Keeping bait and fish alive (4.5 lb channel example)

tips on keep bait and catfish alive - plus catawba worm storage in corn meal

Flathead and Channel

Short video of channel n cat from today - see other video for info on the 4.5 lb channel

Catalpa - Catawba worms for catfish

catalpa - catawba worm for catfish 101 - from my arkieprince youtube. Every thing you ever wanted to know about using catawba / catalpa worms for catching catfish

Another catawba / catalpa worm catfish

Baited 3 yoyo's last night with catalpa worms and got a 5lb channel catfish. Baited about dark (9:15PM) - and when I looked out 30 minutes later I couldn't see one of my yoyo's - but I just figured it was the angle / view from where I was standking on my upper deck. (usually when I have a fish - the yoyo is going all over the place.

Well about 45 minutes later (10:30PM) I went to check bait and then I saw that the yoyo had been pulled behind one of the post on my pier i.e. the fish must have been on the yoyo when I looked 30 minutes after baiting.

catalpa (catawba) worm 3 lb catfish (5 lb addendum)

Skipped one night but got another catfish last night on catawba worm - see video for catawba (catalpa) worm tutorial and the 3 lb catfish from last night (you have to watch long winded video of worms before you see the catfish)

BTW: This 3 lb was a blue



addendum: I bait yoyo's around dark (9- 9:15PM) - then check them at 10:30 - well I just got another fish - this time it's a 5 lb channel In fact - when I looked out around 9:45PM I couldn't see one of my yoyo's - turns out the reason was because the catfish ran under the pier with it - so it was on there within 30 minutes after I baited ( may make another video tomorrow - or may just clean this one - since I gave the 3 lb away this afternoon :(

catalpa worms

The good news is catawba (catalpa) worms are still catching fish (2 last night) BUT they are getting smaller

My yoyo's on fishing pier were all tripped this AM so I put them back in the water while I went to trotline (where I got a small channel) - then when I came back I had a couple of missing baits on the 4 yoyo's and the bait thief on one yoyo - now I suspect my biggest bait thief was a polywog (yellow bullhead - mud cat) - cause that was my other catalpa worm catch of the day :(

2AM stink

Note to self: When you wake up at 2:15AM - do NOT go out on upper deck and look at the full moon - you might see a yoyo flashing in the moon light

Note 2 to self: Go back to bed - another 1 lb channel isn't worth the fish smell not to mention the fact you'll have to keep your stinky fingers away from your nose when you try to go back to sleep (yes I tried to wash off the smell - duh)

Note 3 to self: Catch more catawba worms tomorrow afternoon - you may need them at 2AM pee break to rebait e.g. the channel was taken on catawba (again). Sure would have been better to handle a catawba when replacing all 4 baits (dang turtles) than the stinky magic bait cubes - especially since you'll have the smelly fingers all night (well the rest of the night)

On more note - don't look outside again until daylight and/or after breakfast


At least I know I'm not catching the same 1 lb fish over and over - I have three in my fish pen as I sit him with my head falling toward the keyboard - which now has a funny smell - sorta like chicken blood and cheese flavored magic bait cubes. I still like chicken liver n chicken blood flavor but Redneck Wally World around here keeps running out.

P.S. Stinky fingers at night ......... .......... (oops I can't say that here - might make site x-rated

Double catch night

Got two small cats last night - on the yoyo's on my fishing pier. First one was after I checked bait at 10:30PM - then at 11PM I used light from my upper deck (and the moon) to see a yoyo flashing / moving very wildly - but sad to say - Only a 1lb channel (taken on magic bait)

Then when I woke up and looked out at 4AM - another yoyo was flashing in the full moon - another 1 lb channel.

BTW: this was first catalpa worm catch of the year. Yesterday I FINALLY found a few worms - after checking about 10 trees for past couple weeks. This is a terrible year for catawba worms - usually we have them in May or at least by the first of June - but this year they are a no show. Sure hope they show up 'in force' - cause the 1st catalpa worm season is usually over by July (Some years we have 2 or even 3 crops that last until end of August / first of September.

