lostleader]

We catch a lot of cats on a twin tailed grub all the time. My buddy hooked moby dicks cousin last year in his yak and it rolled him.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Not sure if scent in the plastic made a difference, but returning to the warm canal got 3 channels 3-5#, one each on a 3" Mister Twister Exude chartreuse/gltr twister grub, 3" Powerbait clear chartreuse twister grub, and 3" Powerbait green creature. The baits had lost their distinctive PB smell being in storage for 10 years in a tropical climate.

I think I'll follow the Lostleader and go look for some stinky twin tails.

 

[LedHed]

We get into them once in awhile while fishing for Bluegills & Redears;



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All these cats were caught on 2lb test with custom jigs and crickets.

 

[JSC]

Some really good cats on jig and cricket .. 2# line got stretched and I bet the drag hollered at you.

 

[Hawnjigs]

2#, geez, even 5# Power Pro feels sketchy when eater sizes dig for the rocks. Bet theres a few swimming in Perris with micro jig adornments.

 

[JSC]

Here at the mouth of the river in late summer and early winter when a lot of bait moves in here come the salt water Sail Cat & Hard Head Cat behind them .. put one of my Shrimp Tail Jigs in front of them and they will eat it .. good fight but the Sail Cats will "Slime Up" your line BAD !
All ways hard to unhook ,,, so I avoid them as much as possible. Lot of times the cats will be under the bait and Skip Jacks on top . I make a few casts outside of the area for Specs & Reds and if not there move on ... Grand Kids have all ways gotten a kick out of them but you know who they have all ways wanted to do the de hooking .. Very rare has been the time when I have caught a freshwater cat on artificial .. the first one on a spinner bait this past summer .. made a cast had some loose line that I stripped and when I took up the slack had a small willow cat (mud cat) on.

 

[AllenOK]

Never fished the salt. I've heard about those Hardhead cats. If you think Bullhead cats flip and flop, and do their darndest to gore you with a fin, Hardheads are even more determined to cause you bodily injury.....

 

[Hawnjigs]

Drove 80 miles yesterday to a still flowing canal to target wipers. Judging by the amount of shiny beer cans, worm containers, & other trash my favored spot was fished out recently, only got a small one flailing a Gulp! 3" minnow on a 3/16 round head in the faster current where they hang. Altho no other bites on a 100 yd. stretch of the stand side bank, casting cross canal there were some nice channel cats hanging close to that opposite harder to and infrequently accessed bank, and got 4 smallest around 5# and biggest around 10#. So again, Gulp! produces assisted by my new fave line 8# Nanofil for long casting cross channel to reach the other side.

 

[Hawnjigs]

With no wallys and wipers if any only biting live bait during the alewife spawn, thank goodness for catfish. Altho they were actively feeding on alewives, they bit jigs but ONLY tailed with a pearl Gulp! Minnow. Altho the alewives were 4-5" the 3" size on Hooksups heads got 15 yesterday early AM and 8 today. Same color & size Powerbait boot tail failed to get bit.

 

[Jig Man]

Yep, it happens without any scent too...

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