Ohio Catfish Fishing Tips - Special Techniques Baits for Catching Them in Ohio

Fishermen in Ohio have a huge assortment of fish from which to choose during the warmer summer months, but catfishing seems to have gained in popularity especially in the heat of the summer.

Probably the most inviting thing about fishing for catfish is that they are not picky about what they eat, and will bite almost anything you throw their way. Natural bottom feeders, catfish will eat anything smelly, especially if the water is murky (when they rely most heavily on their sense of smell to find food) but they have been known to bite such unlikely things as bubble gum or ivory soap.

Consider using fish guts, chicken hearts or chicken livers (they work best when wrapped in some substance to help them stay on the hook, and most anglers use something as simple as pieces of old pantyhose) bacon, rancid frankfurters, shrimp, shad, mussels or prepared stink bait that anglers may buy in sporting goods sections of department stores or in bait shops, as well as having the option to be make at home.

In spite of the decided lack of culinary choosiness, catfish do tend to respond to some bait better than others. Most avid anglers who consistently fish for catfish believe that live bait is usually the best choice. Consider using minnows, blood or earthworms, crawfish, or frogs. Consider the types of bait that inhabit the areas naturally, and try that bait.

If you are fishing for big cats, consider using shad, skipjack, or herring, and remember live is best, because even when the fish are not actually feeding, they can usually be enticed by something nice and wiggly. Some more popular fishing areas actually have these baitfish available for purchase, but in most cases you will have to fish first for your bait when you wish to use baitfish such as the ones mentioned here.

Most anglers just toss out a net relatively close to shore to bring in shad or herring for bait. Just remember to have a place you can keep them where there is plenty of cool, oxygen rich water, or they will die. On way to do this so to get a large garbage can, aerate it by putting plenty of small homes in it, fill it with the water from which you pull the bait fish, and when you get to your destination, simply allow it to be submerged beside your boat.

If you want to fish for big cat using live bait, an egg sinker set up would probably work very well. To use an egg sinker, just attach a one to two ounce egg sinker to the line, and just below it, tie a barrel swivel. Tie a leader about three feet long to your swivel, and finish off your presentation with a gold Aberdeen hook.

A 3/0 should be about the right size for catching the sizes you are after while being made of a lighter wire that should allow you to hook your bait just behind their dorsal fin without doing fatal damage. Target cover or structure or depressions near channels, and fish the bottom, and you should have no trouble hooking all the big cat you can handle.