scaleface

Sometimes I'll let the wind blow the boat across a promising area and I lift and drop a Carolina rigged shad . Thats a good way to locate cats too .

I see them suspended and on the bottom but I fish for them on the bottom . There will be large schools of them I dont find them below the thermocline . They are usually above it . I cant tell one fish from another on a depth finder but when I see a lot of nice sized fish on an otherwise empty flat I assume they are catfish . Sometimes there will be white bass busting shad on top , there will usually be channels below that action .

I find them on a depth finder . I use shad caught with a cast net and then dropped on ice . I simply anchor and fish where I see them . If you spot gulls , channel cats should be close . Another way that works surprisingly well some days is to troll crankbaits through them . Heres my dad cleaning a bunch caught on a flat about 15 foot deep with shad .

Summertime , I find them in schools out on the flats in deeper water 15 to 25 foot deep . .

Thats a good question , I dont know . Muddy water caused by wave action can have clear water underneath

Strike King Spence scout . Never owned one myself .

I was fishing a point with a dropoff on the end two days ago . Caught thirty fish on a T-rig jelly worm , homemade spinnerbait and a Strike King 6x crankbait , between 15 and 18 foot . The crankbait was really nailing them .

I catch channel cats on crankbaits all the time , so much so that I target them . I have caught lots of flatheads on jigs , but dont recall ever catching one on a crankbait . I dont think I ever caught a Blue on a lure .

I used one yesterday . On the picture above I used the top right one . Its a half ounce with an extremely short arm . I miscalculated how much to cut off when I made the locking loop and ended up with an arm shorter than I wanted . Guess what . I caught six bass on it about 17 foot deep . It sank fast , helicoptered well on the fall and I'm going to make more like it . I also caught fish out there on crankbaits and worms too , thirty total .That Strike King 6XD was tearing them up .

I fell in twice . Once when pulling a chair out of a pedestal and once from throwing a casting net .

Thats why I made a few . I cant buy baits to my specs . Those small bladed baits on a castable lure works for summer and pressured fish .

Maybe I could duct tape a couple of waterproof flashlights to it . Better idea , glow sticks .

Do any of you use buoys at night ?

You're catching smaller bass , you have a good starting point. If I understand right you're trying to catch bass 15 foot deep . The Strike King 6xd has been working well for me in 15 foot of water . My top two baits would be Texas and Carolina rigs . Any lure that sinks can be used . Rattle Traps, Strike King Rocket Shads , even 1/4 ounce Beetle Spins. Let a 1/4 ounce Beetle spin sink to the bottom , hop it along ,is a real good way to pick off bass stacked up on a point .... Like already mentioned , I cant tell bass from other fish on a depth finder . A lot of times the fish I see are big channel cats . Keep at it . The payoffs of deep water fishing can be huge and many anglers give up too soon . Invest in some marker buoys if you dont have them and use them . Catch a fish toss it . See some cover toss it . See fish stacked on structure toss it .

A beginner can use them all . The only one even a little bit difficult is a walking bait and they are easily learned .You could always get a floating Rapala and just let it set . My favorite is a buzzbait and all you do is reel it in .

I'm done pouring lures for now . I have way more than I need . I have enough buzzbaits already to last a hundred years . I'll pour more spinnerbaits after a trial run with these . I prefer single spins most of the time , so it makes since to make what I want .

I lost several fish in a July tournament and it cost me first place . I caught the fish 20 foot deep and I had the livewell on auto It should have been continuous . It was my fault and I didnt let it happen again .

Slow rolling a spinnerbait , I set the hook when it bumps into rocks too , why tke the chance of missing fish . As far as jigs , I hop them just like a worm , watch and feel for a " tic " as it is falling . Dont let it settle , as soon as it hits bottom get it back up .

Hey OP , were you using a jig ?

I hop it like a worm and I also poured 3/8 and 1/2 . I like using the Strike King Rocket Shads , just dont like the hooks on them , so these are similar in shape with a single hook . Thats only a number three willow so it will sink fast enough The only expensive part of making the lure is the ball bearing swivel . I bought a bunch of blades and baits on clearance , for a quarter a piece , just to get the swivels . I have lots of lead , enough to make thousands of lures and sinkers . I gave a bunch of it away to the guy who gave me all his equipment , he makes bullets .

I have a bunch of skirt material , the living rubber kind . I'm having a heck of a time trying to stretch it out and cutting it . I need three hands .

Its just a skirt material I had left over , some type of shad color . Since this morning I acquired , for one heck of a price , free , another spinner bait mold , buzz bait mold , bass casting weight mold , misc blades and hardware . So I've been busy making baits for the two hours .

I needed some small summertime spinnerbaits and being I cant buy want I desire I got the old equipment out and made one . I purchased a Hot Pot and went to work . I did some practice runs without hook / wire and the cavity wasnt filling . I sprayed the mold with Pam and the next two practice fills were complete . My first pour was a complete lure and I stopped there . I only have two more wire forms until I buy some more . Here it is unpainted ,. 1/4 ounce , 4.0 hook , small willow leaf and silicone skirt . It should be just the ticket for fishing 10 to 15 foot deep on points . I made a lock loop to hold the blade .

Way to go , Slicko . Thats what my wife always tells me .

The only time I dont use a weight is in moss / snot grass . I dont go with the smallest ones either . I use a 3/16th or 1/4 most of the time with a six inch worm . I have fished side by side dozens of times with guys using the lightest weight possible and almost always outfish them . The friends who use heavier weights have just as much success as I and often outfish me .