|
|
Post by banksidebandit on May 10, 2013 20:56:36 GMT -5
Just started fishing some channel cat tourneys and I was looking for a little help. I don't have problems getting on good numbers of fish but I'm not getting into as many bigger ones. I've tried larger baits but that doesn't seem to help. I am contemplating whether or not it is better to just play it by numbers and figure the more I catch the better odds I'll have of having some nicer sized fish, or if I start getting on smaller fish if I should move. I know for flatheads I normally don't catch small ones and big ones in the same spot. Is it the same for the channel cats?
Next time out I plan on moving around more and using only larger baits and even some live baits and hoping to target ONLY larger channels and not small ones. Is this a good idea or should I just stick with catching them in high numbers?
|
|
|
|
Post by mexicanthreat on May 10, 2013 21:15:33 GMT -5
There usually not too far out. until your comfy numbers is the best way to go. But i usually drop out into a foot or so deeper water. It usually works out. Usually.
|
|
|
|
Post by bassmassey on May 10, 2013 21:39:24 GMT -5
might wanna try some fresh Whole cut baits? Deeper water would probably be the ticket most times of the year too. Spring time though big channel cats will move up shallow to feed and to bed. I know years ago we used to catch good sized channel cats up in the canals of harbor hills off of buckeye in may and june. Once the heat of summer sets in buckeye lake looks really easy to fish. There is 1 hole on the whole thing that is 14'. Now i've never really fished buckeye other than going there to catch bait and years ago we used to sling livers off the bank and catch a buzz. But I am willing to bet after the spawn when the water temp. gets hot that 14' hole would be slap full of fish, especially while the sun is up.
|
|
|
|
Post by captainbrad on May 10, 2013 21:43:10 GMT -5
I'm not sure if you are fishing a lake or river. I can only comment on a river situation. I have found that when a river is at "normal" flow and season. I tend to look for areas with an area of increased current combined with some cover, whether that be a snag pile, rock or sandbar. Get the bait right into the fast swirl where the structure breaks the current. If you have a faster area of river this is where the smaller fish won't stick around usually. Size of bait does not necessarily help but it can help keep the smaller ones off due to being to big.
In a high water situation the big fish will run in the current tunnels where the main channel meets the main break to the shoreline. Use the same idea of fishing structure to find the holding spot.
|
|
|
|
Post by banksidebandit on May 10, 2013 22:52:19 GMT -5
Most of these tourneys are for the lakes. I normally do pretty well in rivers fishing some of the same types of areas that you mentioned Captainbrad. Next tourney I fish I'll try to find some fish and then fish the same general area but just move to nearby deeper water and see how that works. I've caught all my best channels while flathead fishing with big live baits!
Yeah Massey you're right about that 1 deep whole at Buckeye. Some nights I've been there fishing with another 15 boats fishing the same marsh. Buckeye has a lot of walls where it's more rocks/sand bottom around them other than mud like the rest of the lake. We normally pull good numbers fishing the walls with floats, with an occasional 5-6 pounder but not the numbers of good fish that we need.
I've been drifting when I can this year and it's been working good as well. Learned a lot from you guys on here about drifting and I think I just need to perfect it a little more.
I know that pre-fishing and scouting out the lakes is a huge factor in these tourneys as well and with work, gas money, and other expenses it is tough to really learn a lake well before fishing it. It might take me a little while but I'll be competing at the top here soon enough!
|
|
|
|
Post by bassmassey on May 11, 2013 0:13:35 GMT -5
keep on draggin them baits..........best way in my opinion to fish a lake for blues or channelcat, even caught more than several shovelhead draggin baits down on santee. Just remember the slower you drag em' the better, and let them get way on back there behind the boat. Often seems like the lines that are on back in the spread get bit.....but at the same time keep em staggered good........you don't want two baits draggin side by side eachother. Also might want to experiment with leader length if you're fishin santee style.....I've fished with captain roundhill alot....he mixes it up alot too to see what the fish want.....try some 2-3' leaders on a couple poles, then try some 5-6-7' leaders on other poles, the fish will tell you what they like!
|
|
|
|
Post by banksidebandit on May 11, 2013 0:21:50 GMT -5
Last time I drifted Massey I noticed that the lines that were farther back got more action. Last time I was out I didn't bring my drift bucket that I made and the wind was blowing us around pretty good. Ended up still getting quite a bit of action. I'll have to remember it next time to have the option of changing speeds. Most of my leaders are around 3' like you mentioned I'll switch up lengths next time out. Thanks for the advice guys!
