How Do You Catch A Catfish On A Rod And Reel 2024

Bass-minded reply :

I fish a farm pond in Tennessee. It has channel, flathead, and blue cats. The lake is about an acre in size and is twelve feet deep at the most. I usually catch the at night on jugs or throwlines. Panfish is the usual bait that I rig them with. I have tried to catch them with rod and reel but they aren't biting. What an I doing wrong?

Bluebasser86 reply :

Catfish in ponds are very sensitive to their surrounds. When you set out juglines at night I'm guessing you leave them overnight and check them again the next morning. Those fish sense nothing out of the ordinary so they go about feeding as normal. A lot of people make way too much noise while they are fishing ponds for catfish or any fish for that matter. Try to keep noise and movements down and cut down as much as you can on anything that is going to transmit vibrations (walking, dropping tackle boxes on the ground, hammering a rod holder into the ground) I like your bait choice. If you're after the flatheads go with live bluegills, sunfish, or bullheads with the lightest sinker you can get away with. I like saltwater livebait hooks because they are strong but not huge like most hooks marketed for livebait catfishing. Put the bait next to some kind of cover and leave it alone! If a fish is there it will find it eventually but it may take some time. In a pond environment a flathead doesn't have to move much to eat because the food usually comes to them. As for the blues and channels I like to use cut bluegill or shad. Cut it into appropriate sized pieces for the fish you're likely to catch. I like Kahle hooks for cutbait, get the right size for the bait and fish but try to keep it fairly small, you'd be surprised how big of a catfish you can land on a 1/0 or 2/0 kahle hook. Cast that out onto flats, at the mouth of any cuts, cover, or incoming creeks and wait. A friend of mine has a pond with lots of catfish in it but it is a very small pond. We often have to wait 20-30 minutes before we get our first bites and it seems to take about that long in between fish because when you hook a fish it will usually swim most of the pond during the fight. Hope that helps!

Hyrule Bass reply :

On 1/5/2012 at 9:25 AM, Isaac Flanders said:

I fish a farm pond in Tennessee. It has channel, flathead, and blue cats. The lake is about an acre in size and is twelve feet deep at the most. I usually catch the at night on jugs or throwlines. Panfish is the usual bait that I rig them with. I have tried to catch them with rod and reel but they aren't biting. What an I doing wrong?

panfish is a good bait for catfish, but the wait is often longer it seems. try using something like night crawlers or chicken livers to catch them with rod and reel.

Bass-minded reply :

Thanks! I caught a 21 pounder on a throwline rigged with a cut panfish. I didn't know that nightcrawlers work, how do you rig them?

Bluebasser86 reply :

On 1/6/2012 at 5:18 AM, Isaac Flanders said:

Thanks! I caught a 21 pounder on a throwline rigged with a cut panfish. I didn't know that nightcrawlers work, how do you rig them?

You can just thread them on the hook or run the hook through them a couple times and let the ends hang off. Worms and chicken livers tend to attract smaller fish for me and bluegill steal the bait off the hook before a catfish ever has a chance but they will really catch them sometimes. Nightcrawlers work really well after a heavy rain it seems like. During the summer grasshoppers and frogs work really well at times also.

Hyrule Bass reply :

On 1/6/2012 at 5:18 AM, Isaac Flanders said:

Thanks! I caught a 21 pounder on a throwline rigged with a cut panfish. I didn't know that nightcrawlers work, how do you rig them?

i usually rig them on a 2/0 hook. like said above just thread them on there, but i like to exit and re-enter the hook a few times or sometimes they will just get sucked right off the hook. when i use chicken livers i like to wrap a short piece(6 inches or so) of elastic thread around the liver to help hold it on the hook, its not necessary but keeps the liver from flying off during the cast. a 21 pounder is nice, now try to catch that on rod and reel, you can also use cutbait for that. oh, and shrimp also works pretty good. bluebasser is right though, baits like nightcrawlers, livers, and shrimps will usually get you smaller fish, good for catching eaters if thats your goal. your bigger cats will most likely come on live baitfish/panfish or cut bait

7mm-08 reply :

I've had more luck catching cats out of ponds using live minnows than anything else.

deep reply :

I thought catching them was the easy part? Now only if killing them was as straightforward..

