Calaveras Catfishing....

OK, so I've been looking for somewhere fairly close to fish because Choke is too far of a drive for the time that I have allotted to fish. (and the water is way too low for my liking) I decided to try Calaveras because it's fairly close and I've wanted to get out and catch a few catfish for the table. I've been a bass fisherman for 15 yrs. now, and I think I've got a pretty good handle on them.

Well, I've been to Calaveras FIVE times in the past two weeks and I have yet to catch anything. (excepet a few bass) I've tried my darndest to catch a cat or two, but so far, nothing. I've fished with perch, tilapia, cut bait (tilapia), minnows, goldfish, and shrimp. I've drifted with them, carolina rigged both dead and live bait, and still nothing. Am I missing something here? Is the fishing better at night because of the warm lake temps? My depthfinder read 94 degrees, is the water that warm throughout the water column?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, I'm completely at a loss....

PM sent

Water will likely be cooler a little deeper than the surface. I would try chicken liver, small or cut shad, and some type of dip/punch bait.

I live close to Calaveras and ran to choke canyon over labor day weekend with the family and did great on eater size cats in 5-7' deep flats off of the river channel (launched at 99, river channel is runnable at speed).

Have fished braunig a few times this summer, been catching some really nice channel cats in the rip rap, several of them 9-10 lbs.

Big Marvs for the Channel Cats and cut shad for the Blues. Do well drifting for the Blues in 15 to 20 feet of water. Channels are in the 181 cove and over by the intake! Also reed beds and wind blown points are holding some nice numbers of Channel Cats.