I had a chance to fish a small pond over the weekend that I know is stocked mostly with channel cats but recently several people have spotted several large bass prowling around so I thought I'd see if I could get any action out of the bass. I started throwing a spinnerbait and after about four casts it something just pounded it. Turned out to be about a 3lb cat. Man, can they pull. I'd never caught a catfish before... I'm not much on stinky hands. Anyway, had several more follow the spinnerbait back to the bank and could feel them pulling at the skirt during the retrieval. I caught two more about the same size and am sure if I had slowed my retrieval down a little I'd caught more. They actually pulled most of the rubber skirt off. Three hard pulling fish for one $4 spinnerbait was a pretty good deal I guess. I always assumed they were strictly scavengers.

I think channel cats are great fighters, although I don't catch too many. I've caught them on grubs on jigheads and crankbaits, with my most recent one on a Gambler Swim Blade.

Sometimes around here we will catch them on crappie jigs.  My uncle once caught a 12 lber when we were crappie fishing off a dock with 6 pound line on an ultralight.

NEVER have I EVER got a cat on a spinner. Maybe It'll happen now haha.

I've caught  a few channels on cranks and spinners.

I got once ,a 12 pounder on a spinnerbait . They fight great

I've caught a 3lber and a 5lber on a spinnerbait.  Strike King Red Eye Special.  If they are in the feeding mood they will hit pretty much anything.  Especially if you are slow rolling the bait on the bottom.  My dad has caught a 22lb channelc at on a small chatterbait at a farm pond (private) ridiculous fight!!!!

Anyway we've also caught them on the Occoquan on crankbaits (Northern Va river).

Down when I was stationed in Louisana, Ive caught them on pretty much everything. Man those suckers get huge.

chris

I'm going back for more this weekend. Those suckers pull like a freight train. :-)

>:(First, Catfish are not Scavengers, they are predators just like bass. They prefer live food over all of the stinky concoctions that people throw out for them. They are opportunistic though. They will eat what is available. I have caught cats on just about every bass lure there is. If you ever want a reel fight, go hunting for a little flathead(8# or so) and see how you like that.

Hey Bassnbiker, good tip if youw ant to nail those channels.

Buy some chicken livers from a grocery store.  Purdue sells some small containers that can get you htrough a day.  Be ready to smell worse than you ever had before.  The stench is unbareable.  However, you will catch fish all day.

Buy some octopus hooks that are fairly large and believe it or not.... women's pantyhose lol.  It WORKS.  The reason is that the livers slip off the hook so quick you will not have time to set the hook.  Do not use trebles with catfish (general rule of thumb).  Put the livers inside the pantyhose and ball it up, then stick it on your hook.  This way they will not fall off when you get the bite and you will have more time to set the hook.  

You will catch some monsters like this.  They can find livers from across the lake man lol.  And in a pond it shouldn't take long at all to get the hook set.

Use these on a split slider rig.  Basically put a couple split shots 8-10" up your line before the hook, and before the splits put a 1/4oz weight or whatever you need to hold bottom.  It's almost like a wannabe carolina rig.The weight will keep it on the bottom where they feed most.  

Let us know how you do if you decide to try it man.  Good luck out there.

Just got channel cattie the other week on a crankbait in fast water while fishin for smallies. Didn't weigh her but probably went 7-8 pounds.

Better believe that for the first ten seconds or so, I thought I had a huge smalle. But alas...

The handful of channel cats that I've caught one bass lures have come on cranks. About a week or two ago, I was fishing a pond (with a spinnerbait) when I had a "HUGE bass crush the spinnerbait. But something just wasn't right, when I got it next to the shore, I figured out why! Turned out to be about a 5lb channel cat. I had NO idea there were catfish in the pond. It "only" took me about 5 minutes to retune my Premire Plus spinnerbait after that fight! LOL

I catch them often on spinnerbaits on the Potomac River in MD.  When they hit,  you know it.  They slam a spinnerbait hard.

I'm with Dave; we catch them all the time on spinnerbaits in the Potomac around DC. I also caught a 40+ lb blue cat on a spinnerbait this spring, unbelievable fight. It's really a better way of fishing for tehm when their spawning.

3 yrs ago i was in grand haven michigan throwing out spoons for salmon and all what i caught was those channel cats and i probally caought high 20's there soannoying.

I just caught one (5lb) last Saturday on a rattleheadbaits spinner bait.  I also caught a snakehead with it.

I caught a small cat last week on an Erie Dearie with a leech trailer.

A few months ago i was fishing a buzzbait and i had a catfish hit it.I was to late in setting the hook so i did not get in but it was weird.So yea about the spinnerbait i have caught one cat on one.

just caught my first catfish on a 6 inch zoom lizards. based on this thread looks like cats will hit anything given the right conditions

Yup, happens a lot.  Particularly with a Colorado Blade more so for some reason (can't say why).  Slow roll that spinner bait along the bottom nice and steady and there is no telling what it'll catch.  Mostly bass and catfish around here but no, it's not uncommon to land a cat daddy on a SB.  

Worst part is the slime the put all over your line, they are nasty creatures in my book but do fight like there is no tomorrow.

they are also very TASTY creatures, lol. ive never caught a catfish on an artificial before, just on jug lines and bank fishin. cant kill em if your life depended on it. weve had out of the water for somtimes 4 hrs . or more and the suckers are still breathin(or at least trying to, lol)

I've noticed blue cats are becoming stocked more often, instead of channels. In part, because they offer some different fishing. They are also more likely to be suspended and hit baits throughout the water column. This will probably increases your chances of catching a cat on a bass lure. The vast majority of fishermen I know can't tell the difference between the two.

My best catfish/lure story was a 4-5lb flathead on a Jitterbug. I thought I had a monster bass.

If I catch one more channel on a spinnerbait or crank or senko in the Potomac, i'm going to go nuts!  I keep thinking i have a nice bass and boom, a 5 lb cat.

If I catch one more channel on a spinnerbait or crank or senko in the Potomac, i'm going to go nuts! I keep thinking i have a nice bass and boom, a 5 lb cat.

Life's tough!!!!!!!!!!!!!