Smitty you're missin' out!! I look forward to Feb. 1st like I do spring crappie and openin' day of deer/duck/dove/etc... from Nov. 1 to Feb. 1 its artificial only, no scent, I've been goin' after 'em since they started it 5 or 6 years ago, I use a water bobber and fill it about half way, they allow you to cast a mile but aren't bright like a weighted bobber, the drawback is their hard to see way out there, I tie a poppin bug about 2 feet back from the bobber, then tie a 1/80 ounce grizzly about 2 foot back, and another about 2 foot back from that one, 4lb clear line, cast and reel slow, stoppin' and startin', they fight like hell!! they usually take one of the grizzly's, but the one caught sunday was on the little green poppin' bug.

Feb. 1st you can use anything, then it's the #10 treble hooks about 3 ft behind a split shot, using the berkley dough ball stuff, not sure what it's called but I buy it from Danny at Foutz's, put out a few poles like your bankfishin' for catfish, don't set the hook let 'em pull some like you're fishin' a circle hook, I've never been taught how to properly clean 'em so I just gut 'em and smoke 'em and pick the meat off the bones. here's some pics of last Feb. 1st, it was a little brisk!!