Answers

Is Chumming For Catfish a Good Idea?

Chumming for catfish is a good idea if you know that catfish are in the area. Is it a good idea all the time? Some will swear that it is the way to go and others will say it does not make much if any difference. I personally believe that if you fish the same location often and you chum the area whenever you are there you will catch more fish. 

In case your not familiar with chumming it is simply putting lots of bait in an area you plan to fish.. There are two reasons to chum. One if you do it often enough in the same location the catfish will come looking for it. Two, if there are fish in the area it will sometimes drive them into a feeding frenzy competing with other fish to get the goodies. But remember it only works if the catfish are there. If it is not an area they visit you are just feeding the sunfish.

I personally do not chum except for the leftovers from the fish I have just cut up for bait. Maybe I am a little old fashioned but to me finding out where the catfish are and what bait they are interested in is part of what makes catfish angling interesting and fun to me. If I just wanted to catch a bunch of catfish for the dinner table I would use a trot line. I seldom have much trouble filling my stringer without chumming and when I am fishing for the big cats I don’t expect to catch as many because I am using much larger tackle that virtually eliminates the small ones.

Do Catfish Fight Each Other?

Ken asked, "I seen two catfish locked together at the river! The small one weighed about 30 lbs and the large one weighed about 45 lbs. The smaller one was caught upside down! They were floating in the Alabama river! When I got ready to take their picture, they broke up and took off! They were locked mouth to mouth! I’ve heard they fight! Everybody is looking at me like I’m crazy! Do they fight?"

Ken, all catfish are territorial during spawn and shortly after as the males will protect the eggs and the newly hatched fry. Judging by the size I am going to guess that these were flathead catfish. Flatheads are very territorial as they get older and can grow to enormous sizes. The record catch is 123lbs.

Mark that spot Ken as Flatheads are solitary creatures and one of those two have a hole nearby that they are protecting. Be sure to use live bait, 30lb test line and at least a 4/0 hook. You will also need a good rod and reel as a catfish that size cat bust a cheap rod or reel.

Very few people get to see what you witnessed. You are a very lucky person. Send me a picture when you catch it and I will post it for you.

Paul asks "Are worms good catfish bait?"

Are worms good catfish bait? The simple answer is yes. Many catfish anglers use live worms for catfish bait. Whenever I have a youngster with me I will have a tub of worms. The good and bad with worms is that just about any fish will eat them. You might get a catfish or you might get a bluegill or some other fish.

I like them whenever I have a youngster along just for that reason. Catfish fishing can be a waiting game and kids don’t have a lot of patience. Having the worms gives them more opportunities for bites and to catch a fish even if it is only six inches long. This allows me to concentrate on my fishing.

There are many ways to rig them. The way I generally rig a worm is to cram as much of it as I can on a number 2 bait hook. You can drift or bottom fish this rig. Others cram several worms on the same hook to give it a lively look. If I am serious about using the worm I will rig 2 hooks in tandem and stretch the worm out. I like to drift fish this rig.

If you are really looking just for catfish there are a lot of other baits that will produce more catfish than worms on most occasions. A good source for what the catfish are biting in your area is your locale bait shop. Don’t be afraid to ask.
A couple of good baits that you can buy at the grocery store are shrimp and chicken livers. There is also a large selection of stink baits and dip bait available wherever you can purchase fishing tackle.