I made a few of those pencil style weights out of 1/4oz barrels and shoe string and got more snags on them then just a barrel sinker. Might have been a coincidence I don't know. Just figured I'de throw that out there since we were talking about drifing lol.
|
|
|
|
Post by bassmassey on May 11, 2013 1:50:40 GMT -5
1/4 oz barrel swivel would make a pretty big profile. Snake weights are made with buckshot stuffed in parachute cord or i've seen some stuff them in shoe laces. I would maybe try tying a short lenth of 10# mono to a cheap snap swivel and crimp some small split shot making it about 3-4" long.......and attaching that to your main line...you don't need a whole lot of weight unless you're fishin some really deep water (40+)If you have enough weight to drag the bottom you're doing good. And I know in my previous post I mentioned large whole cut baits, yet this converstion kinda turned more toward drifting. Drifting large cut baits doesn't work very well........can be done, but have a tendacy to hang up alot more. If i have a drift spread out I might throw one big bait and let it drag right beside the boat or something like that. Think more like heads, or a 4" whole cut shad or bream would be real good.......and long strips of a fillet give a real good presentation when draggin baits too!
|
|
|
|
Post by Skyline1506 on May 11, 2013 8:48:02 GMT -5
for anchor massey is 100% right a blue gill that is about a head longer than the palm of your hand with the tail cut off and one side fileted off is great for big old bull channels. cut them as fresh as possible. you want what used to be the tail still floppin around and really sprayin that blood out into the water. for driftin. we will drift cut creek chubs, they have a sleeker body and follow drifts without twistin up like crazy. plus they are lighter so they stay off the bottom a little better. we use split shots. on a short piece of mono tied to a swivel, drop them in some shrink tubing for electrical wires. leave the top loop of the swivel exposed. add a little heat and the tube will shrink down around the split shots making a nice little slinky weight. this is the rig we use we have switched the big river hooks out for circles nowadays though catfishfreaks.proboards.com/thread/1272/trolling-rig |
|
|
|
Post by banksidebandit on May 11, 2013 9:47:25 GMT -5
Yea I've been using cut strips of shad when I drift and it seems to produce pretty good. The strips keep it from spinning. I'll have to try different sinker setups so avoid snags. Next time I go out I'll definitely bring an assortment of baits and try some whole cut baits and heads and hopefully I can get on some bigger fish. Yea I've been using that rig with the blades Jordan I like it a lot. I feel like I just need to experiment more while I'm out there instead of being satisfied with catching numbers of smaller ones.
We also had a motor blow up on us the last tourney I fished which didn't help lol.
|
|
|
|
Post by ducky on May 13, 2013 13:12:00 GMT -5
In my opinion, trying a bunch of new baits in the same area is not goin to catch bigger channels,( New baits may catch more fish though) I feel location is more than likely the reason why you are catching smaller fish.
|
|
|
|
Post by ducky on May 14, 2013 10:39:25 GMT -5
Unless we are talking chicken liver and stink bait compared to fresh cut bait.
|
|
|
|
Post by banksidebandit on May 14, 2013 16:15:04 GMT -5
Yea I was kinda figuring the same with you Ducky. That I just need to find the bigger fish, rather than just finding the fish numbers. When I get on a bunch of smaller ones I'll catch them fish after fish and occasionally get a decent one out of the bunch, which is perfect for the frying pan. But for the tourneys I need to find the big fish. The more I fish different lakes and over time I'll figure things out.
Are channels like flatheads and come into shallower water at night to feed, or does deeper water generally always hold the bigger fish?
|
|
|
|
Post by mexicanthreat on May 14, 2013 16:39:34 GMT -5
I've caught bigger ones in the shallows at night but the monsters have always been right on the drop off at the edge of shallows. Very rarely have i caught a fifteen plus more than fifteen to twenty feet away from the ledge. but it has happened. I have caught a lot of 10+ in two to three feet of water on the lake But it was always drifting through an area that the channel snaked through.
|
|
