Catfishing questions

Question
QUESTION: Sir,

I am mostly a self-taught catfisherman, so your advice is valueable. I fish mostly in a farm pond in Southern VA, which had bee stocked at one time. Questions:

What is the best time of year for Catfishing? Air temperature ?

Could you rate 1-best - 4-below average of the following catfish baits (in a 4 acre pond)
a. Minnows
b. Crickets
c. liver/chicken hearts, etc.
d. Commercial stink baits

Best time of day: early a.m. or p.m. after 5:00p.m.?

Best presentation: Suspended  or on the Bottom (slip sinker)?

The pond has Cats as big as 13 - 15lbs, that I know of.

Do you recomment regular octopus hooks or curled s-hooks for pier fishing for Cats?

Any other advice welcomed and appreciated.
ANSWER: Hi Lee; Getting that time of year to begin fishing again.

Now let me see about your questions.  First air temperature has little to do with catfish but may affect catfishermen.
Mostly it is the water temperature that has the most effect although the barometric pressure and amount of light also has an effect.  I began my fishing in small ponds and a small creek near my hometown.  Mostly it was catfishing but mostly for bullheads although a channel cat came along now and then.  A little later I began fishing in larger reservoirs and the Kaskaskia river in Illinois.  At that latitude which isn't too far from yours catfishing usually began in early spring  after ice out and the water began to warm.  It was usually fair to good until the first hard freeze.   So the time of year depends on what your latitude is.  Down here in Sough Georgia near the Florida line catfishing goes on year around although it slows greatly when the water temp gets in the 50s or lower.

Your list is lacking in several important baits.  I would add night crawlers (You should have them in Virginia), crawfish or crawfish tails if they are large.frozen or fresh shrimp, usually the culls of the shrimpers. They don't throw away the torn or otherwise damaged shrimp they freeze them and sell them as bait.  The package usually says not for human consumption.  Of course eating shrimp would work but I would rather eat them than fish with them.
In Virginia you might be able to buy culled clams or oysters just like the culled shrimp.

For catfish in general (with the exception of the flathead) which is unlikely to be in your pond) I rate worms as one of the best baits. A big gob of nightcrawler hooked several times with both ends left to wiggle is hard to beat for cats.  Second I would place crawfish or shrimp. Cut up liver or chicken livers or hearts often works well.  Unless the fish are mostly channel cats I wouldn't bother with live minnows although if your pond has bass or crappie you might increase your overall catch with live minnows. Commercial stink baits are sometimes good but I have always preferred simply using some cheese that has been in the fridge too long balled up with a little cotton to help keep it on the hook.  Of course when using this or commercial bait use a small treble hook with a spring like thing on the shank made for the purpose of moulding your cheese bait on it to keep it  on the hook.

Time of day depends on the amount of sunlight hits the water.  On an overcast day I have seen catfish bite all day long.  In deeper water I have seen them bite even when the sun was high.  In shallow water when the sun hits the water the fishing is often over until the sun reaches the treetops again.  I like to fish for catfish at night if the bugs are not too bad.  I like a dark night with no moon and when you use a flashlight keep it off the water.

Except in riverfishing for catfish (Channels and bluecats) I use a slip sinker or better yet no sinker at all if the water is relatively shallow and with no current.  If you are using a casting outfit you may need the weight to cast far enough but use as light a sinker ( even a slip sinker) as possible.

I have never used them but I believe the new "circle" hooks are superior  for catfish, especially if you intend releasing them because these fish tend to try to swallow the bait whole. If a regular hook is used it is likely the fish will be hooked deep in his gullet and often this is deadly to the fish even if the line is cut and the hook left in.  The circle hooks do not require a hard hookset and almost always hook in the front of the mouth.  This is the tough part and also is the lowest area for pain if fish feel pain.  I'm sure there is some discomfort if hooked deep in the throat but little or none in the front of the mouth.  So use circle hooks and tell PETA to kiss off.

One thing that might help your fishing if your pond freezes in the winter.  place some old pieces of clay pipe about a foot long  and 5-6 inches in diameter in several places on the ice that are reachable by a comfortable cast from your pier or shoreline spots.  Catfish love things like this to hide in and spawn in.  When the ice melts the pipes will sink and will do no harm to the pond.  Of course, if the pond belongs to someone else ask if this is ok before doing it.

Another thing you can do to help fishing in a small pond is to sink some burlap bags of green corn (the kind you would eat but use the ones that are not good enough to eat.)  You will have to anchor these bags so put a couple of bricks in with the corn.   Check with your state laws first before doing this.  It is likely that if this is a private pond the state will not have any law forbidding it.  Public waters may have prohibitions.
The important thing is to mark on the shore so you can find those places where you sunk the tiles or the bags of corn. If you make the markings too obvious everybody will be fishing them but if you don't mark them carefully you will, and I promise you that you will, forget exactly where they are.  I did this with two boatloads of rocks I dumped into a spot in the lake here.  I have never been able to find those  rocks for sure.  I know about where they are but that really doesn't help a lot if the fish are holding close to the rocks and you are fishing five feet away.

If the pond belongs to somebody who allows you to fish the pond always remember to leave the place at least as clean or cleaner than you found it.  Offer the owner some fish now and then and never never bring someone else to fish without asking permission.

The best time to go fishing is when you get the chance to go fishing.   Whether the fish bite or not is not the whole story of fishing.  Sometimes just sitting on the bank and looking at the things around you, the clouds going across the sky, birds trying to catch fish for their meal, a turtle swimming in the  pond or a water snake going through the weeds.  All of this is an important part of fishing.  Catching a fish now and then is the icing on the cake.

I hope this has been of some help.  It has been a long time since I sat on the creek bank waiting for whiskers to bite.  I  often went fishing with my dad as a kid and when he retired and moved down here in the south we spent a lot of time fishing together.  I lost dad almost 20 years ago but I will never lose the memory of those fishing trips from the time I was six years old until I was in my mid 50s.  I still miss him too.

Thank you for calling on me to answer your question.  I hope it has been of some use.  If you have other questions that I might be able to help with do not hesitate to call on me further

I am

Jack L. Gaither  (JackfromSeminole)

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Sir,
Thank you for your kind and helpful response. I will use it. You didn't comment on crickets - which I have found to work great on catfish. You are a fine writer. Your comments on pond etiquette mirror my own. I also appreciated your comments on your Dad. My Dad did not fish - but he admired my enthusiasm, and encouraged me. Thank you, again, Lee  

Answer
Lee, thank you for the kind words.  I always hope that what I write will be helpful to those asking the questions.

Yes I did fail to mention crickets.  I expect that is partially oversight and partially because I seldom used crickets for catfish bait because where I lived at the time I was fishing mostly for catfish crickets were not readily available at baitshops.  In fact baitshops were not too readily available in a small town in Illinois back in th 1940s,'50s and 60s. I have fished for catfish since then but not as much.  I now have other choices.  Actually I miss sitting on the bank and waiting for catfish to bite. That is a great memory for me.  I ought to do it more now.
I have caught catfish on crickets here while fishing for brim (bluegills) here in Georgia and in Florida but have never used them especially for catfish.  I am certain that they would be a fine bait in the right circumstances.

Thank you for the follow up and if I can be of further help please call on me again.

Jack L. Gaither  (JackfromSeminole)