what is the best catfish bait  and weather to fish?
473760
I myself prefere good'ole night crawlers,rabbit guts every now and then!As far as weather goes any calm dark night is good for me,but keep in mind;"I'm a girl"!
616715
Minows are the best bait for lake and river fishing..grasshopers are second best then night crawlers
420092
Actually any cold front will affect the bass fishing, depending on your area it can be a real tough day but if you move out some from where you usually catch the bass, fish deeper and try using something smaller like a 4" senko or a 1/4 oz. spinner bait, or light jig and fish it slowwwwww. Almost don't even more the lure and let a worm just sit down their on occasion move it a twitch and let it sit again. good luck
905918
I would go with a floating Rapala, about three inches long.  You cast it out and it floats until you reel it in.  When you start reeling it dives under water and wiggles like a minnow.  You can also use it as a top water bait by twitching it and letting it sit until the ripples die down and then twitch it again.  This works especially well early in the morning or just before dark.  Good luck.
1134818
I have had the best results with a Rebel Pop-r.  I have caught largemouth on the bone colored pop-r's as well as the brightly colored ones.  At night, I have had good results with a Arbagast Hula popper, as well as a Jitterbug. Both in black.  Heddon also makes a good lure called the Spook, which is retrieved with the "walk the dog" technique. If it is a windy day, with a ripple on the water, try a Heddon Torpedo.  As with all topwater lures, cast the lure near cover, and let it sit, until the ripples dissipate.  Then try different retrieves.  Fast slow and in between.  Let the lure pause every few pops, and usually that is when the bass will strike.  When they hit the lure, wait until you feel the fish pulling on you line, and then set the hook.  I have tried different topwater frogs, and the best in my opinion is the Bronze eye.  Its hooks are better placed and result in 75% more hook up when you get a hit.  I have found that most other topwater frogs have poor results.  The fish will hit them, but the hooks only set properly in 20% of the bass that take the frog. Have fun, and tight lines.
1145367
although most people use live bait,witch works well. I like artificials.When using live bait or artificials I feel flourocarbon leaders are a must.With live baiting using a weight, a long leaders is necessary, at least ten feet.Use a good quality hook that isnt to big for the bait your using.I personally find that the grouper like pinfish a lot. The snappers like pilchards more than pinfish.Low light conditions will also help, dusk or dawn.
1052503
Carp here in MN are running Shallow today. I was just on the Mississippi and caught some NICE ones on crawlers about 10 yards from shore. Fish on the bottom always. Carp that are up high are not activly feeding\n\nLewis, they are the best fighter that the average joe can get from shore.
1170141
Well here in NC, I fish all over, but mainly for bass.... Shearron Harris, Kerr, and Falls of the Neuse River up by the Triad are all great for bass, crappie and blue gill as well as catfish at night.  Catfish abound on the Cape Fear River... even up to 60 lbs.... and you can catch stripped bass as well.  Tillery and Wyllie are great out by Ashboro and Charolotte for large and small mouth bass, crappie, bluegill and brim... and an occasional reddress.  The lakes on Ft Bragg are well stocked for catfish and bass... seven lakes total.  Bluette Falls on the Pee Dee River near Rockingham is well know for blue catfish and some pretty good channels too.  Bass are pretty good on the topside of the dam too... especially if you have a boat. The are plenty of trout in the mountain streams and a bunch of great lakes for fishing.  And my last hotspot....the New River along the Virginia line.... smallmouth heaven.
92972
I am not really familiar with mountain river fishing, but I'll go out on a limb and say that if there isn't a lot of catfish, then maybe the water is too cool where you are fishing.Cats are warm water lovers for the most part (unless you are fishing for blues in the winter) so maybe try a river system that is a little warmer.A writer, who was obviously smarter than me, cause I can't recall his name, said that catfish and trout don't mix, so if you are fishing a trout stream, try fishing farther downstream where the river warms up.
1056583
I think the rule is, If it stays on the hook then its bait.\nBread. cheese  Sweetcorn,  Maggots have all been used to a  great level of success. Depends on what you are hoping to catch as different fish like different things.\nRaid the fridge and try everything you find and then call that your lucky bait .\n\nChris
498915
I don not know of any crappie fish attractant. Here in Texas, after the holidays are over, we take our christmas tree to the lake or pond and submerge them. Also you can bate with dog food or maze, which is good for catfish. Sometimes good fishing year round. Find some deeper water off the edge of a creek or river in the lake or pond. Check with local laws in your area first.
1018539
It depends on what you are fishing for, where you are fishing at, water clarity, water temperature, barometric pressure, and the amount of pressure on the fish.\n\nWorms are always a good general bait.... minnows and brim are usually on most larger fishes diets as well.  Catfish spieces like a good bloody liver, chicken, fish or just about anything.  Walleye and Large mouth bass have very similar diets.....\n\nThere are just alot of variables.... my favorite and best producer is a 7 inch grape curltail worm.... I prefer Berkley or YUM
331625
The bigger bass are not likely to hit a surface lure. They didn't get big by chasing smaller fish around the pond burning their calories. Try something slow and deep. Plastic worms are the choice I would make. Fish them deep, on the bottom of the deepest water you can reach. Fish early and late as their eyes are light-sensitive. And most importantly, stay with it. Be patient. When you're after BIG fish, you don't catch one every five casts.
