Pond Boss Forums FISH & FISHING Show off your catch Channel Cats not biting

I have a 3-acre aerated pond with channel cat, BG, LMB, black crappie and redear. The original stocking included fathead minnows as well about 2 years ago.

My cats are usually fed daily and are nice and fat, but they will not bite a hook for any reason. This has gone on for several months now and we seldom get a bite. I have set out jugs and trotlines and get nothing.

I would like to clear out as many cats as possible, but would enjoy bringing them in via hook rather than having to resort to some kind of nets.

Should I stop feeding them all together? Last year was the first full winter to have them in the pond and they literally did not bite until the weather got warm, but we are still having 100 degree days and drought here in NW Louisiana. We have also been cursed with continual high presure systems over us all summer.

I have tried live bait and dough bait with very little success.

Yeah, me too. However mine still come when I toss feed.

My all-time favorite CC bait would be strips of flesh cut from a BG. Have you tried suspending your bait below a float, say 6" or so, while you're feeding them?

The possible downside, at least what I've noticed, is they get familiar with this technique pretty quickly.

Huh. Sounds familiar. That's the same problem my neighbor and I have. I have been able to catch them (one per day) by tossing out AquaMax Largemouth Pellets, and getting them conditioned to eating them. Then I throw out one LMB pellet that I've threaded onto a #6 Owner Ocotpus hook, then toss some of the LMB pellets around it. Flurocarbon line too. I can usually catch one per day in the neighbors pond that way. In my pond, I've suspended a 1/2 thick piece of hotdog 6" to 24" under a very small float when feeding AM600. I bury the Octopus hook in the hotdog. When that fails, I keep a trotline in the pond 24/7, running it once a day. There are days where I don't get anything so I just replace the bait that was nibbled off by turtles, crayfish or something else. I've caught CC on a piece of week old hotdog. I've tried hotdogs, all types of catfish bait, shrimp, pieces of cut up BG, etc. Nothing stands out as being heads above the rest, the best luck has been on Oscar Meyer hotdogs cut in 1/2" to 3/4" thick pieces.

I won't stock them in my pond again.

Try here for more suggestions:
http://forums.pondboss.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=131935#Post131935

I am located in south louisiana and have a one acre pond stocked with Coppernose Blue Gill, Flathead Minnows, Channel Cat, Red Ear, and Black Crappie. We have the same issue from time to time with the CC but as much as I hate messing with it, chicken liver will get them to bite everytime. We have used worms, dough bate, beef liver, hot dogs, and whatever else we can find and they bite on it sometimes but most of the time don't touch it. Carefully throw a piece of chicken liver on the bottom and be ready, 9 out of 10 they will take it within a few minutes. Biggest issue for us this summer has been the Blue Gill and Red Ear has not bitten at all. We have not caught one since the spring. The Black Crappie was stocked last December and we have not caught or seen any of them yet either. Hopefully they are still there and growing.

Jgob, weird that you can't find any of your sunfish. What are you throwing at them?

Not any help here other to say I'm having the same problem, I've got a ton of CC which I was planning on thinning out. They catch on to hook while feeding thing real quick. Dunno, my neighbors and I have tried everything, occasionally we'll just catch one by accident on a spinner or something. Earlier in the summer, I had some luck with Shad Sides put that pooped out after several days. Now, I've basically decided to let them stay, maybe they'll control the Gizzard Shad a bit. My CC are averaging 8-10 Lbs

With 8-10 lbs CC, I am sure that you could entice some catfish experts to help you out.

My wife is frustrated because we can never catch ours. We have tons of them that come up at feeding time. Tried everything listed in this thread with minimal success. Juglines with small GSF tend to work best overnight.

This old thread leads to some even older threads. They may help in your quest to tame your catfish. Hookshy Catfish

Good luck,
Ken

Omaha not sure if you wanting to know what i am feeding or fishing for them with so i will tell you both. I am feeding the generic floating catfish feed that my local feed store carries. Looked into the aquamax but they are just a little too proud of it for me in my area. Pond is 1 acre and made 2 years old in June. So far the feed has done good for me. BG & RES averaged around 8" last spring and CC are averaging 5-6lbs this summer. When fishing for the BG we mostly use cricket, worm, or small pieces of rolled up bread under a bobber and adjust depth pierodically. BG are definately still there and spawning due to witnessing them during feeding time occationally and my son catches a few this years spawn along the bank playing with a net. The BC are the only ones in the pond that we have not seen at all since stocking but could be mostly our fault for not really fishing for them as hard as we should. Kind of lose interest in them pretty quick when we know we can be fighting a nice CC. Plan on trying harder for them this fall when water starts to cool down a bit. Couple of friends with ponds have experienced the BG lock jaw with there ponds but not quite as long as mine have so I guess time will tell and hopefully the up coming fall weather change will get them biting again.

I have accedentally caught a bunch of CC on a shallowrunning baby-bass hard bait while trying to catch LMB. If you know where they are, it is amazing how agressive that can be (at least here in Indiana - may be more layed back in Louisiana). You need to get it up close to the weeds though and be careful if your using ultralight tackle.