Daytime Channels

[pikestabber]

Up north where I catfish, we have the choice of basically one river (St. Louis) and one cat species (channels). I always fish at night, and there are numerous spots I feel confident in catching fish each trip...but again, this is all at night. Without a boat (as it would be fairly treacherous to navigate certain parts of this river with one), how can I target these fish by day? They sure don't seem to be in the spots I fish at night, which makes sense as these are shallower feeding flats. So...do I just hike the river and fish each spot for a few minutes, then move on? Are they tight to bank cover or out in deep holes...both? What strategy changes do you guys suggest? Float baits under bobbers and let them drift? Other rigs? Any info is appreciated.

[DTro]

The fish will be tucked up in cover in in deeper pools during the day.

Find some downed trees or anything that will provide cover for them. Put a fresh bloody piece of bait on the upstream side of that cover and they will find it

Don't be afraid to put the bait right in there either. You might lose the rig, but you will find fish this way too.

[deadeye]

I do 90% of my fishing in the day and I do pretty well most of the time. (I don't really dig going to the river in north mpls late at night) I dont think I have ever had a day that I targeted channels and they wouldn't bite during daylight. Flatheads are a whole other story.

There isn't really much cover around here where I fish in the way of downed trees but it seems like the upstream side of holes really produces for me. It may only be a couple feet deep but they sure have no problem coming out of the hole for a bite to eat.

If you find a spot with scattered boulders its usually just enough that they can get out of the current and wait for something tasty to go by.

I also have taken a liking to using dip worms in places that you don't got a ton of cover but have current. You don't get nearly as many large fish as you do with cut bait but it gets their attention and keeps you in the action. Sometimes I will throw a dip worm out for a 15 min and then switch to cut bait. If your in a area holding fish it seems to work good if you want bigger fish.

[pikestabber]

Thanks, guys. I know for a fact my biggest obstacle is lack of confidence. I do so well at night that it seems hard to dedicate time during the day to pursue these guys, so my few daytime trips were ones in which I didn't experiment enough or move enough. I sure would much rather beat the mosquitoes and the late night deer traffic, though! What is your take on this spot: a relatively straight stretch of river with rock rapids that dip into a slightly deeper stretch on the downstream side. This downstream hole is where I target these fish at night, and I would think they would hang in there during the day to pick up stray food that filters through the rocks, but they don't seem to be there... Should I head further downstream and find deeper holes? I will be sure to try under downed trees nearer to shore, too.

[SteveD]

Pikestabber - I lived in Duluth from 1972 - 1977 and we fished the St Louis River around Brookston and had great luck for channels back then. We would fish the rock rapids south of the Highway 2 bridge. High water was a pain but during the summer low water period we would fish the head of the hole right where the rock rapids would pool. Cut bait was the ticket for the bigger fish. We would fish the evening into the night usually fished until about 2300. We caught fish both day and night. I remember the mosquitoes were horrendous.

[pikestabber]

Thanks, Steve--you are describing a spot I commonly fish, too! I guess I just need to give it a better shot during the day. I also do the best on cut-bait (suckers) and crushed frogs. I have had fair luck on smaller cats with crawlers, but there are so many little pout that rob your bait and hang on without you knowing... I don't know how many times I have reeled in to check my crawlers after inactivity and had a dinky pout hanging on the hook that I couldn't feel (not enough of a fish to even budge a sinker).

I always get stuck fishing the same few spots. It's hard to experiment when you fish at night and have an hour and a half drive home. I tend to fish the spots that always produce a little instead of looking for a spot that produces a lot knowing how seldom I get to make the trip over there. Couple more questions, if you don't mind:

*Did you ever fish further up or downstream from there?

*What is the earliest you have caught cats (time of year)? I did okay in early May once, but other times the water is so fast you cannot seem to hold bottom without a boat anchor! I would guess fish are in there in April, though, if a guy could keep his bait in the hole.

[TylerS]

I'm on the Red River, so this is speaking from experience on that body of water.

I fish almost exclusively during the day. Usually in the morning through afternoon. I've had no trouble catching catfish all day long, but time of year is critical. If you fish prespawn in spring, they are voracious and feed all day. There's no secret method, just chuck a hunk of bait out and wait for the bite. As the year wears on, it becomes more difficult to catch cats all day. Toward the end of summer, and early fall, low-light and night bites are best. Bait also changes from cutbaits to frogs.

I think, if you really want to try catching cats during the day, do so in early spring during prespawn.

[pikestabber]

Thanks, Tyler. I have fished the Red and Red Lake Rivers and had good luck in daylight hours, too, so I have to think the St. Louis River would produce during daylight, too. That said, do you fish any different spots pre-spawn then you do later in the summer? More to the point, where are the fishing feeding heavy during this pre-spawn? Nearer to feeder creeks, or are they often in the same holes they end up in after the spawn?

[DTro]

pikestabber, I think you can find cats all the way to Forbes. I know Zim for sure.

[bmc]

Pikestabber,

If you are ever looking for a partner down there, let me know! I have fished Floodwood and the Hwy 2 bridge off and on over the last 6 years. I've caught a few 'cats, smallies, walleyes, and gators. I plan on bringing my Otter Stealth duck boat down there this spring/summer and do a little exploring.

Check out Google Earth, it a good way to scout potential spots and accessibilty to those spots, especially for a person on foot.

Brian

bmc2680 at yahoo dot com

[pikestabber]

pikestabber, I think you can find cats all the way to Forbes. I know Zim for sure.

