How to fish (rod n reel) on a river / using earthworms

Sorry, not much experience catfishing, mostly a bassfisherman.

I want to fish the Red River for cats and over the years have heard that some locals catch a lot of small channel cats during the summer using earthworms. I think I have heard some say that they fish them relatively shallow (3-4 feet) under a bobber but also some say they fish on the bottom. But primarily I recall them mentioning fishing under a bobber. What do you think is best? I don't care what kind of catfish it is.

I also wonder about anchoring the boat versus floating down the river.

Lastly, I also recall most saying they use earthworms. It has been so dry here, I am having trouble digging any worms. If it weren't so dry, I could find some huge nightcrawlers. Unless I find some big ones, I can't see how one could thread a commercial worm onto a catfish hook. I guess I will have to use a thinner hook if I have to buy worms. They sell "Canadian Crawlers" around here, I think there are 18 in a box. They are nice size for panfishing but for catfish, not anything near as big as a natural nightcrawler I dig up around here. And do you just thread one worm on or need a big gob of them on the hook?

I also don't have to use worms!

There are blue cats and flatheads, too, in the river but I recall them making big catches of small channel cats. I do like fast action instead of long waits between bites.

Find you a bunch of yellow grasshoppers. Channels like them. Find a place along a cut bank where the grass is tall and the hoppers are occasionally jumping into the water. Good had dug worms are hard to beat and will catch about anything especially when the water is muddy. I never had much luck with store bought worms. They are just not tough enough and fish don't seem to bite them as well except for perch.

I rarely use them anymore but when I do, it's in the spring time. In holes following a riffle or run. Generally fish them on the bottom. 1/2-1oz sinker. I like a Khale hook when using Nightcrawlers. I'll wad 3 of them on the Khale hook. Leaving many sections of the worm exposed. Also, I'll pinch the parts hanging from the hook to get those juices flowing in to the moving water. If there are Channels around, they'll eat them. I've even caught smaller (up to 10#) Flatheads on them in the spring.

I grew up with one foot in the Red River north of Bonham. The river used to be really good before the stripers got in there and just about ruined it. Channel cats are not in there like they were back in the 60's and 70's but you can still catch them on worms. Work the lay down logs and trees and deep holes below the sand bars and cut banks where the current is slower. I always fished on the bottom with flat no roll weight as light as I could get to stay in place. Best bites were almost always close in against the bank and the muddier the water the better. Fresh water drum will mess with you a lot if you fish with small 2" white crayfish. I have caught flathead, small mouth, blues, channels, sandies, sturgeon, paddlefish, buff and more drum than I can count. Caught lots of other fish that I didn't even know what they were at the time. I think you will find better fishing holes down the river below Hwy 78. The mouth of the creeks from Caney, Bois d'Arc,(Texas side) Blue and Muddy Boggy on the OK side are good places.

I didn't know that Sturgeon were in The Red. Nor that Paddle fish would eat a bait. But this is what I'm curious about, how do you figure Stripers ruined anything?... I suspect with a statement like that, you'll have some sort of data..

Shovel nose Sturgeon in the Red are not very big, 2 to 4lb max and will bite worms. Cute little buggers, long and skinny. Only caught paddlefish (oldtimers always called em shovel bill cats) by snagging when reeling in a line with multiple hook setup fishing for sandies. Stripers eat everything that ain't too big to swallow and that includes all the baby fish that are spawned in the river. We used to be able to catch sand bass by the numbers throughout the summer but that hasn't happened in years since the stripers got in there. I have been fishing the Red since I can remember (I'm 70 now) so I know a little bit about how the river used to be. I can remember shoals of sandies coming up the river that stretched for about as far as you could see. I still have family that live on the river north of Bonham and I grew up in a little farm house about a mile from the river bank.

If. You don't like waiting get some sudden impact is or some secret 7 dip bit they will smoke worms hands down..

Use big marvs cheese bait it works everywhere for channels and blue specially. The best way to fish it is on the bottom with a 1/2 Oz to 1 Oz depending on the current.