I haven’t fished for cats a lot. Usually go for the walleyes. Last week I caught a couple small ones in mid-day on a shad rap on wing dams in pool 4. Is it normal for cats to hit in mid-day? Do they go for chubs like they do on the Minnesota? Looking for some tips, as I think I could get in to this. Thanks for any guidance and keep your lines wet.
what kind of cats? forktail’s or those missisippi bulls? they are both fun to catch and they will boyh take live baite…..
Where you were fishing will probably give you a decent idea of what kind of cats they were. I am guessing they were the forktails, i.e. channel cats. When you hear people talk about “fiddlers” here on the board, they are talking about sub-3lb channels, notorious for stealing bait and leaving you nothing but a “tap, tap, I’m gone already” on the rod.
Do you want the cats to eat, or do you want a wallhanger? As a general rule, fish big water for big flats… fish smaller rivers to fill the freezer. I didn’t do nearly enough catfishing the summer, and now that fall is here, I’m regretting it. For their size, I’d put a forktail against any fish up to a smallmouth bass as far as tenacity and fight. For the pan, I’d put them right below a walleye.
The great thing about cats, at least in my neck of the woods, is that it’s next to impossible to over-fish them like walleyes or bass, so head south and have at it. They are a very robust fish that can live almost anywhere.
For baits, LIVE is the answer. If you are out to catch a lot of fish, use crawlers or chicken livers. Don’t know where a fish gets a taste for chicken guts, but that’s the answer. If you’re into a lot of fish and want the bigger cats, switch it up to leeches, cut-bait, and minnows (chubs and suckers).
It’s not uncommon to nail a few fiddlers in the middle of the day, but the big-dogs come out at dusk and stay there ’till morning. Early and late, and usually all night long is the answer. They feed primarily on taste/smell, so don’t worry about visibility too much.
Want to see something really interesting??? Go to google and search for “catfish bait” and see what turns up… there’s stuff out there that turns my stomach, and I’ve been doing this for >10 years!!!
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