709366
Wow, I hope I can answer all these. First off I live in central Florida and have fished the Harris Chain of lakes for many years as well as others.\n\nAt this time of year as the water is cooling, it;s best to start slowing down your presentation. Lures to use is a good question and depends on where you're fishing and what type of water you are in, stained, clear etc.. Also depends on the bottom and structure and location ( shoreline, deep water, etc)\n\nI myself prefer shoreline and use top water lures like the 11G - 13 G or S series  Rapalas and of course the old standby plastic worms and colors very depending on water clarity but for the most part it's Red or Moccasin color work best here. You mentioned a steady retrieve, for that try the all around favorite Spinner bait in white or chartreuse\n\nTo have success at Bass fishing the first thing you have to do is know your prey inside and out. Remember the bass is a preditor and lays in ambush for his food, so you have to go to him.\nTo do that you have to go to the bottom for the best fish.\n\nThe Tips I'd give you and it sounds stupid I know but if you want to catch bass remember 1 a bass is a preditor 2 he can't ware sunglasses and has no eye lids, so if your in the sun with no glasses where do you go 3 he hears with his lateral line and has sight that is unparalleled and a mind equal with yours and will challenge the best of fishermen. Remember he is the King of his domain.\n\nFrom a sportsman's view always remember when that big one gets away, don't get mad, it only means he was a better fish than you were a fishermen.
1102326
go buy wire leader.there will be a clip at one end and a barrel swivel at the other.clip your lure on the clip and tie the barrel to the line .use them up north on blues.youll never lose your lure
958341
You'll get 1000 different answers to this question. I stick with 3 baits year round. My #1 is the hank parker classic spinnerbait 3/8 oz chart/white with the colorado/indiana blades,#2 is the electric grape 7" power worm and #3 is the 6" black/blue tail power lizard.These are the only lures i ever take with me and 9 out of 10 times i outfish every other guy on the lake.Good Luck
801937
Tips from those who know:\n\nIt's true that you should troll a little bit faster then you would for walleye but don't go screaming down the lake at 15 miles an hour. You can catch Muskie going fast but not near as many as you would going at a slower speed. \n \n\nPeople do catch Muskie using big 8 inch long crank baits and swim whizzes but you will catch twice as many using a nice 4 or 5 inch floating fire-tiger or orange Rapala. The jointed Rapalas work even better. Fire-tiger is best during the day and the orange is best at night or just before dark. If they are not hitting either, go to a brown or silver color. \n \n\nLike any fishing, the thinner the line, the more fish you catch. Like most fresh water fish, visibility of the fishing line makes a big difference on whether the fish will strike or not. In a lake that does not have very many weeds, you should use 8 pound dark green line. If you are in a weedy area or an area that has sharp rocks or Zebra Muscles, then you might want to go to 10 pound test. If you use 15 or 20 pound test, you will not get near as many hits. \n \n\nSalt and scent - Muskie are very sensitive to human smell as well as other chemicals like gasoline. You should wash you hands with sugar before you handle your lures. Also, you should always use fish scent on the lure. Another trick is salt. Both Muskie and Pike have receptors on the bottom of their jaws which react to positively charged water particles which are created when feeder fish swim through the water. If you want to boost your fish scent, add salt to it. Believe me, it really works. \n \n\nMuskie also are very sensitive to motor sounds so when you are trolling, try to have at least 70 yards of line out. If there are a few people trolling out of the same boat, try to have your lures out the exact same distance to give the appearance of a school of fish. This also helps attract attention. \n \n\nCrank Baits - In early to lake Spring, Walleyes and Bass are is the shallows spawning. This is when a lot of big Muskie come right into shore and feed in 1 to 3 feet of water. Try casting with a spinner-bait or a Rapala towards the shore like you would for Largemouth Bass. \n \n\nIn the last couple of years, we found that while using silver leaders, we were losing fish. Actually, we would have a hit and then the whole lure was gone. What we believe is happening is the Muskie sees the lure and also sees the leader and hits what it thinks is the head of its prey. Thus it's hitting the end of the leader and biting through the line. When we switched to black leaders, the problem disappeared. \n \n\nFor those of you who are experienced Muskie hunters, we have a question for you. Do you ever notice the first Muskie is the hardest to catch. Then after that it seems a little easier. You will notice it in a lake with an extremely high Muskie population. Once we got our first Muskie, we would let the Muskie go but after, rub the lures in the slime that the fish left on our rubber mesh net. It seems to work. Maybe the smell of another Muskie eliminates a fear factor. Not quite sure on this one. \n \nIn conclusion, the best results for Muskie is to use a medium rod and 8 to 10 pound test line dark green line. Use medium size jointed lures with fire-tiger, orange and chartreuse colors. Be very careful to not get any gas on your hands and always use lots of fish scent. Muskie will be found along weed beds, off rocky points, at river mouths or deeper holes that hold good populations of feeder fish. If you have a lot of experience fishing for Muskie, then use your proven techniques. If they don't work, then try some of my suggestions. Just remember, every lake is different with a different food chain, thus techniques should be slightly changed from lake to lake.