catfish

[bullerboy]

looking to land my first cat this year what bait?

ive tried all sorts of bait but all ways landing carp any help

[curlybob]

Variety of baits mate,

Halibut pellets, or Mackrell section.

look in predators bit.

[musashi]

if they are fed mainly by carp anglers then would fish a big smelly fishy boilie over a bed of pellet

[Silenthunter]

big hallibut pellet or a popped up lobworm they love em

[Brownie73]

Squid and liver boilies try 2 20mm on a hair

[bullerboy]

thanks ive tried 20mm halibut pellets but landed carp and lost 3 cats

my friend has told me to use a live bait rig

or spiced meat what is the right way to hair rig meat?

[bullerboy]

big hallibut pellet or a popped up lobworm they love em

how would you rig a poped up lobworm

[guybaxendale]

welscatfish.co.uk/rigs.htm shows a good worm rig

Also have a look at the Catfish conservation groups website/ forum as you will get lots of ideas from there.

[bullerboy]

thanks m8

[Tribalstu1]

i had the same prob what i did was to use half a tin of luncheon meat hair rigged with a size 2 wide gap korda hook with 35lb kryston shock leader hook link nailed them every time use a running rig for safety as well as there is no resistance.

[gary224]

if you have lost 3 cats on pellets it shows you are on the bait they want, bit of adjusting on your setup/hooklink and you could be away mate.

[nishi_kpatel]

i tried squid. the squid was filed with makeral and tuna plus the oil. lovely

[bullerboy]

i had the same prob what i did was to use half a tin of luncheon meat hair rigged with a size 2 wide gap korda hook with 35lb kryston shock leader hook link nailed them every time use a running rig for safety as well as there is no resistance.

so how do you keep the meat on the hair

[gudgeon_basher]

Try leeches,they seem to be the only bait that works exclusivly for cats.They wriggle for hours ,even days once hooked or put on a hair and no other species seem interested in them.
There a bit pricey but definatly worth a go.

[bullerboy]

thanks ill give them ago

[bullerboy]

some bloke told me that cats like strawbery boilies dose anyone agree

[jimikill]

leeches top bait, you get em from biofarm labs.

I pop up worms:-
Cut lob into three, thread em on the hair via bating needle then use a large wad of rig foam dipped in attractor to keep em on, the survive most casts, (prob not 100yds tho!)

****les good bait too, poped up usin the same method.

but if you dont want carp,,,,,,, leeches.

there expencive,,but reusable n last for a while.

[Hank]

halibut pellets squid or calamari or even use a live bait there even better. use a fox predator float with a 1ft rig right below the surface.

[MikeLyddon053698]

Had the vast majority of my cats on either halibobs or boilies.

Catfish by their very nature are scavengers, and as such they will far more readily just mooch along the bottom and scoop up pellets and boilies, than expend energy chasing a livey.

[Jackabite]

Caught most of my cats on mackrel tales or black pudding and frankfurter sausage. Liver was always a good bait as well.

[guybaxendale]

some bloke told me that cats like strawbery boilies dose anyone agree

Catfish will eat pretty much anything - including strawberry boilies
I would say you would be better sticking to the more tried and tested fishy/ meaty flavours when it comes to boilies.

Livebaits, deadbaits, squid, liver, worms and leeches are all excellent cat baits. Liver is a particular fav of mine.

[jimikill]

strawberry is a sinthetic flavour. Its chemical profile in water is extreamly atractive to carp and catfish. They dont know its strawbery, they are simply atracted to the chemical stimulus

[guybaxendale]

strawberry is a sinthetic flavour. Its chemical profile in water is extreamly atractive to carp and catfish. They dont know its strawbery, they are simply atracted to the chemical stimulus

Possibly so - although i would say that alot of Strawberry readymades are on either birdfood or 50/50 type base mixes and I would be much more confident with a good quality fishmeal basemix. But thats just me and if you have confidence in strawberry then go with it.

[jimikill]

6totally agree with the fishy base mix. My dog LOVED buscuits covered in Cod liver oil, cover the same buscuit in sunflower or olive oil,,,,forget it.

If i opened a packet of mackerel dog would go nuts.

[tonyc74]

Last time i used a large hallibut pellet from ccmoore it dissolve during the night and i reeled in a bare hook!

Im planning on using a large boilie this weekend maybe squid and ocotpus flavour and maybe liver..

How do you hook the liver, hair rigged or straight on the hook on the bottom?

Cheers....

[guybaxendale]

How do you hook the liver, hair rigged or straight on the hook on the bottom?


You can either hook directly or hair rig.

Some liver is tougher than others - chicken livers are a great bait but very soft and best used in conjunction with an Enterprise meat mate or threading some rig tubing onto the hair so the hair doesnt cut through the liver. They will also not stand up to much of a cast.

