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Thought about trying to do a little trolling for catfish. Made up a bunch of the slinky weights and tried it last week. Went great, except for the fish. Weights pulled good. Lost a few hooks that found timber, but lost 0 weights. Using shad for bait. Thought about trying it again this weekend. Mostly channels and flatheads in Lake Hickory with scattered few blues. Any tips or pointers are greatly appreciated.
Motor up to the dam and drift/trolling within about a mile or two of the dam. Other than that don't start a drift/troll until you mark fish on the sonar. Side sonar is best for searching for fish. While adrift use 2d sonar to see what's going on directly below the boat.
I drag. Steelhead fishermen call it boondogging. If you're marking fish below the boat, and the line is 100 feet behind the boat you can better present the bait. Walleye fishermen advice is good as well. keep a 45 degree angle from the line to the rod.
What rig you using? I use a paternoster rig most of the time: weight on the bottom, hook up top.
As far as cut bait, you're on track. I use cured bluegill and cured organs because I don't have time to catch fresh and fish. Ask around. In my area jug fishing and trot lines are the go-to method and they're using livers, gizzards and other organs so much that it is the preferred bait. Second to that cut bluegill in my area seems to be the going deal. Skipjack in my waters don't come easily. Shad are big in my waters, but I've never had much luck with a castnet with them in my skinny little jon boat. Bluegill seem to be the thing, I think that's why yellow red yellow pattern of the old Mickey Finn works so will for bass. My home waters are bluegill waters.
Some days they won;t bite no matter what. But you have to build up confidence in the method you're using.
How many rod you running? I've had far better luck with one rod holding it in hand than running a bunch of rods in holders. The fly fishermen in me needs to feel the sensitivity in my own hands. By the time the rod double over a whole lot had happened.
Also I'm not on the circle hook bandwagon, but a lot of people have great luck with circles. I tie my own tandem bait harnesses, kind of like the walleye crawler harnesses.
How fast you trolling? Keep your speed way down, like 0.5 mph. My little boat that's hard because wind and current will push me faster that I want, but I use oars to control my speed and direction. It's much easier with a trolling motor.
Read, study and watch videos of any form of drifting, or trolling, e.g., saltwater, freshwater, steelhead, striped bass, even trout guys. Drifting, trolling and dragging are all the same class of non-cast-&-retrieve methods.
I drift to catch bluegill also. That's how I've learned drifting, then just applied it to catfish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDQruGjNdzM
Let me know how you turn out.
Thanks funbun. I had 5 rods out and do usually use circle like I do for stripers. I had cut white perch on a few and shad on the rest. I ran a santee cooper rig with the slinky weight and about 3 foot leader with a cork to hold hook up. Trolling about .4 to .5 mph. got the idea to try it after catching many nice cats when I troll little bandit crank baits for crappie. Pull across a point and you are probably picking up a cat. Thanks for the advice.