Cold Water Flats

[riverrat56]

Found an open strech of river, might take some swearing and sweating but i think I can get my boat it, how would one go about targeting cats in the cold water, or is it just a waste of time?

[Guest]

Flatheads arent going to actively feed until the water temps hit about 50.. your better off focusing on channels which will feed in cold water.

[riverrat56]

so.....small cut bait? can't get at any crawlers which I normally use for anything that swims in the river...what about fathead minnows?

[Ralph Wiggum]

For channels, you'll do fine with small cut baits or acouple fatheads on a hook.

[Guest]

RW said it.. fatheads will work fine. Its my preferred bait in cold water to be honest. 1 whole kicking fathead, and a pinched off half or 2 works great on a #2 hook.. no need for big baits this time of year. The big channels will slam them too. Look for deeper slack water that are the wintering areas. Feeder creeks or anything to assure the presence of baitfish is a big bonus.

[fisherking32]

Riverrat.....If you use crawlers alot, like I do, you should consider keeping some around all winter. It saves me money,time and a trip to the bait shop. All you need is a styrofoam bucket (lets air in) and Frabill makes a bedding with food mixed in (kind of a shredded paper) that works great and is cheap.

Picking up nightcrawlers is almost as fun as fishing, there is kind of an art to getting them. Finding a place to pick them up is easy. You will see them crawling on the streets during a heavy rain, especially in the dark. Good places to look are churchyards or parks. I have them right in my yard. Get out your flashlight and something to put them in. Just shine the flashlight til you find one stretched out across the ground, you have to be fast. Once you have a hold just pull with slow steady pressure til he pops out. They will also disapear if you walk too heavily or shine too bright a light directly on them. Make sure you throw away any that are broken off, if you put these with the rest it may die and rot, making a for a smelly mess. Then just transfer them into the wet bedding and keep them in the basement. After a couple months I give them coffee grounds and corn meal once every 2 or 3 weeks. They seem to be healthier and juicier than store bought worms.

Two or three times I have been out picking up crawlers in the dark with a flashlight and coffeecan and had police stop and ask me what the heck I am doing. So you might want to let your neighbors know if youre out crawling around with a flashlight in the dark so you don't get arrested.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Quote:

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Two or three times I have been out picking up crawlers in the dark with a flashlight and coffeecan and had police stop and ask me what the heck I am doing.

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LOL, me too!