There’s a lot that goes into being successful catching blue catfish.
The right bait, the right presentation in the right area at the right time and then the magic happens.
The foundation of that success is having the right catfish bait. For most catfish anglers targeting blue catfish the best bait is going to be fresh shad or skipjack herring.
Sure, there’s other baits that work and there may be better options during certain times of the year but as a general rule shad or skipjack herring are going to be the first choice.
I’m of the opinion that learning to locate and catch shad are essential to being a successful catfish angler.
I also believe that learning how to pattern and find shad can do more for you to learn to pattern blue catfish than just about anything else you can learn.
Find the bait, you find the fish.
I’ve covered a ton of information on shad in the past and even wrote a book on how to catch shad but still get lots of questions.
It’s something I hadn’t touched on in a while so I filmed a quick video clip with a tip to help you with catching shad at night. It’s one of the most basic tips there is on locating and catching shad there is but it’s also something a lot of people don’t know.
Check out this video on catching shad at night (and watch me catch a bonus carp in my cast net also).
For more in depth information on locating and catching shad check out the How To Catch Shad book here.
Here’s The Video
For even more resources on locating and catching shad check out the links below:
I am looking for a rod holder that I can attach to my boat cleat
Barry, I know there’s a couple of options out there but can’t remember the name off the top of my head.
I bought your e-book a few weeks ago on Splat fishing. I did not see anything about Splat fishing in the rain. I fish on Lake Lavon, and the fish are on the trees for only 45 minutes of first light. I would like to try them this week in the AM on a light rain. What is your opinion on this?
Never done it in the rain but I’d be shocked if the fish were only there for 45 minutes. I’ve been fishing this technique for a long time and have never experienced that.
I caught a blue cat one time last summer first and only in my life on a basic crawler in a backland,should have took a pic!!!Missisippi river at that…In Iowa
Cool, Thanks