Bass-minded reply :

I took a lot of your advise to the pond the other day. I got there and pounded in a vertical rod holder but then left it there for about half an hour. During that 1/2 hour I caught one bluegill and killed it then cut it in half. Then I rigged it and cast it out as far as I could ( not far ). I then let it sit there for 3 1/2 hours while I continued to fish for bluegill. I also ate dinner during that time. I came back later but there was nothing but my bait. I was kinda disappointed. I had been quiet and all. So what do y'all think went wrong?

Bluebasser86 reply :

Probably your location or maybe the time of year. Catfish aren't as aggressive when the water is cold so they don't have to eat as often and don't roam around as much. You might try casting out a couple rods at the same time and letting them soak in different locations. This time of year I'd look for a flat close to the deeper portions of the pond and maybe one in the deepest part of the pond itself.

Hyrule Bass reply :

theyre probably all stacked up in a few locations around the pond. take note of where youve casted and where you havent casted. once you find one, youll probably find several more in the same location. i find them like this even in the summer sometimes. cast out 4 rods in different locations, but only one rod will be consistently getting bit. like last 4th of july for me at smith mountain lake. i found one spot that i casted to 15 yards off the dock and caught a bunch of channel cats in the 3lb range with an occasional bullhead mixed in. if i casted 5 yards too far or too short or too far to the left or right, i wouldnt get a bite. atleast when i threw too far i could pull my bait back in the zone. same thing happened to me in september, only one spot i could find that produced decent cats that were fun to catch. seemed like the other spots produced nothing in the way of catfish. other times i can catch them from most any spot.

i think your biggest problem is the time of year. ponds really seem to shut down in the winter, fishing them can be tough. im willing to bet you will have more success once warmer weather comes back around...

lmoore reply :

Host a Bass tournament on the pond and throw something you wouldn't think of as catfish bait. I hooked a nice flathead last year on a Craw Fatty, a Channel Cat on a tube, and had a partner catch a nice channel on a squarebill.

Otherwise, use a treble hook, chicken liver, and patience.

Bass-minded reply :

On 1/14/2012 at 12:48 AM, lmoore said:

Host a Bass tournament on the pond and throw something you wouldn't think of as catfish bait. I hooked a nice flathead last year on a Craw Fatty, a Channel Cat on a tube, and had a partner catch a nice channel on a squarebill.

Otherwise, use a treble hook, chicken liver, and patience.

Thanks but the lake isn't mine.

lmoore reply :

On 1/19/2012 at 7:30 AM, Bass-minded said:

Thanks but the lake isn't mine.

My post should not be confused with legitimate advice Other guys who know a lot more about catfishing than I do had some good advice.

Colton Neal reply :

All i know is all those species in a one acre pond isn't good, flathead eat a ton and can decimate a forage population unless you're spending tons of money feeding them.

radtech reply :

Ahh I'll share a handed down tennessee river recipe that seems to work good other places. Hot dogs microwaved or cooked until they are hard. then soaked in soy sauce, garlic, salt, and grape kool-aid. I know it sounds nasty but the cats seem to love it! May not help you any but hey it's worth a shot. also when you catch them on jugs do they seem to wind up in one spot on the lake? That may help give you an idea of where they are on the lake. good luck to you!

sdoug805 reply :

I didn't see anything about store bought dough baits so I figured I'd give them a mention. I've had some decent success using King Kat dough bait that I got at Walmart. Liver and cheese is my favorite scent. I recently got Secret 7 catfish dip bait from Team Catfish but I haven't really tested it out yet. I'm thinking of doing some catfishing tomorrow so if I have any luck with it I'll post about it.

Also, when fishing chicken livers I usually tie them to a circle hook with string or use something like pantyhose or cheesecloth to wrap around the liver before you hook it. Definitely helps keep the liver from getting sucked off or flying off during the cast.

I've heard time and again that catfishing is best in the late evening into the the wee hours of the morning. I've caught the most catfish at a time between 9PM and 1AM but caught my largest cat in the middle of the day so who knows.

Hyrule Bass reply :

On 3/21/2012 at 10:05 AM, sdoug805 said:

I didn't see anything about store bought dough baits so I figured I'd give them a mention. I've had some decent success using King Kat dough bait that I got at Walmart. Liver and cheese is my favorite scent. I recently got Secret 7 catfish dip bait from Team Catfish but I haven't really tested it out yet. I'm thinking of doing some catfishing tomorrow so if I have any luck with it I'll post about it.

