06-02-2006, 03:12 PM
I usualy use frozen shrimp for my channel cats, and get the best results. Fresh or salted shinners work good as well, and night crawlers. Leeches work, but I don't like spending money on them very often. Live crayfish are exelent baits, as well as small pirch, suckers, goldeyes, or whatever other tiny little fish you can pull out of the water. I've had no success at all with pre packaged stink baits, though chicken liver does work, but its more trouble then its worth. (Keeps falling off my hook). Jigs work great, tipped with worms and bounced off the bottom. Spoons, spinners, crank biats and other artificials have caught channel cats for me when the water clears up after the spring runnoff. Generaly, in the later evening and into the night produce more bites for me then daytime.
Just like any other fish out there (in my experience at least) almost anything can work, and there are no rules on what will always work best. Honestly, I think it would take the fun out of fishing if I never had to experement and try new rigs, lures, and methods all the time. Immagine if it was so simple as that? Use this lure in this spot, catch bass. That other lure in a different spot, catch pike. This bait right here for cats....Might as well go to the grocery store to get em...
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Just like any other fish out there (in my experience at least) almost anything can work, and there are no rules on what will always work best. Honestly, I think it would take the fun out of fishing if I never had to experement and try new rigs, lures, and methods all the time. Immagine if it was so simple as that? Use this lure in this spot, catch bass. That other lure in a different spot, catch pike. This bait right here for cats....Might as well go to the grocery store to get em...
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