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When we were at Monticello Friday I had one rod set up for catfish. First small perch we caught, I cut a strip off and put out on bottom. Drug it around several spots and never got a touch so when a really small perch came aboard I hooked him under the dorsal fin and let him swim around for some time. No luck on that either.
I've caught a lot of smaller cats on night crawlers and minnows but was hoping for a bigger one. How are y'all rigging and fishing for the big cats?
If you want the bigguns, live bait is the way to go.
Well I had a small perch swimming around until he died, maybe an hour.Quote:
Originally Posted by Barnacle Bill
I did get a 28# one at Murray with a big minnow I got at the baitshop. Can't remember exactly what they called it wasn't herring or anything like that but about 4-5 inches long. They were in the tank with the crappie minnows(separate section).
Dieter posted a YouTube video recently using Menhaden. Seemed to catch a few.
This ^^^^Quote:
Originally Posted by Barnacle Bill
For smaller cats, hot dogs are great.
If you can get live gizzard shad that's my favorite bait to target bigger blues and flatheads. Although in the winter time they can get a little more dormant. Like last year all of my better cats came off smaller pieces of cut perch and "bass minnows". It was like they wouldn't go after small live perch or perch heads. I've got to get back out there soon and try my luck with them again. It's been almost a month since my boat has been in the water.
What I usually do is get a real small crappie minnow and go crappie fishing. Usually end up with a big'ol cat screwing it all up.
^^^^^^^^^^This too. Nothing like having six catfish rods out, drifting baits and the one ultralite "perch rod" goes screaming off with a 10-12 lb blue.
Filleted crappie.;) (legal here)
Happens to me all the time:banghead
Monticello is a tough catfish lake. It is loaded with 3 pound or less cats and then it’s like the next size is 60+ pounds. A lot of people suspend bait when they catfish there, especially around bait.
Attachment 323794
This one weighed between 40-50, I always throw out a bottom rig for them when crappie fishing. Caught this one on a chunk of white perch.
My favorite bait is crappie heads. I save all I dress for blue cats. They love them. I have also had good luck with the large shrimp. Has to be the big ones. I have caught up to 20 or so lbs on the shrimp and much larger on the crappie heads. Many use chicken marinated in garlic, but I never did that great with it. I usually have a bag of heads, a bag of shrimp and try to catch a few perch (whole for flatties and cut up for blues) for a little variety.
It is illegal to use crappie for bait in SC. Some states like Georgia allow it.Quote:
Originally Posted by cwright
Sent from my LG-H871 using Crappie.com Fishing mobile app
Chicken liver works good in the Tennessee river near Pickwick dam.
I live and fish in N.C. always been told here if you catch it on a hook you can use it for bait. Can’t use a net to catch.
May be true for NC. Georgia allows it, but SC is very restrictive on using game fish for bait. Only bream that are cut into pieces can be used and that may only apply to rod and reel and not trot lines. Not sure, haven't run a trot line in several years.Quote:
Originally Posted by cwright
Just be sure to check your regulations carefully, then you're safe. I wouldn't rely on heresay, it's not always reliable.
Cut up bream here, or small live.
No live bream in SC either. IS that correct?
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H. 1044 - Catch and Release zone for trout on portions of the Saluda River
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Freshwater game fish are: Bream: bluegill, flier, green sunfish, pumpkinseed, redbreast, redear (shellcracker), spotted sunfish, warmouth; Black Bass: largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, spotted bass, redeye bass (coosae bass); striped bass or rockfish; white bass; hybrid striped bass; white crappie; black crappie; Trout: rainbow, brown and brook; chain pickerel (jackfish); redfin pickerel; sauger, walleye and yellow perch.
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Game fish may be caught with only hook and line, pole, artificial pole, or rod and reel. A fisherman only may use four of these game fishing devices at the same time, except when fishing in a boat. A fisherman fishing from a boat may use an unlimited number of lawful game fishing devices if all persons in the boat sixteen years and older have valid fishing licenses.
Cast nets for catching nongame bait fish may be in possession while fishing for game fish.
No game fish may be used as bait to catch fish recreationally except for bream (other than redbreast). Trout may be used as bait only on Lakes Hartwell, Russell, Thurmond, Tugaloo, Yonah, Stevens Creek Reservoir and the Savannah River. When using game fish as bait to catch fish recreationally they must be included in the daily creel limit.
Sent from my iPad using Crappie.com
Just checked N.C. wildlife webpage. In N.C. you can use gamefish for bait if take. Legally (hook and line) and they meet the legal size and creel limits.