Catching perch for catfish--

Hey guys!

I am going to a couple of ponds, showing my friends how to catch stocked trout-- while there, I wanted to get some perch for some cats next weekend and had a few questions--

1. When using worms/crickets, what type and size should I use?
2. Do I use the whole worm?
3. What artificial lures/spinners do you recommend and what size?

THanks guys, I am new at catching panfish and have really only looked up crappie lures/bait--

Thanks!!1

Assuming want brim or panfish not perch I would use small size 6 hook and live worm. Just a small piece of worm on hook. Blue gill and sun fish make great catfish bait but are often mistaken as perch.

You do not need to use the whole worm while trying to catch perch. Just pinch off a small piece and work it onto the hook. My favorite artificial is a 1/8 oz. Roostertail. Up in yankeeland they have yellow perch which is a totally different species, related to the walleye. They usually are very sensitive to us Texans calling sunfish "perch". Good luck, hope you catch a big ol yellow cat.

Sorry, I was one of those Texans taught wrong :P Bream/Panfish... CATFISH FOOD! :P

chicken hearts,slice em up they love em and they are cheap.

Plus #1. Sunfish make great bait for the Cat's. A live small Bluegill at the end of a circle hook in the territory of a big Flat Head. Get ready for the rumble.

I use Berkley Gulp! 4 inch Mini Earthworms 1.1 - oz. Jars. They come in 4" and 6", but thes 4" are narrower and work better on an itty bitty hook. I use 1/4" pieces and often catch 4-6 fish on one piece. I use chartreuse and natural nightrcrawler colors. I once ran out of them, and found a couple dried out ones in one of my tackle boxes. 10 minutes soaking in water and I caught another 40. You can get some tiny stamp bags and put your hooks and split shot sinkers in them, then place them in your jars of worms. One stop bait bonanza, and you only take up a small spot in your tackle box. I use the smallest foam cigar floats with plastic pegs I can find, or even just a strike indicator. Two jars last a LONG time.

Used sunfish many of time for catfish bait. Excellent. Usually catch them with a small ultralight,small hook,with a shot. Used small pieces of worms. Kept them alive in a large pickle bucket. Again super bait.




Side Note: Fished them alive. Put the hook through the very upper part ob the body just under the dorsal fin.