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I have about a 2 acre pond with BG, LMB and CC. I do use an automatic feeder that feeds 2x a day. I have spent a lot of time, effort and $ on the CC, which is my favorite to catch. I see a quite a few CC coming to the feeder most of the time. The CC I see look to average between 2 and 3 lb. My problem is that I cannot catch a CC on a rod/reel. I have used stink bait, worms, liver, cut bait, and anything else I think of. It has become a significant disappointment to the point that I have difficulty getting my own family to come to the camp (next to the pond) because of the lack of fishing success. We typically have 2 poles in the water 24 hr/day on weekends and have probably averaged a catch of 1 per month or so at best. My wife, kids and grand kids love to fish but they only have so much patience.
I would very much appreciate any guidance that would help improve the probability of catching CC. Large BG share the feed with the cats and there are lots of them.

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2-4" BG under a bobber.

It will help if you will catch small BG near the bank (I like a 1/64 oz jig hook tipped with GulpAlive bait), cut off their tail with scissors, and feed to the CC regularly. Get them used to an easy BG snack. Also a very good way to get rid of unwanted GSF up to 6" size.

Do not catch and release CC. They get hook smart quick.

This is why I like BG fishing. I have no patience. My wife on the other hand, likes CC fishing because she can set and knit while waiting. It is no secret she actually likes to knit more than fish, but the two go together pretty good if it is CC fishing.

Last edited by snrub; 09/08/18 02:19 PM.

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Are BG the only significant forage in the pond? If so....match the hatch, bud.

Get yourself a cloverleaf trap, bait it up with cheap dog food, set it out and check it every 30 minutes or so. Then cull out some 2" gills and rig them on a circle hook under a float or on the bottom. Some say to clip the fins so they swim more erratically, drawing attention to themselves.

If that don't work, I don't know what will.


.10 surface acre pond, 10.5 foot deep. SW LA. The epitome of a mutt pond. BG, LMB, GSF, RES, BH, Warmouth, Longear Sunfish, Gambusia,Mud Minnows, Crappie, and now shiners!!...I subscribe!!
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Mike has good advice.

If you have small kids, let them catch the bait. The trick is small hooks and small bait. We had a family reunion with lots of kids that never fished. I rigged up cane poles to keep it simple. Used 1/64 or 1/32 oz jigs and give the kids a small container with Gulp Alive waxies or maggots. They pulled in BG faster than adults could take them off the hooks. One girl had brought her own rod and was not catching anything. She had a big hook on and great big worm. She got to bait the hook a lot. I put a small jig hook on for her and she went to catching fish. The Gulp baits are tiny and stay on the hook. No constant re-baiting like with worms (the Gulp Crappie bites are soft - work well but have to re-bait all the time). The jig head hooks rarely hook deep like regular hooks. Most are lip hooked. Have the kids fish a couple feet from shore where the YOY BG hang out and you will have bait in no time and the kids (if they are young kids) will have a ball doing it.

Otherwise a trap works well also. A minnow trap will also work if you enlarge the holes to about 1.5" instead of the standard 1".

Last edited by snrub; 09/08/18 02:33 PM.

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I cut cheap hot dogs into chunks and throw them out very soon your cc will get to the point that they hit them very quickly.once they are trained to this you only have to put on a piece of hot dog no weight and toss it out. I have no problem catching mine over and over again.

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I have heard of chumming the area with soured corn for a few days before fishing. Get the fish used to eating off the bottom in a certain area. Then fish that area. Never tried it myself though.


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Give'm a reason to seek out the familiar smell.. Cut a small bluegill in 2.. CC prefer sick or weak/dead over lively.

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We've had no problem catching CCs on wieners...they don't like Oscar Meyer (I don't either, too salty and weird tasting)...they do seem to like a piece of good German style frankfurter.


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Originally Posted By: Snipe
Give'm a reason to seek out the familiar smell.. Cut a small bluegill in 2.. CC prefer sick or weak/dead over lively.


Wife is the one who mostly fishes for CC in our pond. She has me catch a small GSF or BG near the shore line and uses it. Often cuts it in half. Let the guts hang out. Uses a circle hook. I think sometimes the ones that get hook shy can "feel" a treble hook easier.

Last edited by snrub; 12/06/18 03:34 PM.

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Try the pre-baiting suggestions. Various types of chums can work. Get the cats feeding then fish the area with items used as bait/chum items. Try smaller hooks, even circle hooks and minimal weight. Note - Cats when hooked do release a fright hormone or some chemical that often discourages other cats from biting; so often you cannot catch a lot of them at one time. In larger ponds, try pre-baiting and fishing several different areas. If the cats aggressively feed on the pellets try some Stubby Steve baits.
http://stubbysteve.com/

Last edited by Bill Cody; 12/09/18 08:46 PM.

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That's a good idea.. I have taken 3" tube bodies and shoved pellets in them, then superglue the open end mostly shut and just run a hook through the rubber. I've also found pantyhose works (don't lie to me and say you other guys haven't cut up a pair)by cutting a 2.5" circle, putting some pellets in that and tying the little gift basket together with braided line. I also prefer to use a slip sinker and fish on a slightly slack line but no more weight than absolutely needed to cast or get it down.

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Originally Posted By: Bill Cody
Try the pre-baiting suggestions. Various types of chums can work. Get the cats feeding then fish the area with items used as bait. Try smaller hooks, even circle hooks and minimal weight. Note - Cats when hooked do release a fright hormone or some chemical that often discourages other cats from biting so often you cannot catch a lot of them at one time. Try pre-baiting and fishing several different areas. If the cats aggressively feed on the pellets try some Stubby Steve baits.
http://stubbysteve.com/


Bill I had an interesting observation in line with what you are talking about. For a couple months this summer I would catch or trap small GSF out of my forage pond, take them over to my main pond, cut the tail off clear into the meat so the fish would be mortally damaged, then feed them off the dock to waiting fish. LMB was my primary target but the CC soon learned the game and the LMB would only get two or three out of maybe 20 and the CC would get the rest. Had a lot of large and medium CC coming to the dock every time I set foot on it.

Fast forward and we were wanting to remove some of the largest CC. Wife throws half a GSF over the edge of the dock on a circle hook and BAM!, not quite 6# CC. For the next ten days could hardly get a CC near that area. Couple of weeks later we caught some more in the area but they sure caught on quick that the free meals had strings attached. laugh


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I use 1/2 gallon milk jug with 42-48” line and cut or whole small BG and toss out into pond and it floats around till the CC or BC get it. I wonder if that method scares them as bad as fishing near the feeding ground.

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I had good success on cheap hot dog chunks on a #2 circle hook about two feet under a bobber with no sinker. We could only catch 2 to 4 at a session though. The struggle seems to put the remaining ones off their feed.


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