Also, when fishing chicken livers I usually tie them to a circle hook with string or use something like pantyhose or cheesecloth to wrap around the liver before you hook it. Definitely helps keep the liver from getting sucked off or flying off during the cast.

I've heard time and again that catfishing is best in the late evening into the the wee hours of the morning. I've caught the most catfish at a time between 9PM and 1AM but caught my largest cat in the middle of the day so who knows.

While ive always had more success at night, actually just before dark seems like i hit a feeding frenzy too, catfish will feed during the day too but i never had much luck then. early morning a little before sun-up is good too.

let us know how that secret 7 works. i thought about ordering some a couple times

CyRaX reply :

Me and my buddie went cat fishing last year in a small pound by our house.. Caught about 20 fish only a few of them were decent size the rest were like 5 inches long we were using hot dogs! i don't think ill do that again all they did was inhale the hook.

sdoug805 reply :

On 3/22/2012 at 7:55 PM, o JINX o said:

Me and my buddie went cat fishing last year in a small pound by our house.. Caught about 20 fish only a few of them were decent size the rest were like 5 inches long we were using hot dogs! i don't think ill do that again all they did was inhale the hook.

Circle hooks do a great job of preventing gut hooked fish. They let the fish hook themselves as they swim away with the bait and hooks them in the corner of the mouth. I set up a carolina rig with a circle hook and haven't had a gut hooked fish yet. I also like to de-barb my hooks for catch and release.

BassHunter954 reply :

On 1/5/2012 at 9:25 AM, Bass-minded said:

I fish a farm pond in Tennessee. It has channel, flathead, and blue cats. The lake is about an acre in size and is twelve feet deep at the most. I usually catch the at night on jugs or throwlines. Panfish is the usual bait that I rig them with. I have tried to catch them with rod and reel but they aren't biting. What an I doing wrong?

well i actully do alot of catfishing in s fl. use reg. dough mix in winn dixie chicken livers, blood first instead of water then until not too mushy but until tough firm texture or use chicken skin seasoned with greek seasoning for about a day an ull have some luck

Bass-minded reply :

I've hear that bacon works but am not sure.

bigbill reply :

I've caught catfish on the panther martin spinfly that has a yellow blade with black spots and a fly trailer with a black body and a shot of yum scent. It was getting dark and the cats were comming up the drop off feeding. We caught a few this way.

senco lover reply :

Stinky rotten liver or meat is my preference.

Hyrule Bass reply :

On 3/27/2012 at 2:33 AM, Bass-minded said:

I've hear that bacon works but am not sure.

bacon is kind of expensive to be using for bait, there are much cheaper alternatives that will work better or just as good im sure...

Mountain Angler reply :

I use some sinkers and throw out chicken liver or rotten shrimp thats been in red kool aid or some panfish depends on what i have

Bankbeater reply :

I have always had very good luck with cut bait. Usually shad, or sunfish. Check your state's DNR for rules first before using sunfish.

Diggy reply :

I caught one on banana bread yesterday

new2BC4bass reply :

On 4/16/2012 at 11:38 AM, Diggy said:

I caught one on banana bread yesterday

I can see why you were feeding it to the catfish if it stayed on your hook!

I haven't fished for bullheads/catfish in a good many years. Have caught them on nightwalkers, liver, leeches, crayfish, cut bait, etc. We didn't have blues or flatheads where I am originally from. Best fishing seemed to be at night, although one time we had a very successful trip to upper NY State with mostly bullheads biting throughout the day. Very tasty later. May have to see where I can catch a few locally for another meal. Been a long time since I've eaten any. Thanks for posting. Now I have something else to persue.

Bass-minded reply :

OK. Caught my first cat on a rod and was wondering how much silt in the water can cat handle?

Bluebasser86 reply :

On 5/30/2012 at 11:56 AM, Bass-minded said:

OK. Caught my first cat on a rod and was wondering how much silt in the water can cat handle?

Catfish can handle really dirty water and low oxygen levels, way worst than most other fish can deal with.

CJIII reply :

I have caught most of catfish on chicken liver or nightclawers!

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