Something like ox liver is much tougher and can be straight hair rigged or hooked and will cast a long way. Both require an outsized hair stop compared to what you would use with a boilie or pellet - a short piece of stiff tubing or a twig will do.

Experiment as well - poping it up by adding a polyball or several smelly pop-up's on the hair has worked for me.

[tonyc74]

Thanks for that...may try some liver popped up with a fishy boilie...should do the trick.

I know this is kind of a silly question as it depends where the fish are but on the basis that you cant see or hear them..island margins and snags I guess are good starting points?

[guybaxendale]

Thanks for that...may try some liver popped up with a fishy boilie...should do the trick.

I know this is kind of a silly question as it depends where the fish are but on the basis that you cant see or hear them..island margins and snags I guess are good starting points?

Cat location can be a tricky one as on alot of lakes they dont show themselves often - and often when they do it is at night. Gravel bars, drop-off and island margins are obvious patrol routes for them. Setting traps close to snags or weedbeds where they may hide up during the day is worth a go. Swims holding amounts of prey fish are also obvious starting points.

All that said when they are actively hunting/ feeding you can catch them in featureless open water swims.

Good Luck
G

[tonyc74]

Thanks...liver fingers crossed for the weekend!

[sidsnot65]

Last time i used a large hallibut pellet from ccmoore it dissolve during the night and i reeled in a bare hook!

Im planning on using a large boilie this weekend maybe squid and ocotpus flavour and maybe liver..

How do you hook the liver, hair rigged or straight on the hook on the bottom?

Cheers....
try soaking your pellets in a fish oil for a while , this will slow down the breakdown of the pellet . works for me :cool:

[tonyc74]

nothing to report im afraid a carp and a bream but no cats....i did hear one slap on the otherside of the fishery so thats where ill head next time at least no onelse caught one while I was there!

[johnmacjnr]

so how do you keep the meat on the hair

bulllerboy what i do to keep meat on the hair so it never comes off on a big cast is you no the korda flying backleads the black insert what you get is put that on ur hair so the long bit is pointing down to the loop off the hair then put a proper big bit off meat on make sure its not square because they can be hard work. push the meat into the insert and then get half a bolile put that on at the back off the meat then ur bolile stop job done and trust me pal that wont come off o and when you fish with meat put about 2 kilo off 21mm halibut pellets in at the start and a kilo every 5hour and just sit and wait you get more than 3 in a day most i had in a day doing it that way is 6 biggest being 66lb witch is the one on my advater.

hope this help pal.

[fullback]

I thing 220 mm is def too big casting would be a nightmare and crack offs would be lethal shout off incomong springs to mind .
seriously if you have lost 3 cats the baits not the issue is it its down to your tackle or your skill levels in the playing of

[Covboy]

Fullback, why do you think that casting 2 x 20mm boilies is too big?

[John_Boy]

Has anybody tried the dumbbell type rigs for suspending deadbaits near the surface?? i've had all my best cats on zigs when fishing for carp, so they definatly like feeding midwater. What sort of depths are advisable when fishing the dumbbell? i'm thinking between 1-3 ft down.

[guybaxendale]

John - I have used the dumbell rig alot in France - always with a hooklength shorter than the length of the boom to avoid tangles and always right on the surface which is what i understand the rig was designed for.

I would have thought a basic polyball rig would be more suitable for presenting a bait midwater.

[John_Boy]

John - I have used the dumbell rig alot in France - always with a hooklength shorter than the length of the boom to avoid tangles and always right on the surface which is what i understand the rig was designed for.

I would have thought a basic polyball rig would be more suitable for presenting a bait midwater.Cheers Guy, I suppose then that if you use a 2ft boom then you could get away with a 18inch hooklink. It's certainly an interesting rig, and i've seen the cats striking on the surface a few times, so it should work.

[guybaxendale]

John - I wouldnt worry too much about not being too far below the surface - if they are actievly hunting they will come up and nail a livebait. If its allowed use it in conjunction with a decent sized circle hook - absolutely deadly.

[John_Boy]

Are the circle hooks also worth using when fishing a deadbait?

[guybaxendale]

Never used them with anything other than livebaits - I suspect they would be worth a try. It takes a little bit of getting used not striking at runs and just winding into everything but it has reduced dropped runs on livebaits to almost nil for me.

