Some of the baits I used for COM, here on the Ohio River, are chicken liver, minnows, shrimps, spam, frieze, and more.
Fresh chicken liver works better than frozen liver, which thaws. However, he has bites, cats peck him, so by the time you pick up the rod, they have cleared the bait. My experience is that the fish more often swallows the bait than it engages. The biggest drawback - to keep the bait on the hook when throwing from the bank. Attempting to get a long cast with chicken liver is very difficult. It seems half the time when the liver just flies off the hook with any bounce. This is not a problem if you are fishing on a boat, just flip it over and feed it so that the stream can take away your boat.
Spam gets bites, but it is even more difficult to throw out of the bank. Three of the four cast can see the lure fly through the air before the line hits the water.
The shrimp works well because it has a smell, and it puts on a hook when throwing it from the bank. Usually you should get shrimp when it is sold, and freeze it. Then pull it out the night before you catch the fish so that it thaws.
Minobrats are good, as the fish feed so much around the catfish. Therefore, even if the cats do not bite, you can get a perch, bass player, stripper or white bass.
Yes! I said that the French frieze is like a bait! I have canal cable cars upriver and right in downtown Cincinnati on the FRENCH FRIES. I read a message from a guy who caught a big flathead on potatoes in a restaurant on the river in Newport Key. Any fast food place where fries are sold works. If possible, pick up a bit when heading to your place so that they are on the warm side. This allows the lubricant to penetrate the water to facilitate the movement of the smell.
I had great success in February 2004, using chunks of steak for bait. I caught 8 bluecats with him, the biggest is 13 pounds. It didn't matter whether it was raw or grilled seasoning. Therefore, if you have some scratches left over after cooking, just put them in a small freezer bag. If you have a friend who works in a steak restaurant, ask them to prepare a bag for dogs for you. It keeps on a great hook when casting and fish have a hard time just pecking it off the hook. All these eight fish were caught, and no one swallowed it. Therefore, I was able to let them go so that they became bigger next season.
Last summer, I was able to use a casting mesh to get gum and a thin hat for bait. These fish die very quickly. So I just cut them for bait. Skipjack is a great lure if you can get one. Around Cincinnati they can be cooked on a barbell and wound in a fall. Besides this, the only place I know for skipjack all year round is the Aberdeen Ohio power station. I have a few frozen skipdzhak since last fall to start this season.
On July 19, 2003, I caught two rope cats about 2 1/2 pounds. using the skin of fried chicken. He says that there are 3 other bites on the casting hook, but they have deprived the bait. I'm not sure that big cats bite on him. Just started using it today. So when your family prepares to eat, their chicken dinner put scraps of skin in a small zipper lock bag in the freezer until you go fishing.
Also learned in July 2003 from another Catfisherman about chicken nuggets for bait. This summer he told me about it. Another week I saw that he really caught a 5-pound cat from a river using chicken nuggets. He turned to me and said it was the smallest day. He planted 5 more cats in the morning and released them. He stopped at McDonalds and picked up 6 nuggets that served this morning. He said that in the past he used other nuggets.
I hope you get a chance to try some of these lures this season. Close lines and lots of action for everyone!
Norb Wormald
