OK... real easy. It's a flowchart. Basically put your first choice down and if that aint working you move to your second choice then third, so on and so forth.

• Shrimp
• Worms
• Cut Panfish
• Chicken Livers
• Commercial Stink Bait
• Hotdogs
  

Those are my top baits. The Shrimp is the bait shrimp you can get at HEB. I really want to try out live goldfish (for Bass also), Secret 7, live panfish (for flatheads which I have never fished for before), fresh shad, zote soap... any other suggestions?

1 shad 2 perch 3 Big Marvs(channels) 4 corn flakes & chum juice(channels)

When i go i take 3 or 4 rods all with different baits, find out what they are liking then switch to that bait.

Generally when starting the night i will have - Big Marv's on one, Secret 7 on one, Cut Shad on one and Live perch/goldfish on one.

That way i can have all my choices covered, once i find out what they are liking i will drop to 2 rods and maybe keep one out with a big live bait for a big boy - Just in case.

[quote=Canyon Tackle Box]When i go i take 3 or 4 rods all with different baits, find out what they are liking then switch to that bait.

Thats the way I do it.....

livebait
Mike

Smart. I didn't see any laws against have multiple poles. In Utah I was fined for having 3 poles. One was actually my ex-girlfriend's and she was sick of fishing so she went to go sleep in the car. Wouldn't you know it, right when she leaves a game warden comes waddling right up.

90$ fine. Awesomeness!

That seems like a good idea. I'm going to use that.

1. Hotdogs
2. Live Shad (any kind of minnow)
3. Dead Shad
4. Chicken Livers
5. Secret 7

Shad
Shad
Shrimp

For Blue's

1. Shad Head
2. Shad Body
3. Perch Head
4. Perch Body
5. Live Gizzard Shad
6. Cut Buffalo
7. Cut Carp

As you see here I don't like to use anything but fresh fish,
but if I had to limit myself to channel cats, and use bait other than fresh fish it would be;

1. Fresh Rabbit (chunks of meat, I have caught some big channels on it)
2. Chicken Blood
3. Beef Blood
4. Fresh Shrimp (eating kind)
5. Sure Shot (works great just don't like to use stink bait)

Last couple times I have been out they did not hit frozen shad or fresh. Nothing on worms or ,minnows either. Did not think I would say this but the pole with Danny kings (garlic) is what they have been hitting. I have some other punch bait that did not get any hits. I guess I am a believer.

This time of year grasshoppers are number 1 for river channels.

shad and sure shot

I like your lists. The only baits I could add are sand toads
(if you can find any. Very small like from a dime to a nickel. Catfish hate them and viciously attack them. Even in very muddy water. A favorite bait in the Washita River in OKlahoma.) Yellow grasshoppers are good if available. Shad gizzards are excellent, but expensive. Stay on the hook really well when you run a barb thru a gizzard. Chicken livers will catch channels when nothing else will. Or chicken blood.

For channels/blue Lewis King Select Punch bait
For yellow cat can't beat perch.

i have had caught tons of cats with big marv's!!!!! it has been my favorite for years!

shad


liver
perch
worms
shrimp
everything else


prep bait (punch stink etc.)