[John_Boy]

Thanks for the advice:)

[ian c]

one of the set-ups i use for carp is baitrunner on loosest setting , 6lb florocarbon , spro micro-swivel , clear carolina-keeper , 12" braid leader , owner mutu light circles on a 3/8oz in-line . basically like fly-lining and they take it feeling no resistance .
and where i fish the department of fish&game stock with cats in summer .
i hate the slimey stabbing things !!! (a bit of slime rubbed off the flanks near the tail , then rubbed into where its stabbed you eases the irritation)

because theyre stocked/fished to be eaten they dont get chance to get big ... which is a good thing for me !!

in socal , cats this size are BIG ones !!!
catfish guys would kill to get there hands on fish this size !!
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x216/iancross182/1252511300.jpg
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x216/iancross182/1252511298.jpg
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x216/iancross182/1246168101.jpg
http://i180.photobucket.com/albums/x216/iancross182/1246168086.jpg

imho , there is not a carp bait / rig that catfish wont attack .
i've had more on range-cubes or sweetcorn on a hair glugged in strawberry jam /peanut butter/ cheese squirt than most of the catfish guys get on the normal baits (a week or two after theyre stocked they seem to wise-up to mackeral etc)i also seem to get hit off them when i'm popped-up

good baits imho for cats are mealworms , nightcrawlers , (sometimes inflated , sometimes filled with garlic oil or tuna oil etc) , mackeral slices , chicken livers , max mayer spicey weiners , white marshmellows , shrimp .
apart from the syringes and the worms which you have to get from a tackleshop , its all supermarket baits .

also worth trying the trout power-baits , even the glow-in-the-dark ones !!!

combinations of the above make a good bait too . eg: chicken liver/mackeral etc. give off flavours in the water and if you hook it with a mealworm or nightcrawler its wiggling makes it better !!!
white marshmellows or trout powerbaits mixed with shrimp make it bouyant .

allthough shrimp/marshmellow , nightcrawler/chicken livers , and mackeral are the first port of call ,most guys give it 30mins and if it hasnt caught , try another bait or combination .

some even sneak down in the night and punch a few holes in a tin of cat meat , and a tin of dog meat ... hurl them in the water , then come back and fish that spot in the morning !!!
(its illegal to chum/throw bait in the water here , hence its done when dark)

i've never actually fished for them , but a made a lot of good friends out of cat fisherman . and i allways like to learn !!!

[bullerboy]

soap?

i have heard that soap is a good bait, but is it safe for the fish?

[MartinJ]

John Wilson used Blue soap in Africa to catch Vundu catfish, I don't know what's in Blue soap but it's probably a local brew using local ingredients - oils etc

soap?

i have heard that soap is a good bait, but is it safe for the fish?

[guybaxendale]

John Wilson used Blue soap in Africa to catch Vundu catfish, I don't know what's in Blue soap but it's probably a local brew using local ingredients - oils etc


The blue soap is a virtually unscented black of animal fat very different to anything you can buy in a shop in the western world.

[The Sweetcorn Kid]

Been fishing for Carp but landed these little beauties at 33.8 and 47.12. God don't they pull!!!???

http://i42.tinypic.com/28jxvv5.jpg

http://i39.tinypic.com/25hef6p.jpg

Both on fishmeal boilies!!!

[Onslow]

Good effort Mr K, absolute crackers, how is your partner in crime doin?

[The Sweetcorn Kid]

He's doing ok mate. Think he's rejoined the club though and done the Row this weekend. I'm back on Friday for the weekend. You having a good one mate??

[keefus]

Liver boilies always did it for me..... Shame I was carping and was consistently catching more cats than carp - was the reason I pulled off Yateley Match Lake...... maybe I should have just changed my bait......

[Hank]

live bait with a roach or summin

[danny fatass]

I used to add fresh gravy to a bucket of trout pellets and leave it for a couple of hours, itmade a lovely smelly mess to draw them in,it worked for me but my biggest cat was on a size 8 original nashy twister with a 10lb merlin hooklength with an activ 8 pop up lol

[pooter]

Catfish will eat pretty much anything - including strawberry boilies
I would say you would be better sticking to the more tried and tested fishy/ meaty flavours when it comes to boilies.

Livebaits, deadbaits, squid, liver, worms and leeches are all excellent cat baits. Liver is a particular fav of mine.

How do you go about hooking liver; mesh? hair???

[guybaxendale]

How do you go about hooking liver; mesh? hair???

Depends on the liver - some liver like ox liver is very tough and will hair rig fine or just nick a piece through the edge. Chicken livers tend to be very soft and need meshing.

Hearts and Kidneys work fine as well and are both tough enough to hair rig if required.

I get all of it as a by-product of deer stalking - I am not a fan of offal eating wise so would rather use it as bait than see it go to waste

[pooter]

Thanks for that Guy, I would rather nick the hook in a section, using the hooks mentioned before. Not sure how they would work with a hair although a livebait tuna rig is something like a hair.

[guybaxendale]

Thanks for that Guy, I would rather nick the hook in a section, using the hooks mentioned before. Not sure how they would work with a hair although a livebait tuna rig is something like a hair.


Pooter - They do actually work with a hair as well as I have experimented (not extensively admittedly) but with some success. Like you say some of the marlin and tarpon rigs I have seen are essentially hair rigs so I guess they work fine even if the bait isnt on the hook.

[shamoogoo]

thanks for all the info ppls , im doing my first cat fishing trip next week , got some good tips ^^