Fishing Information

Cincinnati Catfishing Bait


Some of the baits I have used for used for CATFISHing here on the Ohio River are, chicken liver, minnows, shrimp, Spam, French Fries and more.

Fresh chicken liver works better than frozen liver that has thawed out. It does get bites however, cats peck at it so by the time you pick up the rod they have cleaned the bait off the hook. My experience is the fish swallows the bait more often than getting hooked. The biggest drawback is keeping the bait on the hook when casting from the bank. Trying to get a long cast with chicken liver is very difficult. It seems like half the time the liver will just fly off the hook with any forceful cast. This is no problem if you are fishing from a boat, just flip it out and feed it line so the current can take it away from the boat for you.

Spam does get bites but is even harder to cast from the bank. three out of four cast can see the bait go flying in the air before the line hits the water.

Shrimp works well for it does have a scent to it and stays on the hook when casting from the bank. You normally have to get the shrimp when it is on sale and freeze it. Then get it out the night before you fish to let it thaw out.

Minnows are good for there are so many fish that will feed on them beside catfish. So even if the cats are not biting you could get a perch, largemouth bass, stripper or a white bass.

Yes! I did say French Fries as bait! I have caught channel cats up river and right in the downtown Cincinnati area on FRENCH FRIES. I did read posting from a guy that caught a large Flathead on fries by one of the restaurants on the river in Newport Ky. Any fast food place that sells fries works. If possible pick some up when heading to your spot so they are on the warm side. That allows the grease to get into the water to make a scent trail easier.

I had great success in February 2004 using chunks of steak for bait. I caught 8 bluecats with it, largest being 13 pounds. It did not matter if it was raw or grilled with seasoning. So if you have some scrapes left over from a cookout just put it in a small freezer bag. If you have a friend that works in a restaurant that has steak, ask them to make up doggie bag of scraps for you. It stays on the hook very well when casting and the fish have a hard time just pecking it off the hook. All of those eight fish were hooked, none swallowed it. So I was able to released them to grow bigger for the next season.

This past summer I was able to use a casting net to get some gizzard and thinfin shad for bait. These fish die very quickly. So I just cut them up for bait. Skipjack is a great bait if you can get them. Around Cincinnati they can be caught on a rod and reel in the Fall. Other than that the only place I know for skipjack year round is the power plant at Aberdeen Ohio. I have some frozen cut skipjack from last Fall to start off this season.

July 19 2003 I caught two Channel Cats around 2 1/2 lbs. using the skin from fried chicken. It says on the hook for casting O.K. Had 3 other bites but they stripped off the bait. I'm not sure if large cats bite on it. Just started using it today. So when your family is done eating their chicken dinner put the scraps of skin in a small zip lock bag in the freezer till you go fishing.

ALso learnd in July 2003 from another Catfisherman about Chicken nuggets for bait. He had been telling me about it a couple time this summer. The other week I saw him actually catch a 5 lb. channel cat out of the river using chicken nuggets. He turn to me and said that was the smallest one of the day. He had landed 5 other cats earlier that morning and released them. HE had stopped at McDonalds and picked up a 6 nugget serving that morning. He said he has used other companies nuggets in the past.

I hope you get a chance to try out some of these baits this season. Tight lines and plenty of action to all!

Norb Wormald

About The Author

I have fished for Catfish on the Ohio aound the Downtown area of Cincinnati for 40 years. I also enjoy trying my hand at golf. Since retiring have made up 2 main web sites.

Please visit my web sites: nlcatfish@aol.com webmaster for CINCINNATI CATFISHING www.cincinnaticatfishing.com & SHOP WITHOUT DROPPING www.cincinnaticatfishing.com/Shop1.html

--

You have permission to publish this article in it's entirety either, electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be greatly appreciated! Thank You.

nlcatfish@aol.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Wilkes Barre Times-Leader

Ice-fishing festival gets assist from cold weather | Outdoors
The Seattle Times
With a deep freeze settling into areas east of the Cascades, anglers are breaking through the ice to catch fish. By Mark Yuasa No comments have been posted to this article. With a deep freeze settling into areas east of the Cascades, ...
Mild weather not as nice as iceWilkes Barre Times-Leader

all 2 news articles »


Bellingham Herald

OUTDOORS: Lower Columbia fishing set, halibut hold line
Bellingham Herald
Early 2012 salmon, steelhead and sturgeon fishing seasons are now set for the lower Columbia River, giving anglers some hard information on which to plan trips. Expectations rate as good for the lower Columbia's early returning chinook fishery this ...
Biologists predicting strong run of Columbia spring chinook this yearTheNewsTribune.com
Outdoors Digest: Tuesday's ODFW meeting will explain public proposalsCoos Bay World

all 8 news articles »


Minister Ashfield Announces a 2011 National Recreational Fisheries Award ...
MarketWatch (press release)
GRANBY, QUEBEC, Feb 04, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- The Honourable Keith Ashfield, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Gateway, today announced that Claude Bernard is a winner of a 2011 National Recreational ...

and more »


For-profit fishing limited on reefs off Georgetown
MyrtleBeachOnline.com
Commercial spear fishing was stripping clean artificial reefs that were meant for recreational fishing, anglers claimed. Two years later, after The Post and Courier's 2009 report of the alleged abuses, a federal law has been put on the books to ...
For-profit fishing limited on reefsCharleston Post Courier

all 2 news articles »


Fishing the rivers will be different in 2012 than last year
The Times of Trenton - NJ.com
One of the most important of these facts is that fish, no matter where they live, being creatures of habit and their environment, thrive on stability. A stable environment causes fish to fall into patterns when it comes to movements and feeding, ...



Craftsmen have a passion for bamboo fishing rods
Duluth News Tribune
He's fishing a bamboo rod again. But he didn't buy it. Bamboo rods are prohibitively expensive for most anglers, running from $800 to $3000 or more. So, in his retirement, Johnson learned to make bamboo rods. He buys bamboo from the south of China.

and more »


Feb. 2 fishing report
The Tennessean
There's still too much generation at the dam to allow for decent fishing. • Center Hill. Lots of smallmouth bass are being caught on swim baits and jigs. Try the creeks. • Cheatham. Striper are being caught below the dam. Crappie bite is good in main ...
Fishing reportsPryor Daily Times
Fishing Report 2-6-12Log Cabin Democrat
Outdoor notebookMuskogee Daily Phoenix

all 5 news articles »


Federal wildlife officials offer ice fishing day in Mississippi River refuge
The Republic
Federal wildlife officials are planning a free ice fishing day for kids on the Upper Mississippi National Wildlife and Fish Refuge. Children between the ages of 6 and 13 will be allowed to fish for free at a Mississippi River boat landing in Winona, ...

and more »


Fly Fishing Film Tour hits Seattle on Feb. 4
Highline Times
Fly fishing's most celebrated annual event, the Fly Fishing Film Tour (F3T), the original and largest event of its kind begins its continent-wide trek January 26th. The Traveling spectacle serves as a stage for the best filmmakers in the industry, ...
A fish tale, in honor of tonight's fly-fishing photo show, Surface Film IIWestword (blog)

all 3 news articles »


Today's THV

Rescue team searching for humpback whale caught in fishing line off Hawaii
Washington Post
HONOLULU — A humpback whale rescue team is looking for a whale off Hawaii that is caught in fishing lines. Jeff Walters, the marine mammal branch chief at the National Marine Fisheries Service, said Friday the gear could kill the whale.
Whale Caught Head-to-Tail in Fishing Nets off MauiABC News

all 302 news articles »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006