Best Catfish Cut Bait

We all want to know the best bait for catching Catfish, in the article below, Mark talks about catfish cut bait and cut bait fishing rigs.

Catfish Baits - What is the Right Cut Bait Presentation? 

Catfish have a very tuned sensory system that allows them to taste catfish bait from sometimes 15 ft away. They can smell and taste very small concentrations of your catfish bait when it dissolves in the water and can detect them from some distances away. This is definitely an advantage on any waters where there is a current because the smell and taste drift down stream. It is also a distinct advantage in murky waters where sight is impaired. There are many catfish anglers who prefer prepared baits, and there are many fishing situations where they do work very well but our article today will only concentrate on natural catfish baits.

Cut baits work great as catfish baits in rivers, lakes, ponds, and reservoirs because most catfish such as blue catfish and channel catfish feed on dead fish as part of their diets. Also cut baits work well because they immediately release small particles into the water and create a smell and taste trail for any blue catfish or channel catfish in the area. During the summer flat head catfish will normally only feed on live bait that is near their area such as shad, yellow perch, pan fish and other forage fish in the area, but during the pre-spawn time right after ice out they will feed aggressively on dead catfish bait such as cut bait chucks. An excellent cutbait for blue catfish and channel catfish are oily forage fish such as skipjack herring, and gizzard shad. Mussels also make an excellent catfish bait fresh or seasoned in sour milk for a few days.

There are some basic cut bait fishing rigs that work well for different fishing situations. The types of catfish rigs we will mention are quick hit rigs, three way swivel fishing rigs, a basic slip sinker rig, modified slip sinker rig, and a basic slip bobber fishing rig.

A quick hit fishing rig is used a lot to fish for flat head and blue catfish. To make a quick hit rig you will need two number 2 to 1/0 treble hooks, a three way swivel, and a bell sinker large enough to keep your live bait close to the bottom In shallow water areas a 1/2 ounce will usually work but if you are fishing for blue catfish in current or trying to anchor your catfish bait for flathead catfish you will need much larger bell sinkers typically from 3 ounces to 8 ounces. The size you select will be determined by how large your bait is and how strong the current is.

First tie on the three way swivel to your main fishing line, then tie on a 6 to 24 inch dropper that has your bell sinker attached. Then tie on the quick hit rig to the last open eye on the three way swivel.
To make your quick hit fishing rig tie the lead treble hook on to a 12 to 30 inch leader using an improved clinch knot. Next, tie the second treble hook about 4" away from the lead treble hook using a snell or uni-knot. You will want to use a gizzard shad for your catfish bait in the 8 inch to 10 inch size range. Insert just one of the hooks of the lead treble right behind the shad's head in the upper flesh area. Next insert just one of the hooks of the lead treble behind the dorsal fin in the top flesh area.

To make a standard three way swivel rig first tie your three way swivel to the main line. Next tie your dropper to one of the open leads of the three way swivel. The dropper rig should have a bell sinker 1/2 ounce for shallow water or 3 ounces to 8 ounces if you are using large size catfish baits foe blue catfish and channel catfish. The leader should be 6 to 24 inches long with a 5/0 to 7/0 hook.
To make a basic slip sinker rig slide an egg sinker on your line then tie on a 5/0 to 7/0 hook. Then clamp on a split shot sinker up the line 6 to 24 inches from the hook. This type of slip sinker fishing rig tend to hang up quite often and many fisherman use the modified slip sinker rig instead, because of this reason.

To make a modified slip sinker fishing rig slide a 1/2 to 4ounce bell sinker up the line. Next tie on a two way swivel. The tie on a 6 to 24 inch leader with a 5/0 to 7/0 hook.
Well that concludes my article on catfish baits and fishing rigs. Have a nice day and we wish you the best of luck on your next fishing trip.

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Tips For Catching Channel Catfish in The Spring, Summer, and Fall

If you are looking for information on catching channel catfish, Mark gives some great tips for catching channel catfish.

Bait Fishing - Catching Channel Catfish in the Spring, Summer, and Fall - Details Here!

