catfish help

clubstrump

clubstrump

Member
Anybody have any tips on catching catfish? Specifically what are you using to hold the stick bait. Any homemade set ups?
Store bought gets expensive.
 
We've used Danny King's punch bait for years. #4 treble hook, 16" leader, swivel, 1 ounce egg sinker on the mainline, fished tight line on the bottom. You can also fish it under a float with less weight. I use a old butcher knife with the tip broken off to shove the treble to the bottom of the tub. This bait has fibers in it that will snag the hook, and it's not bad smelling. Keeps well, greasy, so once it hits cool water it firms up and stays on the hook. Sold in pints and quarts.

You can always use cut bait on a circle hook.
 
Originally Posted By: ninehorsesFlatheads won't touch the punch baits. A 4" live perch is what I want for them.

My bait of choice is a 8-10" bullhead. Otherwise a large suckerminnow. Can't use sunfish or perch here in Mn. Wish we could.
 
Cut bait; sucker, carp, 6 inch minnows. Caught an 18 pound channel cat last weekend on cut bait. Sometimes they want it alive, others, mashed and bleeding. Fresh bait works the best for me. If its still on the hook 20 minutes later? it gets replaced.
 
Our choice of bait for the big ones is usually perch or blue gill. The bigger the better. We also use live carp, cut buffalo, whole shad, and sometimes goldfish.
 
Not sure where my F-I-L gets it, but he buys this stink bait by the 5gal bucket then seperates into mason jars. Untill using this stuff I had given up on stink baits thinking that they were all someones idea of a joke to play on fishermen..to make em smell like chit.
This stuff works, use it with a treble hook and various colored tubes w/holes. I`ll ask where he gets them from and get back to you.
They generally swallow the hook, so I set up with a swivel/snap, then just get my hook back later
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The worst smelling stink bait there is cut up rotten buffalo but I sweat it works. You need to clean a 10 to 15 pound buffalo but leave the skin on. It helps keep the bait on your hook better and is extremely hard to get off. After you have it cleaned (skin on) cut into 1" chunks and throw in several mason jars. Once you have it all cut up put the lids on the jars loosely so air can still get to the fish and leave it set out for a day or two somewhere you wont be worried about the smell. Be sure to keep it out of the sun though. Once it has started to rot and get good and stinking seal the jars up tight and freeze it. Whenever your ready to go fishing take it out to thaw and take some [beeep] good soap with you bc youll need it after baiting your hook but I promise you will catch fish.
 
Like others have said, live baits are best if targeting flatheads but we have caught them on everything from worms to shad to bluegill. If they are hungary they will bite.
 
i'm not much on fishing but a good friend of mine is and he likes live bait, mostly his arm, ha, this is him and my son with a 46 pounder they noodled

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Sonnys catfish bait with blood added, and a J & N dip worm.
Sonnys is in IA. Farmington IA, IIRC

I`ll pass on the noodleing...maybe back when I was a drinking a few
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slug of tequilla..here watch this
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Originally Posted By: trapper2i'm not much on fishing but a good friend of mine is and he likes live bait, mostly his arm, ha, this is him and my son with a 46 pounder they noodled

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Never noodled a flathed but I have jumped in and grabbed snapping turtles before.
 
if you dont use you hand to catch it it just isnt fun.
dannys is great for whites blue and channels but the five finger death grip is what the big flats want
 
I like to use hot dogs. A large single hook. Cut them about 2 inches. You want them frozen so they don't fall off the hook when you cast. No weight at all in a lake. You would be surprised how many bass you hook while its falling to the bottom.
 
For eater size blues, channels and white cats, I agree that Danny Kings is a good choice.
As stated, just "punch" the hook down in the bait and pull out and cast. No touching aything stinky.

The guys I fish with use it religously. I have had good results with Sure Shot punch bait also.

Danny Kings is also available in gallons.
Sure Shot comes in gallons, 2 gallon tubs and 5 gallon buckets.

Shayne
 
Dang how long would a five gallon bucket of that stinky stuff last ?
I use Danny's reasonably regular and the small jars last three or four
Trips.
 
Five gallons would last a while, maybe a couple of years the ammount we fish. We can go through a gallon of Danny Kings in less than 6 months, fishing every Sunday during warm weather.

Every body in the boat has their own gallon. The two brothers I fish with "doctor" their bait up, each trying to out do the other one. I pretty much fish with the bait the way it comes, unless it gets to thick or thin.

Shayne
 
I bought a gallon bucket once a couple years back used about 1/8 of the buckett. One trip I left the buckett outside after unloading the gear. The next morning I found an empy buckett chewed up and the stinkiest dog I've
Ever owned. He pooped and barff and stank for what seemed like an eternity.
 
Yeah, that's a good point. Don't EVER leave your dip or punch bait open around dogs. I don't know about cats, they don't last long around my Brittany.

I have used the bait on mouse traps with good results also. I've also got some old DOCS that we don't use anymore, and it's worked real good in live traps for catching possums.

Well, you really don't want to leave it open regardless, it will dry out to much pretty quick if it's warm at all.

Shayne
 


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