How to stop hook shyness. Do they just get over it or what?

You've heard that elephants never forget? Well, the elephants learned that from the Channel Cats. Perhaps time will help, but I'm betting that avoiding the conditions that promote hook shyness is the best bet.

Many of us here advocate not returning a CC once caught. I find mixing up baits will let me take one or two, but they wise up fast. Have you tried cut bait?

Switching up baits does help, I would also suggest after dusk/night fishing. They become braver and seem to prowl more. I seem to catch "smart whiskers" on over night jugs with live baits.

I grew up on the Cape Fear and it has a lot of cats. I have always used bluegill and shrimp. But I think in my catfish only pond they are shy. I have always fished at night for cats. But I only keep 15 inch plus cats. Are they wishing up before hand?

I mean wising up

Have you ever caught one smaller than 15" and released it back into the pond?

I've seen them shy away from a bait in clear water. They hit it with their whiskers and turn away. I have a couple in my pond that were caught once that I know of, tagged, and released. One in 2009, one in 2010. Both have never been caught again......... I've fished with cut bait, live bait, put out limb lines, strung a trotline for weeks straight. They are just too durn smart. Those 2 fish should be over 20# now, as they were 14.8# and 15.95# when caught.

There are no perfect solutions. But the most effective method I've found is to use saltwater surf techniques.

First, I get a batch 4-6 inch lively creek chubs. I'm sure shiners or suckers would work too.

Using a pretty hefty rod/reel, with 15-20# mono line, I tie on a Double Drop Rig. I use two 4/0 hooks and a 4 oz., pyramid weight on the end. I hook a chub on each line with by hooking it just behind the lower lip and protruding through the nostrils. They will live for hours when books this way.

At sundown, the line is cast into a shallow area, maybe 15-20 feet from shore. The rod is placed in a rod holder. Tighten the line, and set the drag to a very light setting. Then just let it be all night.

I don't always get a catfish, but the minnows are always gone in the morning. Sometime one or two heads will still be on the hooks.

The other thing I've found that works periodically is to fish for them after the evening feeding. I feed in 7-9 feet of water. Some of the pellets sink to the bottom. Trails of fine bubbles can be seen coming up, which is from the catfish foraging pellets in the bottom muck.

I'll tie a 2/0 or 4/0 circle hook on the end of the line, and at least a one ounce weight about 18 inches above the hook. I'll bait the hook with two or three night crawlers. The weight is used to quickly get the bait to the bottom. Otherwise the bluegill will strip it clean on its way to the bottom. When I see a bubble trail I'll gently cast the line so that the bait will fall about 2 feet in front of the direction the bubble trail is heading. It doesn't always work, but it is fairly effective.

The main thing is to never throw a catfish back in.

Good luck,
Ken

Same problem here...my small pond has (I'm guessing) 30 or so CC's, all in the 6-12 lb range. What I really want is ALL of them out of there, but they're almost uncatchable.

I'm seriously considering draining it and starting over. I've got all sorts of ideas of what to do with that pond (SMB + YP is the current plan) but all of them would have a serious flaw with that many large alpha predators already stocked.

I caught 2 in a hour last night on small trout from the stream near my house. I will start keeping them all.

It submitted twice sorry.

I fixed it. No big deal!

I do that quite regularly!
Usually I catch it!
Sometimes I don't!

As for small trout ... I would think they too would make great catfish bait. Just the right shape, plus the catfish probably think they are getting a high priced hors d'oeuvre.

Could you trap them? Bait a trap with dead trash fish? I've had some success trapping bullheads, but no experience with CC.

Snrub I was told by some commercial fisherman, when cats are hard locate, they use baited basket traps. It was pretty much a dark 5gal- 30gal bucket that has inward pointing fingers that direct the fish in and make it nearly impossible to get out.

I am going to fly fish for more trout today and keep them in the aquarium until tonight I may have the solution for this pond

Good information that I might need in a few years. Thanks. Now if only I could remember as needed all I learn.

http://www.nicholsnetandtwine.com/product/sct

I am getting one awesome thank u

Should of known esshup would have a picture of a basket trap

I can make one I would think I was taught carpentry as a kid from my grandpa. I am going to try it

Here's a different style:

The way I caught mine was regular feeding of my fish off the deck and the CC would try to hog every one out of the way for their share. Then I would take a 4 foot stiff pipe with a short 50 lb test line tide to it and a large treble hook baited with something, I can't remember what. When a CC came to sallow it I would just lift him out of the water.

Those are neat traps. Kind of on the theory of Chinese finger traps. (well kinda sorta but not really)

Fingers flex and allow a larger fish to enter than can get back out the hole.

I wonder if a person could make a quick and dirty model out of a 30 gallon plastic barrel? Cut one end and fold strips inward in such a way as to produce the fingers like in the pictures?