Pretty cool video. Wish they had shown more. I'd like to see how fat the gut on this cat was after finally getting that whole thing down.
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wow that big boy moved quick !
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That was pretty cool. I guess I shouldn't shy away from using large baits for cats [
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Only use big bait if you want to catch big fish[fishon]
Ron
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I guess that's why I haven't caught any over 5lbs [
] I'm going to try for at least a 10 lber this year, so big baits it is.
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I am thinking a whole 8' to 10" hatchery mort. Ron
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Unfortunately, pretty much all my catfish fishing is in Utah where I'm not allowed to use trout or other gamefish as bait. However, I did find out where I can snag a whole bunch of little carp, so maybe a 6-8" carp with a big circle hook in it will do the trick.
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Cool stuff,hey I'd hate for you to loose one.I have really good luck now when hooking the baitfish near the tail "top or bottom of spine".I lost something huge in my lake near the middle 55' deep on bottom.I've been using big baits for sometime now.On this day I hooked the baitfish by the nose.To my amazement something ran with it,first a thump thump,then steady swimming with my bait.I set the hook after awhile with a 4000 Okuma baitrunner on a stiff rod using 30lb braid.I pulled it out its mouth,baitfish was chewed up from nose to tail.I notice sometimes hooked at the nose the hook turns and digs into the side of the baitfish mouth,does that happend sometimes with circle hooks.....[inline "a big baitfish..JPG"]I got this bass to eat my batfish but lost it,once again I hooked it through the nose,but not no more,only if trolling,but usually just set it and forget it,sometimes I give them a few seconds before setting the hook.I once speared a 3lb cat at night and it had a 1lb bass in its belly,also once found a cat washed up in the 15b range she had choked on a 1 1/2lb spotted tilapia,about 10".I troll large lures and use 10" power worms for bass[
]Good luck,listen,when you cast your bait,just set it and forget it,the less you think about it the better. Remember, the bite normall comes when you least expect it ,or when not ready.I once walked away from my rod and left it with my sister,I get back and something burst the line on her
![[Image: bobmad.gif]](http://www.bigfishtackle.com/images/gforum/bobmad.gif)
" I left it in a rod holder"
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**WARNING: Long post ahead.
Thanks for the video, Ron. People (like me) who aren't fond of carp would consider that a Hollywood ending! [laugh]
Last fall, a friend and I were fishing near the Snake when we noticed something small and shiny wash up near our feet. Turns out, it was a cutthroat parr (~6 inches) with a 3-inch yellow perch stuck in its gullet. We dislodged the perch and it swam away, apparently none the worse for the wear. The cutt wasn't quite as spry. I still kick myself for not taking a picture.
Regarding the size of the bait versus the size of the catch, there's some truth to it but not universally so. A big object is simply discriminatory--small fish can't get it into their mouths, while larger ones can. You'll get much less action with a bigger lure/hook, but you'll only land larger fish.
One of my favorite places to fish for cats back home was stocked with many species, all living fairly close to each other: largemouth bass, white crappie, bluegill, sunfish (pumpkinseed), channel cats, blue cats, mudcats, carp and hickory shad. With so many small swimmers about, the best way to ensure you'd catch a channel or blue was to use large bait. If you didn't mind waiting forever, you could run a hook through a freshly caught sunfish underneath its ray.
The best way, however, was to use a relatively huge (at least 1/0) hook and some cut bait, and, friends, lemme tell ya, there is no better cut bait for catfish than shad. I don't suppose you can get it around these parts, but shad is a catfish magnet. The whiskered ones will eat just about anything, but they LOVE shad.
Even better, shad meat is tough, bony, and the skin is extremely leathery. A couple of large chunks on a hook can last hours, and one average shad will last the day, whereas you might have to replace meat from soft-fleshed fish like bluegill or crappie after every cast.
**Disclaimer: I haven't catfished since moving to Idaho, and I am not familiar with the regulations here for live or cut bait, so take everything I've shared with a grain of salt. I am not advocating anyone break the law.
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Tail hooking the bait definitely makes sense with the circle hook seeing as the fish will eat it head first. I'll bet that ups the hooking percentage.
I'm pretty good at leaving my bait alone. I get bored with bait fishing, so I usually cast it out, put it in a rod holder, then fish for bass with my other rod.
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Someone posted a pic in the last couple of year of a Crappie that swallowed a catfish about 6" long. That was cool. Ron
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Cool, I'll have to see if I can search that one down. I'm always impressed with what some fish try pulling off in the eating department.
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