This is one type of fishing I rarely do.  I need some tips and pointers on catching channels and other cats.

Rods: I use a 7-8 foot heavy action (you could also use a flippin' stick)

Reels: doesn't matter, but I would recommend something with a bait clicker.

Bait: Chicken liver, Chicken breast, night crawlers, cut bait, Ivory soap, spam, hotdogs, Chewing gum, Almost anything will catch catfish.

Tackle: strong strait shank hooks will work, Team catfish makes great hooks. I just use a simple Carolina rig.

  Hope I helped!

   

my setup for big cats is a diawa beef stick rod, with a penn gto 230 reel.  the reel has 50 lb mono on it and for bait i use squid or cut bait.

Channels - I use frozen whole raw shrimp or frozen squid.

Flatheads - Live bluegill.

Rigs - For channels I use a medium action spinning rod, spinning reel with 12# test Trilene XT line. For flatheads my rig is a Rhino Kevlar medium heavy baitcast rod with Penn 209 levelwind reel with @ 200 yards of 50# test Trilene Big Game line.

How about plain old bullheads (or yellow bellies as we called them when I was a kid)? What works well for them???

I haven't caught a catfish since I was 12 (a looong time ago). It's about time I caught another.

How about plain old bullheads (or yellow bellies as we called them when I was a kid)? What works well for them???

I haven't caught a catfish since I was 12 (a looong time ago). It's about time I caught another.

I use the same baits as i do for channel cats to catch Bullheads. Night crawlers, cheese, and chicken liver are killers.

Make sure with your setup that your sinker will move up and down the line so the catfish wont feel resistance, keep your spool open so they can take the bait a little ways for a good hookset, and hold on!   8-)

Channels I use worms/liver

Flathead/blues I use bluegill or carp.

A couple weekends ago I attempted to catch some carp with some corn and lima beans. Instead I got 15" and 18" channel cats. Later a caught a small white perch. Stuck a big hook through the back end and tossed it into deeper water while I fished the edge of the grass along the shore. I hooked up with a 10+lb channel cat. Before I figured out where I would put it in my kayak, it dove underneath the yak and the line broke. :-[