catfishing

[idahoron]

I am a newby to cat fishing my self. I never caught a Channel cat before this year. I have landed a lot of cats in the last couple of months, and I am still learning. When I make cut bait I take the trout and gut it and cut the head off. I cross section the fish all the way to the anus. The tail is one piece of bait. Then the other pieces I split them down the back bone so i have several pieces that are about 2" X 2" or so. Then I use a 2/0 octopus hook. I run the hook through the belly end of the chunk of fish. The only weight I use is the swivel. I drag this way in my float tub real slow, Tube dude style. The other pieces of the bait fish I leave on my apron to dry a bit and they start to get a little nasty. I have had good luck with this.
I like to use bait that is fresh that day. If you put a trout in the freezer it will turn to mush real fast when it thaws out.
Hatchery trout have a lot of oil in them and the are fishy smelling, and get more so as the oil starts to leak out of them. Ron
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