Catfish around the buckman

Pangaman

Heard the catfish run good around the buckman in the winter time. Anyone give me some pointers on bait and where on the bridge I should look? 

bswiv

Yes.......but what is in it for me?

Pangaman

Some catfish maybe?

bswiv

Okay.......so that you DO NOT give me catfish I'll offer a couple of ideas. And do know........well......I'm old......first time I went across the Buckman was on a Sunday morning before it was finished, on my bike. LEO who caught us was mad.....and amused.....chewed on us a bit and let us go. That was a long time ago.

Anyway.....bait......for big fish.....chunks of eel or stink shad. That's what the old school commercial catfishermen would use when we asked for "big" fish at the market. You'd be stunned.....STUNNED....at how many big cats are out there.

Sunset to sunrise is best.

What will also work is shiners.....whole or chunks.....smaller ones whole....larger in chunks like the stink shad. And of course small bream .......but.....well......don't do that.

Another way to catch big cats is to fish with live shiners, the smaller ones, in the spring when the cats come into the edges of the grass......yes...I know....no grass from Lake George north now......but the cats will come in shallow to spawn so it'll still work. The lack of grass is a whole other discussion. Fish the shiners live on a light weight on the bottom....but they will take it like a bass off a cork also.

If you decide to eat what you catch.......remove the fat......scrape it off with the flat of the knife......and soak them......it'll actually be good.

natural angler

I catch lots of big catfish right in the channel on the main opening to the buckman. I catch alot on live finger mullet with a knocker rig. I have several very large channel cats from that location in the early winter months. the channel cats really key in on the live baits. they are fairly aggressive. I have also caught the occasional stripped bass doing the same. 

Pangaman

Thanks man, will try it out.

FloridaOD

Many years ago Game And Fish Commission Officer Skip Trubey had me join him for a Fishweir Net inspection.
Back then, there were a few Fishweir Nets in use, Grandfathered for some past and then current users. Yep, that was back when there was a Game And Fresh Water Fish Commission.
Skip was so cool. He soon later became a key player in the creation of Jennings State Forest / WMA.
A highlight of the River Patrol was the Catfish. Many big Cats.
Without trying much, I once caught a Big Cat upstream Black Creek at my parent’s place.

Battlefish

Black Creek catfish, January cut mullet 18 lbs. I've caught them drifting Doctors Lake too.