P.S. hoping my best friend goes on a catawba worm treasure hunt with her family (like they did last year - hint hint )

Still catching little cats

Yesterday I let another 1 lb catfish go back to grow up - also had a bass of about 1 lb - so I helped bass fishermen out by letting it go also :)

Google Earth / Map shot

View Larger Map

For some reason the actual google earth view will not show in the blog - but if you click the "View Larger Map" link - then you'll see the view from my lake (okay Lake Conway - but I still think it's MY LAKE)

Dead Duck

Several weeks ago a pair of ducks kept showing up around my brush pile so I suspected that she had a nest on the big log with brush / weeds growing out of the top of it.

Then one day she showed up - acting sick - and died later that day. The mallard kept coming / calling / looking for her

Then today I was working on my brush pile - covering up open spots on the logs so the turtles don't have a place to sit :) - and I found the empty nest with two eggs still left inside

Guess what else I found in the nest - a big ole snake and he didn't want to move until I tried to hit him with a boat paddle - I didn't have my pellet guy - dang it (OOPS I forgot it's not legal to kill the snakes around here - so if I had my pellet gun I would not have shot the poor little snake (I'm so honest and never lie - unless it relates to snakes or other varmint :)

I dumped the rotten eggs in the lake just to keep the snake from eating the two remaining eggs - in hindsight I should have left the eggs and went back later with my pellet gun - but the game warden knows I wouldn't harm a poor snake and that the dead ones that show up around here must have died of old age (or they choked on bream that were on my yoyo's - or perhaps a couple ran head first into a pellet e.g. somehow got a pellet between their eyes (strange how they do that sometimes when they (or nobody else) is looking :)

Dang little catfish (bitch bitch bitch)

Yep - seems like I keep finding things to bitch about - even when I'm catching fish. I've gotten greedy and don't like to catch small catfish (I have hard time finding someone to give them to - so most get set free i.e. they get a free meal then go free)

I've gotten 4-5 small catfish in last week or so. I was just calling them less than 1 lb and letting them go - until a few days ago - I started checking the weight and last two were 1 lb 5oz and 1 lb 2oz

If I had kept all of them and then cleaned them (yeah right - that'll be the day) - I'd have a mess for the past week (despite wind keeping me off the lake)

Oh well I need something to bitch about - after all I was once called the blonde headed bitch (see about me page on my sites :)

Dang all the catfish I get lately are small ones - bitch bitch bitch

Dang Bass

Been too windy for bass fishermen - so bass have taken over my brush pile again :( They eat all the golden shinners I try to get in my castt net - for trotline bait. Yesterday I got about 3 shinners and several small bream in my net - and on one throw I got another bass (second time this happened) I've even stopped using as much (presoaked dog food) chum for shinners - cause turtles also eat my chum and bass eat my shinners :(

Damn Wind

Lake wind warning - no fishing for 3 days :( :(

bait fishing

Fished for live bream and cut bait (big bream) - to bait the trotline first time in days. Ran out of bait on last hook so put on magic bait - yep this was the only fish (1 lb 4 oz) - usually don't report all the smaller fish but just had to show that I catch fish on regular basis - that don't get reported (lazy)

Bass fishermen

At least 6 bass have been taken from my brush pile in the last week (probably more - but these are ones I or my neighbors saw)

The video only shows a small one - the larger ones were taken while I was fishing nearby - so no video of the 3 and 4 lb'ers (not sure what largest was - I heard it was nice but I was down bank fishing)

Goose shit

I added a video of a pair of Canadian Geese and their 3 babies. I've had a lot of trouble with the 'shitty' geese. I hate to step in goose shit and there are at least 20 that keep trying to roost on the bank where I fish

I run them off when I see them but the ones in the video (at my youtube site) were next door

Spring projects

Too many spring projects to worry about - finished paint / stain of fishing pier yesterday (pressure washed two days ago)

Chance of rain today - so mowing grass instead of working on deck

Bass fishermen have been catching bass out of my brush pile.

Ones that I know about:

2 on the Sunday before Memorial day (one was small - see youtube video. Other ?)
1 on Memorial day (was down street - looked like nice one)
1 on Thursday (about a 3 lb - best guess - neighbors will clean / eat)
1 on Friday (I was bream fishing on bank - 15 ft away - a real nice one)

Meanwhile - I've picked up several small channel cats - largest that I held for a day was 1.5 lbs - then when I saw he was going to live - let it go.