I just got back from Texas to visit some relatives, and while fishing for catfish at the local lake the wind was killing me. so, i decided to try a small jig below a bobber. after about 30 seconds after my cast hit the water i hooked a small 8 to 9" channel cat. I continued to catch 7 in a row all small with the largest barely over 12". Has anyone else caught catfish on lures consistently? If i could catch catfish in my pond with lures that would be awesome. Do you think if the cats forage were limited to only fatheads or other minnows etc. they would respond to lures better?
thanks for your opinions.

Jighead – if your catfish are on a feeding program they are easily caught on “pellet” flies.
PH (pantyhose) flies are excellent as well as “pom-pom” flies, which is a craft store item, on a hook.

This has been our most successful method of removing excessive big cats from our pond – even better that a trot-line, and a blast on a fly rod.

If you are interested in the PH fly I’ll email recipe and instructions.

George Glazener

George,
I think a lot of us would like the recipe for the PH fly if you don't mind I would suggest posting it. Thanks. Gary

I have on occasion caught catfish on a spinnerbait and on smaller Beetle Spins. Not consistently, though.

I caught a 8 pound albino earlier this year on a small rattle trap.

Bob

Pondrookie, folloowing is recipe for:

PantyHose Fly

Materials List:
Hook - Mustad Drop Shot #4 – 6, or equivalent short shank, wide gape hook
Brown craft store foam or other closed-cell foam.
Home made foam punch made from thin wall brass or section of broken graphite rod - (Rotate end with coarse sandpaper to sharpen)
Unmentionable discarded nylon material.
Fly tying thread w/bobbin, scissors and super glue.

Instructions:
“Punch-out” foam discs to desired diameter and thickness.
Enclose foam tightly in ph material – whip finish “bundle” and tie off, leaving knot intact.
Thread hook on foam pellet – super glue – when dry, trim excess.

This is my most productive pellet fly for HSB, BG and CC, but at times the Pom-Pom, being a sinking fly, is the most productive.

I’ll email pictures.
George Glazener

N.E. Texas 2 acre and ¼ acre ponds

Pellet fed channel cats in my pond readily
hits spinners, spoons, plastic worms, etc.
As a kid, I caught many catfish on a Little Cleo
silver spoon. Funny thing though, I rarely fish
but, I went to the catfish pond last week and threw a white H@H spinner without the hook. Got
hits on almost every cast. Put the hook on and caught 3 on 6 casts. Tried it again the next day
and could not get a strike. That evening, the fish would hardly feed on the pellets. It took
a week for them to feed like normal. Maybe, there
was some kind of mass communication that
something was amiss with the lure fishing.

I have occasionally caught cats on spinnerbaits and crank baits while fishing for bass. I think that it is a common belief that cats only feed on the bottom, but they will feed through out the entire water column. These fish are predators that will take advantage of any easy meal including a slowly presented lure.

I checked my records and last year and so far this year I have caught 22 CC on lures - mostly small in-line spinners, but a few on crankbaits (Fat A, Shallow Shad-Rap). I caught about 3 times that many on worms or prepared baits, but I baitfish more than I use lures.

The cats were fed 6-7 days a week last year, 3-4 days a week this year. Most of the forage in the pond is GShiners which are mostly much bigger than the lures I catch CC on. I don't know whether changing forage fish size would affect the CC hitting lures or not.

CC will bite lures but BC will hit lures like bass will and even jump out of the water...

IF a pond wasn't pellet fed and the only available food was fathead minnows and bluegills, do you think a catfish would hit lures more often and aggresively?

Thats probebly true. My brother caught a 10 lb CC on a plastic wrom BOY when he was fighting him he thought he had a wall hanger for sure!! until it jumped out of the water....But what a FIGHT!!!

Your right Jighead, catching cats on lures in pond really ROCKS!!! I can tell you from experiance...

For sure. Bass if pellet fed from fry will not predate normally as adults and can cause balance problems in a ratio stocked pond. Pellet feeding from a young age will cause all fish to behave to an extent abnormally.