03-15-2007, 05:10 PM
LITTLE ROCK - Spring is on hand and waters are warming, so catfish time isn't far away.
Many anglers regard catfish as the last of the basic four native Arkansas species to get into action in the spring, hitting high gear after crappie, bream and bass. That's a rule of thumb but not an absolute. Catfish can hit nearly any time of the year.
And they'll hit nearly any kind of bait you can imagine, especially channel catfish.
Minnows and worms are the most common baits used on catfish, but the list of other baits sometimes used is long and growing.
Old-timers argued whether Octagon soap or Ivory soap was best for catching catfish. Cheese is another oldie, especially the byproducts from cheese-making plants around Arkansas - the throwaway material often obtainable free or for nominal cost.
The Arkansas state record blue catfish was caught in 2001 on Spam. No, nothing to do with the Internet. This was the canned meat product. Charles Ashley of Marion caught a 116-pound, 12-ounce blue cat in the Mississippi River on a rod and reel rigged with Spam for bait.
One of the more knowledgeable and more experienced Arkansas catfish anglers is Keith Sutton of Alexander, an outdoor writer who left his long tenure at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to concentrate on writing and book publishing. He's written a couple of books on catfishing, too.
Sutton said there are four basic and most productive baits for channel catfish - fish, blood, nightcrawlers and catalpa worms. Sure, he'll get some arguments on this statement. But let's pick his brain on the bait issue. Channel cats are the most numerous of Arkansas catfish and are found in all of the state's 75 counties. Sutton said, "Channel catfish aren't finicky eaters. They'll gobble up almost anything catfishermen offer."
He said about using fish for catfish bait: "Fish comprise a large portion of the channel cat's diet and offer many advantages over other baits. You can use fish alive or dead, cut or whole. Many fish will entice channel cats, especially oily fish like shad, herrings or suckers. Others are carp, chubs, mooneyes, sunfish and minnows. Always use fresh fish--either live fish or cut bait stored on ice. Mash the head of whole dead fish so natural juices leak into the water."
Blood bait is what sometimes separates catfish anglers from polite society. Yes, it can be smelly. And it can really catch channel catfish at times.
Sutton tells how to make your own blood bait: "Almost any mammal or bird blood will work, but most anglers use chicken or beef blood obtained from meat processing plants. To make your own blood bait, pour half an inch of blood in a shallow pan, then refrigerate or pack in cracked ice until the blood coagulates. The thickened blood is then cut into chunks and stored in a suitable container. When needed, a piece is pinched off and threaded on a hook.
He added, "Blood bait's most serious drawback is poor "hookability" - it won't stay on a hook very well. To overcome this problem, you can wrap the blood bait in a small square of nylon stocking, pull the four corners together, then thread the hook through the corners, leaving the point uncovered."
Nightcrawlers are worms, big, lively worms, and these catch a lot of catfish of all species in Arkansas. They are available at most bait shops, but many catfish anglers dig or rake up their own. Piles of leaves in the woods, around the house and in flower beds are good nightcrawler haunts. So are compost and manure piles.
Sutton likes to air up his nightcrawlers. "Use a hypodermic syringe to inflate the crawlers. Adding a shot of air in the body lifts the worms up, making them more visible to catfish. Your sinker moves along the bottom while your nightcrawlers ride high."
The season for catalpa worms is still several weeks away, but these tough green and black worms found on catalpa trees are excellent for catfishing, for bream fishing, for bass fishing and for trout fishing.
To gather catalpa worms, Sutton said, first find a catalpa tree and check to see if the worms are present on the leaves. "Then slap the leaves with a long cane pole. Once they're on the ground, pick them up and place in a container with a few catalpa leaves. Catalpa worms are tough and difficult for a fish to pull off a hook. One worm may catch several catfish. Once you've pinpointed a catalpa tree, you can gather lots of worms quickly and inexpensively."
Many anglers regard catfish as the last of the basic four native Arkansas species to get into action in the spring, hitting high gear after crappie, bream and bass. That's a rule of thumb but not an absolute. Catfish can hit nearly any time of the year.
And they'll hit nearly any kind of bait you can imagine, especially channel catfish.
Minnows and worms are the most common baits used on catfish, but the list of other baits sometimes used is long and growing.
Old-timers argued whether Octagon soap or Ivory soap was best for catching catfish. Cheese is another oldie, especially the byproducts from cheese-making plants around Arkansas - the throwaway material often obtainable free or for nominal cost.
The Arkansas state record blue catfish was caught in 2001 on Spam. No, nothing to do with the Internet. This was the canned meat product. Charles Ashley of Marion caught a 116-pound, 12-ounce blue cat in the Mississippi River on a rod and reel rigged with Spam for bait.
One of the more knowledgeable and more experienced Arkansas catfish anglers is Keith Sutton of Alexander, an outdoor writer who left his long tenure at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to concentrate on writing and book publishing. He's written a couple of books on catfishing, too.
Sutton said there are four basic and most productive baits for channel catfish - fish, blood, nightcrawlers and catalpa worms. Sure, he'll get some arguments on this statement. But let's pick his brain on the bait issue. Channel cats are the most numerous of Arkansas catfish and are found in all of the state's 75 counties. Sutton said, "Channel catfish aren't finicky eaters. They'll gobble up almost anything catfishermen offer."
He said about using fish for catfish bait: "Fish comprise a large portion of the channel cat's diet and offer many advantages over other baits. You can use fish alive or dead, cut or whole. Many fish will entice channel cats, especially oily fish like shad, herrings or suckers. Others are carp, chubs, mooneyes, sunfish and minnows. Always use fresh fish--either live fish or cut bait stored on ice. Mash the head of whole dead fish so natural juices leak into the water."
Blood bait is what sometimes separates catfish anglers from polite society. Yes, it can be smelly. And it can really catch channel catfish at times.
Sutton tells how to make your own blood bait: "Almost any mammal or bird blood will work, but most anglers use chicken or beef blood obtained from meat processing plants. To make your own blood bait, pour half an inch of blood in a shallow pan, then refrigerate or pack in cracked ice until the blood coagulates. The thickened blood is then cut into chunks and stored in a suitable container. When needed, a piece is pinched off and threaded on a hook.
He added, "Blood bait's most serious drawback is poor "hookability" - it won't stay on a hook very well. To overcome this problem, you can wrap the blood bait in a small square of nylon stocking, pull the four corners together, then thread the hook through the corners, leaving the point uncovered."
Nightcrawlers are worms, big, lively worms, and these catch a lot of catfish of all species in Arkansas. They are available at most bait shops, but many catfish anglers dig or rake up their own. Piles of leaves in the woods, around the house and in flower beds are good nightcrawler haunts. So are compost and manure piles.
Sutton likes to air up his nightcrawlers. "Use a hypodermic syringe to inflate the crawlers. Adding a shot of air in the body lifts the worms up, making them more visible to catfish. Your sinker moves along the bottom while your nightcrawlers ride high."
The season for catalpa worms is still several weeks away, but these tough green and black worms found on catalpa trees are excellent for catfishing, for bream fishing, for bass fishing and for trout fishing.
To gather catalpa worms, Sutton said, first find a catalpa tree and check to see if the worms are present on the leaves. "Then slap the leaves with a long cane pole. Once they're on the ground, pick them up and place in a container with a few catalpa leaves. Catalpa worms are tough and difficult for a fish to pull off a hook. One worm may catch several catfish. Once you've pinpointed a catalpa tree, you can gather lots of worms quickly and inexpensively."