Channel cats are the most studied species of catfish, but compared to other game fish studies the amount of data available is minimal. Most of the data that is available about channel catfish's seasonal movement is based on just a few rivers, lakes and reservoirs that have been watched closely.
One factor that remains constant when you are talking about seasonal movements of catfish is the fact that the length of daylight effects all species of catfish. Some species such as the channel cat are effected more then other species such as the blue catfish and flat head catfish. Actually the length of day effects small organisms and all animals up the food chain to include game fish. The intensity and length of light effects drives the yearly migration and spawning and feeding patterns of channel catfish, blue catfish, and flat head catfish. If you can learn these patterns you will enjoy more productive channel catfish bait fishing trips on a regular basis.

The channel catfish's movements can be analyzed by using a very good the catfish calendar that the In - Fisherman developed. This calendar can be obtained by purchasing their book In - Fisherman Critical Concepts. Basically the calendar divides North America into the Southern range, The Mid range, and the Northern Range. The calendar has ten periods which include catfish pre-spawn, spawn, post-spawn, pre-summer, summer peak, summer, post-summer, fall turnover, cold water, winter. Each of these periods is posted on the calendar through all months of the year in all ranges, so you can predict where catfish will be and what kind of catfish bait you can use in your local area. Or if you are planning a trip to catch a mess of catfish out of state you can use the calendar to pick the best time of year.

The winter period includes the cold water and winter periods. This period is classified as long periods of time that the water temperature is below the normal range for catfish. Channel cats will continue to feed during this period but they won't be as active when compared to other times of the year. If you plan on going bait fishing to catch some channel catfish at this time of your look for deep water holes that is where they will be holding for the winter. Temperature ranges in the winter average from 32 degrees to 39 degrees in Manitoba to 40 degrees to 50 degrees in Florida.

The spring coldwater period arrives right after ice-out in the north and when the water temperatures in the south start to rise. Channel catfish will still be located in deep holes. Unlike walleyes, pike, and sauger, who move quickly into their spawning period, channel catfish, blue catfish, and flat head catfish do not spawn for tow three more months away when water temperatures rise to 75 degrees. When water temperatures rise above 50 degrees channel catfish, blue catfish and flathead catfish will begin to move out of there deep holes looking for the years winter fish kill. This is an ideal time to use gizzard shad and skip jack herring as your catfish bait. All catfish species will be aggressively eating the deed fish kill, even the flat head catfish who normally feeds primarily on live bait fish, such as bluegill, perch, and other catfish and forage fish.

The pre-spawn period is when the channel catfish will start it's migration to smaller rivers, and tributaries to look for food and to find good spawning areas. In lakes or reservoirs this migration may be to the mouth of any incoming creeks or rivers into the lake or reservoir. This time of you're a good catfish bait would fresh mussels and large live creek chubs and large shiners. The main difference between the pre-spawn and early spring period is that the channel catfish's metabolism is increasing and they are becoming more active so they are aggressively looking for catfish bait.

As the water temperatures rise to 75 degrees catfish such as the channel catfish, blue catfish, and flathead catfish enter the spawning period. Channel catfish will spawn for over a month so bait fishing efforts will not be effected. Channel catfish are extremely active and aggressive during the spawning period. A good catfish bait would be cut baits such as gizzard shad, soured mussels, or creek chubs.

The settling period includes the post spawn and the pre-summer periods when water temperatures rise to about 80 degrees and above. The channel catfish has the same activity level and feeding patterns during the summer as they do during the spawn period and your bait fishing methods and catfish bait can remain the same. As the water levels start to drop the channel catfish will start their move to deep water areas down stream or deeper areas on a lake or reservoir. They will still feed aggressively during the night hours in shallows but move deeper during the daylight hours.
The summer period which includes summer peak, summer and post summer periods occurs when the water temperatures rise to 80 degrees and above. The summer period includes much of July, August, and September. Summer is the prime time to fish for channel catfish because they are predicable and actively feeding. You can continue to catch channel catfish while bait fishing using cut bait for your catfish bait selection. Some common bait fish to use for cut bait are gizzard shad, skipjack herring, shiners and creek chubs.
As the cooling period starts channel catfish and blue catfish will head for deeper holes in rivers and lakes. And will be less active as the whole cycle of life starts over again.

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