Cat Fish Bait

[hunt4fun1]

What do ya'll use?

I've been using cut shad and whole shad and not had much luck.
I may go back to blood bait.

[Shorthair]

Chicken livers and those nasty red hot dogs.

[NitroHunter]

It's hard to beat chicken liver. That is the only thing it's good for though.

[Shorthair]

NitroHunter said:

It's hard to beat chicken liver. That is the only thing it's good for though.

Come on now, don't tell me you don't like fried chicken livers? ;D

[hunt4fun1]

Hey man,

Grandy's has all you can eat livers and gizzards for $1.99 and that includes the gravy! ;D
I eat there once a week.

[hoythunter48]

i fish mainly for flatheads, i prefer LARGE lively bream, if i can get them big rock bass are my favorite, i like my bait big to, hand size at least and usually bigger, i like to mix it up once in a while also and use big suckers and creek chubs, i do like shad for blues and channels though, shad guts are hard to beat when you want to catch one real quick, if you look when you get their guts out there is this green slime on em and that is what drives the catfish crazy for some reason.

[flhuntress]

chicken livers always works for me.

fried chicken livers with ketchup and fried gizzards with hot sauce...yummy ;D

[katfish]

I declare that Hoyfisher is a catman that knows what he is talking about.

Hereafter you should heed his advice ;D

Truly think natural baits for big fish.



If you plan to go fishing anyway

Why not include a plan to catch fish?

[GoTres]

Nice one Katfish.

Welcome aboard.

[flhuntress]

that's a nice one.

just out of curiousity...
do the big monsters like that have worms?....some of the bigger fish here get them but i don't know about the catfish.

[hunt4fun1]

Welcome katfish.
We are very pleased to have you with us.
There are some awesome release vids on his site. Check em out.

[CatfishBilly]

Cut bait is an excellent cat magnet but sometimes only under certain conditions. If your targeting flatheads, Ive found cutbait to be most effective in very early spring, around April. At that time flatheads are just getting their senses back, and shaking off the near hibernate state they go through in the winter months.
After that they are always very hungry, and will definately hit cut bait. You always seem to catch a few every year around this time with a much larger head to body ratio than normal due to scarce feeding in the winter months.
In to about the 3rd week of May though I use nothing but live bait, and big live bait at that. Large bluegill and bullheads up to 8-9" works well for me. Cut bait however is still effective all year long for blue cat and channels. And you will from time to time get a flattie on it. Liver, bloodbaits, and doughballs are most effective in the mid summer months when the water temp is high enough to really get the bait to put off scent.
Hope this helps bro,
Peace, Bill

[katfish]

Billy

I agree that flatheads will hit cut baits while the water is still cool. For years the better catmen contended that flatheads were innactive in cold water and heated arguements ensued.

Just after the underwater cameras came out a friend promised me videos of the camera bumping flatheads in cold water. Bumping the fish caused no response from the flatheads. I still have not recieved the videos but I made an article which should satisfy my side of the argument

Cold water flatheads

I also have a theory about the cut bait. Flatheads that move from wintering holes have not eaten for months.
Their metabolism is slow in cool water and they do not have sufficient energy or speed to chase baitfish. Early in the year the baitfish are at yearly low numbers. Dead fish are scattered from winter kill.

The entire digestive system of a flathead is empty and needs to get started with a soft small meal. After a meal or two of winter killed fish the flatheads digestive tract is back into full operation and the meals provide strength and endurance so the big cat can hunt.

I am not sure how to prove that theory but I have learned a lot from different sources over the years to scientifically prove or disprove my own observations.

It also seems to me that the smaller flatheads seem to start biting first. This may have something to do with a smaller reserve tank of fat in smaller fish. They need to start feeding to survive.



Anyway, I love when the flatheads get active when the water gets warm.

Catch em--then let em go to grow, spawn, and fight again!

[CatfishBilly]

Robby,
I agree with your theory. Ive never really thought about it that way, but it makes total sense. The cats I catch at that time of the year are always in the 10-20lb. range. It would seem that the smaller ones would not have to exert near as much energy to start feeding as the larger flatties, that combined with the lower fat reserve probably sparks their early feeding. Im glad you posted that.
As for the hibernate state of flatheads. I read the study about divers actually being able to touch large flatheads in cold water and it not even phasing them.
Very interesting, which in turn can spark the debate of fishing wintering flatheads. Hooked vs Snagged. You know...the guys that claim they get monster flats to hit 2" plastic bass grubs. hmmmm...
I like cutbait in cool water, but its still a good idea to use large chunks. Use the entire fillet of a bluegill, or both fillets, or put 2-3 small dead shad on a 7-10/0 hook on bottom.
Thanks for chiming in on this Robby, your input is always a learning experience.
Peace,
Bill

[hunt4fun1]

I saw a guy on OLN the other day and he was saying that at an outdoor aquarium that he helps run, they over fed the fish one year.
There were a few fish that actually did gorge themselves but died shortly after.

This guy said the theory was that the metabolizm (sp) of the fish in the cold water would not let the animals digest the food and it rotted inside them and they died from the poison let off of the rotted food.

I wish I could remember the show I saw that on.....it was just last week.