Problems with Bullheads and small northerns

[Sarge]

I have been fishing the Zumbro river in and near Rochester the last couple weeks, with some success. But I gotta find a better bait!

I started using chicken livers, but the catch rate between Bullheads and Cats was 10 to 1, but the biggest Channel was 29inches, with a 27incher to boot.

So I thought get a bigger bait, to keep the bullheads off. So I go with sucker minnows, now the problem is snake northerns. The catch rate is not any better, and if I don't catch the snakes, they peck apart the minnow like piranah. And the suckers are kinda expensive compared to a couple tubs of liver. With the biggest cat being 24inches.

This is all out of the same hole, between 9pm and 1am, over several trips.

Anyone else have similar problems, and what would you use to improve the Cat catch rate?

[Guest]

use bullheads under about 4"

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take a kid hunting

[DARK30]

Hi Sarge! Are you using the suckers live? Maybe if you cut them the northerns will leave them alone. Could even try some stink bait too.

Sounds like fun anyway! Next time I head for Preston, maybe I could stop by and you could "Guide" me!

WET NETS!

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cast,cast,cast,cast......

[Sarge]

Will the Channels go for small bullheads? Any other ideas? I started with live suckers then ended up using dead ones, it didn't seem to make a difference.

Sure Dark, we can give it a go, I don't think there is the size quality your used to, but there are a few nice ones.

[Guest]

For them channel cats try cutting the larger bullheads into steaks and chuck them in a gallon ice cream pail. Seal them up for half a day in the heat, but not in the direct sunlight. They have tough skin so you hook them just under the skin so they dangle on the hook, this will let the hook do it's job better on the channel cats.

You may want to get them live 4" bullheads up off the bottom more for the flatys by rigging them on a long 3-way rig and a float.

The pesky pike will hug bottom more in the heat of summer to stay in the cool zone they prefer. Pike also like the rock riffle areas in the summers heat. They like the area and will stay there tell the rest of the river cools enough again for them to roam in comfert.

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Backwater Eddy..><,sUMo,>

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