scaleface

Catching catfish doesnt bother me any . I love hooking into the occasional Dogfish too .

I use standard offset hooks whenever I can get away with it . The rule of thumb is the gap should be twice as wide as the baits girth . Being I use slim plastic worms most I think standard offset hooks work better for "me" . They have more bite to them . Just compare them to wide gaps .gently pull one on your arm and see which one is cutting in better . Straight shanks have even more bite . I just like the ability of the offset to keep the bait in place .

Catfish love points and flats and they will show all over the depth finder not just hugging the bottom . I have mistaken catfish for bass many times .

Dont know what to tell you then . If i couldnt fish the bottom I would probably catch 90 per cent fewer fish .

I have a ML Shimano Compere . I have lost so many fish with that thing I quit using it .

Whats your best catfish crankbait ?

I would suffocate in one . I just use liberal amounts of SPF50 sunscreen . I get the stuff made for babies that dont burn eyes .

You should be able to pitch with it Make sure your string is in good condition and practice . How much line do you let out and hold in your hand before starting the pitch .?

Its not a Rebel . I still have the lure and fish it with a dressed belly hook only .

Weights get lodged between rocks for all of us .

There ae untold numbers of ways to fish it . A good way to cover water when bank fishing is to use sinking baits . My all time favorite are the old Whopper Stopper Bayou Boogies but any lipless crankbait would work . I'd choose a silent one like the Red Eye Shad . Cast to different depths , let the lure sink to the bottom and retrieve. take a few steps and repeat . Very simple .Other good baits to use with this technique are jig with a grub , it can be curly or paddle tail , beetle spin , Strike King Rocket Shad , and any of the various prerigged swimbaits like the ones from Storm , Berkeley ... You will learn where any irregularities in the bottom are this way . Now , if you get snagged . Make a mental note , leave a marker of some kind , so you can come back later and fish it thoroughly with a Texas rig .

A popper that I dont know the brand . It wasnt very well made as the rear hook hanger eventually pulled out ,but it sure caught a lot of fish .

Wacky rig a senko as a jig trailer . I've done that quite a bit for river smallies using a Bitsy Bug .

I dont get shaky , but I have never caught a really huge bass . I imagine 10 lb bass would get the adrenaline pumping .

Confidence that one can catch fish anywhere any time . I dont pay much attention to todays pro anglers but use to read and watch all I could about the early tournament pros . Without exception , those guys were good fishermen period .They all started fishing at an early age , they fished for multiple species , they fished often and long hours .They shared all that knowledge in magazines like Bassmaster. To reach the next level , I think , you have to be confident that you can succeed no matter where you are , time of year .,, A good friend of mine is a river rat . He grew up literally on the banks of the Mississippi river . He fished it and its backwaters .for channel cats , sauger , white bass.. .I took him bass fishing . He had never bass fished from a boat or used a Texas rig before . I got him started and he took too that rig like he has been fishing it for years .. He fished it better than almost every "bass" angler that I have been with . The guy knew how to bounce a curly tail jig in the current for walleye so a plastic worm was no challenge .He just flat out knows how to fish .

Sometimes I take an old PicoPop or Rebel chugger and try to spit water as far as it will . A very sharp but short jerk . When I see non-schooling fish hitting shad , its one of the techniques I use .

This is the only photo of this bait I have . LOL . By far my most successful shallow diving bait . I guess its a bluegill pattern . I have an air brush that has never been used . One of these days i'm going to try to match this pattern .

This went over my head . Heres one . I'm working my way down the bank , coming up on a lay down tree . This guy pulls in front of me and fishes it . Whatever , Later I catch up with him and ask if hes doing any good and he replies " Yesterday I caught a six lb bass right there where I cut you off. " .

Whenever I look through someone else tackle , this is what I look for . Battle scared lures .

I'm going to suggest a Bomber Long A Minnow .. My favorite post spawn top water .

If using a 1 ounce weight with a leader and fishing it in heavy cover , there will be a "lot" more hangs than with a lighter Texas rig .I dont use C-rigs with light weights . That defeats the purpose of what " I" want it to do . Cover deep water quickly . Using light weights is not wrong , I just dont utilize them that way .

Haha , never seen that before .

clams rock boot wrist watch x 2 dip net rod and reel ...

I really dont think the kind of jig trailers are that important and I dont buy plastics for the sole purpose as a jig trailer . If I have a torn up plastic craw that is what I will use . Torn up Lizards are another one . Twin tail Mister Twisters , even an ordinary plastic worm .

I.ve used several different colors successfully in stained water and dont have a clue when to use what. Black , chrome and shad are three good producers .