catfish tourament

[penhook]

man we had a catish tournament at a local lake and the pot was a whoppind $596 but anways the winner won with a 1.12 pound channel cat and out of 53 people i was really surpized i actually lead the tournament for a little while as did my uncle but anybody got any bait suggestions to get those bigger ones to bite???

[tblspoon]

Try raw shrimp.

[Red Bear]

wow, no offense, but that sounds really pathetic. dont get me wrong, sometimes theyre just not biting and its one of those days, and sometimes you just get flat out skunked.

first, it would help to know what you were using for bait to begin with.

i like to use nightcrawlers and chicken livers at SML. my biggest all have come on nightcrawlers. and usually on a drop shot rig. everyone just pigeon hole catfish as bottom feeders, which isnt so accurate. i catch a lot drop shotting nightcrawlers.

ive tried shrimp, raw and cooked, the white perch and bluegill at SML just pick them apart and you never knew you had a bite before your bait is gone. i tossed when in shallow and watched this. did have a good night using shrimp at lake gaston one night though.

you could also use minnows, live bluegills, or cutbait as well. but i still have to say nightcrawlers and chicken livers are my fave catfish baits. with the chicken livers, since theyre nasty, i keep a handwash bucket on the dock, every so often dump out the water in the lake and spread that blood scent around that washed off my hands, toss in the bucket and get some fresh water for handwashing. i have a rope tied to the bucket handle...

[penhook]

we used all of the above that were stated we caught a bunch they were just around 8 inches long and it was that way for everyone

[hambone]

I fish Buggs Island alot for big blues, best bait hands down is fresh caught shad, used as cut bait, but i always have a back up in case i can't catch any shadn and it works really well. It is boneless chicken breast cut into chunks and marinated in strawberry jello. Works great, turns chicken blood red, I've caught blues up to 35lbs on it

[penhook]

!an when we were up at sml today i had about a 20 blue take a dish off a stringer but could not get him to bite

[catfishking]

Didn't think it was any blue catfish in sml. Think that's what Travis cats and stripers. Said. I have only cought flathead s and channels there

[penhook]

Well this was either a blue cat or a white cat i got a regulation book and it looked exectly like a blue(that was what i thought it was when i seen it anyways)

[Red Bear]

unlikely it was a blue, though i think there have been reports of actual blues caught in SML, theyre technically shouldnt be any in there. I think Travis(C&S) has said he caught one or seen one somebody else caught. What you saw was probably a large channel cat, as they supposedly lose their spots and look similar to blues, and you cant confuse a flathead for either. and white catfish dont get as big as 20lbs(unless you meant inches)...

[penhook]

it could have been a channel but it was a really dark blueish-black color like most blues i've seen

[Red Bear]

its possible, but i would still say unlikely

[penhook]

all i know it it was huge and IT TOOK MY FISH!!! and it would not bite

[penhook]

it came into about a foot of water too my jaws got lower the closer it got to shore too bad it did not beach itself

[Red Bear]

lol, always have a rod for catfish ready with some nightcrawlers with you on the dock, or a bucket of small live bluegill you can hook up real quick and drop in. i keep a rod ready, but usually for bass i see swimming by the dock. nosehook a live nightcrawler on a hook, leave lots of him hanging off the hook, no weight, and put it right in front of the bass, they usually cannot refuse it.

[penhook]

thanks for the tip i almost always see bass swimming but they won't usually bite sometimes i can catch some of the bass i see but that is on a good day dp you have anymore tips like that to get them to bite