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hey guys, i heard that for big cats you need to use live freshwater eels. i've never used any , and don't know where i can get any around my area. i live in n.c. in the salisbury area. if any of you cat hunters can help me out ,i would really appreciate it,thanks
we used to get eels for shark fishing from lester cook, who owned cooks carp fishing lake in gastonia. if you know of any carpfishing lakes, you might ask them and see if they can pick you up some where they buy their carp.
eels are the third choice most place i know of......fresh shad is best.....thats what they eat everyday.......then second live panfish like bluegill ......try eels thirdly....but at 2 or 3 bucks a piece you wont buy very many !! in Va over 1/2 the bait shops carry them because eels at the right time of the year are number 1 for stripers -
Depends on which Catfish your wanting to catch. The Flatheads love Green Sunfish and they live good on a hook.Quote:
Originally Posted by RACN35
yeah i agree sunfish of really any flavor lol shad just wont stay alive on a hook long at all good cut bait for other cats like blues or channels if you targeting flathead pick a bait that stays alive on a hook really well for a long period of time ive had some good flats on 5 and 6 in carp and white bass this year we have been able to catch tons of them in cast nets this year by throwing corn out and then throwing in that area after about 20 to 25 minutes but sometime you get monster carp that tear your net up but for any species of catfish you can get the best bait for both easy and really cheap sunfish for flats and fresh cut shad for the other 2 hope that helps
That boy that caught the state record flathead used an eel. I heard you gotta use a towel to hold them cause they will cut you and bite you.
I'll fish a bream over any bait for cats. Alive or dead, makes no difference. I personally prefer to freeze my bream a day or two in advance. Seems like there is no struggle to eat the bait, which in return produces better hook ups. I wouldnt waste the money on eels.
on another note, we netted about an 18-20lb blue cat this weekend with a 12" + catfish in its throat. My buddy was getting a small bite, and all of a sudden the rod bent over. We're thinking the smaller cat was munching on the dead bream and the bigger cat ate them both!! Couldnt beleive the size of the catfish in its mouth.
the ONLY reason you need to use a towel if because they are so slippery-their slime is as thick as egg whites. I have never seen one even open its mouth, and there is no danger what so ever of it cutting you :rolleyes:
oh yeah, if you're going to use an eel, just put them on ice. No water or anything, just ice. They will live for about a day on ice alone. They will be lethargic enough to handle but when you put them in the warm water they'll come back to life and commence to tangling up your lines. There are several ways to handle them. I've heard of keeping a small bag of sand in the boat. Just wet your hand a little and cover it with sand. Then grab the eel. I prefer to put them on ice and use a towel though. Much easier.
theres a bait shop in saint paul that has eels and most the folks that fish that section of the cape fear use them but i prefer small bream or cut bream. i usually have good luck with the bream and i keep a worm bed so catching the bream is cheap and easy bait.
always hook your eel through the tail. that will solve the problem of the eel wrapping himself up around your line.
Also cut the eels into big chunks for those big blue cats!! :D
Gander Mountain In Fayetteville Nc Has Them!!!
got 10 dozen eels in the bait shop i run .......stripers are on their way
re-read...I mentioned panfish,bluegill sunfish bla bla bla as number #2 choice
I have caught Ops on dead shad. I am sure live eels will work, live perch, always tail baited. If you are fishing for Ops then mudcats is the number one bait to use. Big blues, I would say fresh shad.