05-26-2013, 04:40 PM
[font "Comic Sans MS"][#800000]"I’ve never gone head-to-head with TubeDudes home brew, but it’s WAY easier for me to just buy something rather than make it myself.[/#800000][/font]"
[#0000FF]Hey Bob, some of those commercially sold dough baits work quite well...in some places...some of the time. If you are fishing strictly for cats they are scienteriffically concocted to appeal to the funky olfactories in those species.
I have used them in various kitty venues around the country...to mixed results. In my own biased opinion they work best in low light conditions (night), in murky waters and in colder water where fish are not actively chasing "normal" prey items. In clear waters channel cats, flatheads and other species commonly become sight feeders and target live prey...and hit lures better too.
I use minnows a lot. Catfish love them but minnows also give me a shot at wipers, walleyes and other species too. Fishing cut bait...carp, white bass, perch meat, etc...can also produce species other than cats but not as well as minnows.
I don't really make up any exotic "home brew" for cats. But I do harvest and process (freeze) minnows...and cut up and freeze both carp meat and white bass. And I sometimes keep small white bass and perch to be used whole as "minnows"...where legal.
As you pointed out, the prepared baits are handy. They are molded into bait sized nuggets...that are firm enough to stay on the hook well. And many of them are not the "toxic waste" stuff like some "dip baits". If you handle them properly and wash your hands after using they will not render you unfit for mingling with other humans. And you need to be especially conscious of not grabbing something to eat without washing up first. Peanut butter, jelly and catfish bait sammiches just don't make it.
Being packaged in resealable containers is good too. You can double bag them and keep them in your refrigerator without consulting a marriage counselor...or divorce attorney.
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[#0000FF]Hey Bob, some of those commercially sold dough baits work quite well...in some places...some of the time. If you are fishing strictly for cats they are scienteriffically concocted to appeal to the funky olfactories in those species.
I have used them in various kitty venues around the country...to mixed results. In my own biased opinion they work best in low light conditions (night), in murky waters and in colder water where fish are not actively chasing "normal" prey items. In clear waters channel cats, flatheads and other species commonly become sight feeders and target live prey...and hit lures better too.
I use minnows a lot. Catfish love them but minnows also give me a shot at wipers, walleyes and other species too. Fishing cut bait...carp, white bass, perch meat, etc...can also produce species other than cats but not as well as minnows.
I don't really make up any exotic "home brew" for cats. But I do harvest and process (freeze) minnows...and cut up and freeze both carp meat and white bass. And I sometimes keep small white bass and perch to be used whole as "minnows"...where legal.
As you pointed out, the prepared baits are handy. They are molded into bait sized nuggets...that are firm enough to stay on the hook well. And many of them are not the "toxic waste" stuff like some "dip baits". If you handle them properly and wash your hands after using they will not render you unfit for mingling with other humans. And you need to be especially conscious of not grabbing something to eat without washing up first. Peanut butter, jelly and catfish bait sammiches just don't make it.
Being packaged in resealable containers is good too. You can double bag them and keep them in your refrigerator without consulting a marriage counselor...or divorce attorney.
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