Thanks, DTRO. I am told I have some shirt-tail relatives from Zim that catch them in their backyard, basically, and the fish they catch there tend to run larger, too. That, coupled with how narrow the river is up their sounds appealing--easier to target the holes, etc. I will have to do some scouting. I would think if you could hole jump and lay bloody sucker chunks right in front of a daytime cat, they would be hard-pressed to pass it up

[pikestabber]

Pikestabber, If you are ever looking for a partner down there, let me know!

I'll be sure to do that. I would think the right boat (and a duck boat should be ideal) would navigate the river just fine, and that should be the ticket for bouncing from hole to hole.

Thanks, Brian! I'll save your email address.

[TylerS]

Thanks, Tyler. I have fished the Red and Red Lake Rivers and had good luck in daylight hours, too, so I have to think the St. Louis River would produce during daylight, too. That said, do you fish any different spots pre-spawn then you do later in the summer? More to the point, where are the fishing feeding heavy during this pre-spawn? Nearer to feeder creeks, or are they often in the same holes they end up in after the spawn?

Well, if there's any difference it's that it seems to matter less where you put the bait during prespawn and postspawn than later in the year. Heck, last spring I just flung bait wildy anywhere I felt like it during prespawn and caught fish...a lots of 'em. Deep, shallow...didn't matter.

Later in the year, however, you have to look for snags, bends, holes, bars, feeder creeks, etc. I had my best luck for a long time where a confluence of two rivers was. Wasn't as hot last year, for some reason, but it's still a viable spot to keep in the memory banks!

[pikestabber]

Thanks, Tyler and everyone else! I appreciate everyone's input. I know it's only March, but I can't get cats out of my head right now! Keep the thread going if you think of anything else. I never tire of talking cats, and each year I step further and further away from 'eyes and crappies. I'll never give them up, but dang those kitties are fun (and ridiculously delicious).

[proguide]

I pretty much fish channel exclusively during the daytime. Day in and day out I try to find the spots where you can see a visible current washing into a hole or snag along the bank so you can cast into it. In a perfect world you would be able to get in a boat and check out the structure near the spots you are trying to fish to find the optimal place to cast from the shore.

Back when I did a lot of shore fishing I always looked for some sort of riffle or faster water. Usually where that water flattened out on the surface meant there was a hole near by. From there I would cast my baits around the front, back, and sides of that hole to find which was the best bait location. If you can find a spot like this with a snag in it your are set. It is then simply a matter of getting the bait as tight to the snag as you can to pull the daytime fish out of it.

Other places to look are along the outside bends where the water appears to be a bit faster. Normally under that is a deeper trough or hole the will attract feeding fish whether it is day or night. Again, get a snag places along the drop off and you are set.

In a river situation you must work with some bait placement to find the best places that hold fish. One way to do this more effectively (especially where the water is a bit faster) is to adjust your weight up to hold the cast in the spot you want it so it can't was to the bank and snag up more.

By simply moving baits around in the same spot and keeping fresh bait on can and will help you with daytime channels.

If at all possible try to stay off the beaten path. Try to fish the spots that are harder for the average angler to reach and you will have better luck as the fish do not get as much pressure.

[pikestabber]

Great, info, proguide. Thanks for the tips. Does anyone ever skip the "middle man" and just use heavy enough jigs to stay on bottom? I do this often for bullheads and it works well as they don't mind picking up the whole works, and the direct contact of line to hook makes for better hook-sets. Do channels show an aversion to picking up this weight? If not, and if you could keep the bait from falling into too many crevices and in between rocks and debris, etc., it seems it would be a good way to position baits a bit more accurately and have them hold where you want them to hold (under snags, corner cut-outs, etc.).

[proguide]

I have found that channels don't seem to care about a little extra weight most of the time but I still try to use the least I can get away with just in case. When a channel hits he will generally grab and run downstream so with a slip rig he won't care about weight until it is too late.

In the pre-spawn it is very common for me to have 4-6 oz on and in the mid to late summer I will run 2 or 3 ounces with no trouble as it allows me to stick the bait right in the strike zone I want.

Going back the your initial question, If you keep looking for traditional spots. Keep fresh baits on and experiment with bait placements to find the best strike zone to pull the active cat out.

[pikestabber]

Keep fresh baits on and experiment with bait placements to find the best strike zone to pull the active cat out.

How long do you leave a bait in one spot before re-positioning it?

[DTro]

Originally Posted By: dtro

pikestabber, I think you can find cats all the way to Forbes. I know Zim for sure.

Thanks, DTRO. I am told I have some shirt-tail relatives from Zim that catch them in their backyard

Funny, me too

[proguide]

I have found if you get it right in front of an active cat he will usually bite within 5 minutes. Just for safety I leave the baits 15-20 minutes before a change of scenery.

I boat fish almost exclusively now so I am almost never in a spot more than 15 minutes unless I'm on fish. From shore that is not an option so you have to be more methodical with your placement. With 1 line you could spend as much as an hour or more in a spot to test all the options.

[pikestabber]

DTRO: "Funny, me too"

Small world! I'll have to do some digging to find out who these folks are and see if they want any fishing company

Have your ever fish up that way, DTRO? On the chance that my family connections fall through (if they exist anymore), are there any places to fish without stepping on anyone's (private) toes? I should really just take a whole day to drive around and find spots, but it helps to know if I am wasting time from the get-go.

[DARK30]

Daytime channels on da shad rap...now thats fun! The Red has produced for me when its not so dirty but I've caught many rannel rats on the Otter Tail casting cranks.