Hard to beat fresh Shad but deep summer on ray bob get some fresh shrimp. Actually cheaper than the TV bait shrimp.
Drift the island by the dam and the main lake point across from the marina

Congrats on your first blue cat!! Not a bad one at all.

You got all the good advice you need. Stay at them and it will start to come together. Catching blue cat is harder than most people think, not like channels where you can go throw some nightcrawlers and livers out and be in the business almost anywhere... blues almost act more like stripers to me.

Hopefully you get the electronics working! If you are not fishing around bait you are wasting time and unless sandies are blowing up or something... its hard to find bait for sure without a fish finder.

Good luck!! I bet you get a 10 in no time flat.

Well, there were more than a few skunks out there this weekend. Bite was tough for me too. Get that chart fixed and get you some fresh shad and you'll do better next time out...

Tight lines brother...

Welcome to the club! I lived on Lake Lewisville for over 10 years until I moved to Alabama.

OK, quick update.

Fish finder rewired and working again....yeah.

Today up early to Lake Ray Roberts. A beautiful day!



Tried the shelves and ledges, not too deep but didn't see any fish.

I spend around 30 minutes at each spot, total time fishing around 5 hours, and didn't get a nibble.

It didn't matter, beautiful day and hey lots of practice.



I ended my trip trying my luck in the deep water by the dam.

Some observations.
I have no clue how to look for fish in my Lawrence Hook 4 - lol. I need to swat up on Youtube as I'm flying blind.
No luck getting bait today. I used chicken and worms
Water was 85F, felt warm to the touch.

Thanks so much for the tips and advice. I am sure things will improve as I learn more.

Some really good advice in this post.

Like you I've been a life long bass fisherman, and still fish a couple tournament trails, but I got a Tin boat a few years ago and have been chasing the Blues and have been bitten by the bug.
I struggle to get bait more than I should, and end up fishing with thread fin and frozen shad a lot. One advantage you already have over me is that you have GOOD blue cat lakes around you. Out here on the west side my primary blue lake is Eagle Mountain. For the life of me I cant catch any big fish there, but I catch a ton of little fish. Another little lake is Palo Pinto, not a lot of numbers, but seem to catch fishing in the 8-10 lb range a lot more regularly.

But its all a learning curve, my electronics suck compared to what i have on my Tin boat but i just love the challenge.

I PM’d you some good drift runs for your trip Monday or Tuesday as requested Bob. Get started early cuz the bite is usually over by 10:30 this time of year.

^ thank you El Gato!

I bought a net and have had some success getting bait from the ramps.

Thing is it's small stuff, seen here in the pic below. That's a credit card size plastic card for size.



Some questions if I may:
Are these small fish any good for cats?
My next trip is on this coming Wednesday, three days time. Freeze or just refrigerate?
If I use them should I hook them whole or cut up, and if whole through the mouth or head?

Thanks in advance!

Those work great Bob! Just cut the tail off and then cut em in half. Put the hook through the bottom jaw and up through the bone in its nose around the nostrils. Leave the gap in the hook open so your circle hook sets properly. If you get pecked on those smaller Shad make sure to check your baits often as smaller fish will rob those sized Shad off the hook fairly easy. You can’t catch fish with empty hooks. Freeze those and use them for backup. Get fresh bait the morning if your trip and you’ll catch 10 times as many fish as on frozen. Chilled bait will last about 1-2 days and then it’s worthless in my experience. You can also use them whole in which I cut off the tail and hook through the eye and back through the middle part of the fish in the spinal area making sure the gap of the hook is open and the Shad is riding up on the shank of the hook. I prefer to cut mine in half though. I’m sure guys will tell you a different way but this is how I use threadfin when I use them in the spring and it works for me.

That's perfect bait. put several on a hook if you need to.

I wouldn’t exactly call it perfect for my liking but it will work. I throw those back but that’s my personal preference. Those small Shad will get picked off pretty easy in my experience and I do not like dragging empty hooks and constantly checking my bait every time I get a nibble. Medium and big Gizzards are much better Bluecat baits for me.

Thanks so much for all the advice and encouragement.

Yesterday was another day on the lake, Lake Ray Roberts. A beautiful day and up and at it as soon as the sun glanced at the lake. A beautiful God given summer day in Texas.

My cunning plan!
Drifting (< 1mph)
Santee rig (thanks Catfish Tim)
Ledges and drops under 30 feet - thermocline (thanks El Gato)
Fresh (small) bait….well caught the day before.





And right off the bat I’m getting hit.



One after the other, small dinks.



At one point I am getting a workout, one rod getting the hook out and the other bouncing in the rod rests with fish on!

I also caught a couple of bigger blue catfish as well.



The bite stopped abruptly at 10am. Dead.

For me as a catfish n00b, it was an awesome day and a real confidence booster.

Thanks again for the warm welcome and support.

One thing to add I saw the surface bubbling with bait getting attacked on the way back in. Biggest surface commotion I have ever witnessed, must have been 50 yards across at least. I picked up my spinning rod and threw a Rooster Tail and got bit as soon at it hit the water. Boom, boom boom!

Fun.

I didn’t know if white bass are good for bait so threw them all back.

Victory!! Way to go buddy!!This time of year the bite usually dies at 10 unless you have good clouds and wind. Did you target the areas I sent you Bob??

White bass are excellent bait but your not allowed to use them unless your on Texoma. A lot of other states allow it but Texas doesn’t and I don’t get that. There are gazillions of white bass in every fishery we fish. It’s one of the many patterns I look for and fish it often. You can drift through where the white bass are feeding and catch a ton of blues. Blue cats fallow around Sandies lake puppy dogs most of the year.

Woo Hoo! Way to go Brit! You keep that up and as the weather gets colder the fish will get bigger. By winter you'll be posting pictures of toads! In some ways blue cat fishing isn't all that hard. But in other ways it is a constant challenge and a forever learning experience. No matter how much you grow and learn in the sport, it keeps putting new challenges in front of you. Love that you are having success! Keep it up brother!