Catfish

[segsarge]

The trip to the river yesterday wasn't worth the drive. Caught around a half dozen small drum and a gar. The low water level has a lot to do with it I'm sure. Still, Those fish have to be there someplace. The ferry isn't running because of it. It's sitting at the ramp in about three feet of water.
That location has never been a place to catch a lot of catfish. You'll catch a few (normally) but not a lot. Can't get to my favorite spot, down by the old marina. River washed up too many BIG trees and blocked it off during the last flood.
I saw a video for catfish bait using chicken breast and strawberry jello. Sounded odd, but I thought, why not? Stuff won't stay on the hook. Unless I missed something it's a waste. I'm going to stick to nightcrawlers and cut bait. I'm kind of limited, fishing from the bank. But it looks like I'm gonna have to find a new place to fish until the water level comes back up. Any ideas on how to find the fish?

[tickranch]

Sept 14, 2023 7:25:53 GMT -6 segsarge said:

The trip to the river yesterday wasn't worth the drive. Caught around a half dozen small drum and a gar. The low water level has a lot to do with it I'm sure. Still, Those fish have to be there someplace. The ferry isn't running because of it. It's sitting at the ramp in about three feet of water.
That location has never been a place to catch a lot of catfish. You'll catch a few (normally) but not a lot. Can't get to my favorite spot, down by the old marina. River washed up too many BIG trees and blocked it off during the last flood.
I saw a video for catfish bait using chicken breast and strawberry jello. Sounded odd, but I thought, why not? Stuff won't stay on the hook. Unless I missed something it's a waste. I'm going to stick to nightcrawlers and cut bait. I'm kind of limited, fishing from the bank. But it looks like I'm gonna have to find a new place to fish until the water level comes back up. Any ideas on how to find the fish?

I've heard that Dupont spinnerbait works for any species!  Never tried it myself, though.

[segsarge]

Never tried spinnerbaits for catfish. I've heard of people catching them that way though. The chicken and jello might work if fishing from a boat where you could just drop it over the side. Everytime I tried to cast it, the bait came off before it even hit the water.

[bigjohn]

Been the worst year for river fishing for me with lowest river levels in a long time.

[bigbob]

As someone not in the know, WHAT RIVER? Don't understand why you guy's are so afraid to post a location for yourselves?

Saw the same video and have the gal at my VFW Post Bingo kitchen saving chicken breast scraps for me to try.
I have caught more than a few Cats on spinner baits, fished slow and bumping the bottom, like a crawdad I guess.

[bigjohn]

I fish the Mo. river Bob . Lexington to Miami. Never fished the Mississippi or any river east of Mo.

[segsarge]

I should have mentioned, it's the Mississippi at St Genevieve.

[tickranch]

Sept 14, 2023 8:09:36 GMT -6 tickranch said:

Sept 14, 2023 7:25:53 GMT -6 segsarge said:

The trip to the river yesterday wasn't worth the drive. Caught around a half dozen small drum and a gar. The low water level has a lot to do with it I'm sure. Still, Those fish have to be there someplace. The ferry isn't running because of it. It's sitting at the ramp in about three feet of water.
That location has never been a place to catch a lot of catfish. You'll catch a few (normally) but not a lot. Can't get to my favorite spot, down by the old marina. River washed up too many BIG trees and blocked it off during the last flood.
I saw a video for catfish bait using chicken breast and strawberry jello. Sounded odd, but I thought, why not? Stuff won't stay on the hook. Unless I missed something it's a waste. I'm going to stick to nightcrawlers and cut bait. I'm kind of limited, fishing from the bank. But it looks like I'm gonna have to find a new place to fish until the water level comes back up. Any ideas on how to find the fish?

I've heard that Dupont spinnerbait works for any species!  Never tried it myself, though.

[tickranch]

The key word there is DuPont...AKA, dynamite, it was a joke, and highly illegal if you get caught!

[segsarge]

I would think C4 would work as well.

[krank]

A lot of cricks and ponds drying up around here. Kind of a mystery were the fish went. Do you believe the old timers tale that catfish burrow in mud when they know the place is drying up?

[bigjohn]

A bullhead can burrow in the mud and stay alive a short while but I'm sure the coons would limit that lol

[krank]

I have a hard time keeping them alive in bucket...

[bigbob]

In the 'Nam, Beta's, aka: Siamese Fighting Fish burrow in the mud to sleep for like 10 months a year, till monsoon season dumps enough water to bring them back out to breed. The Gook kid's would catch them to sell to the fish market for export. We did our best to keep them out of the mine fields, but they would always go in anyway, then one would hit a mine and get blown up. Guy's would have to go out to pick them up and replace the mines, and hope like hell the maps had the correct positions marked, or they hadn't shifted around. I think of this every time I see those little bowls with a Beta in it at the pet stores.

[krank]

Theres a catfish in south america that get hard as a rock and you throw them in water and watch them rehydrate.
We are supposed to be in for rain today and rest of week.

[segsarge]

It probably will rain. I'm looking at what will most likely be my last fishing trip of the season this week. Got to get started on the new little camper and set tree stands after that.

[krank]

Clowns took the rain out of the forecast. It still could rain. Went to the family lake and it is just about dried up. Its a pool about 30 foot round and a foot deep. There are some nice fish in there and I want them to make it.

[bigbob]

Sept 18, 2023 14:45:41 GMT -6 bigbob said:

In the 'Nam, Beta's, aka: Siamese Fighting Fish burrow in the mud to sleep for like 10 months a year, till monsoon season dumps enough water to bring them back out to breed. The Gook kid's would catch them to sell to the fish market for export. We did our best to keep them out of the mine fields, but they would always go in anyway, then one would hit a mine and get blown up. Guy's would have to go out to pick them up and replace the mines, and hope like hell the maps had the correct positions marked, or they hadn't shifted around. I think of this every time I see those little bowls with a Beta in it at the pet stores.

Anybody ever get caught in a "Walking Catfish" stampede? LOL Something to see, and the Gooks love them, not bad eating either!

[krank]

I think they found some walking catfish in Florida. Biologists don't want them in the USA.