Are Catfish smart?

Has anyone ever noticed that you can throw out jug lines maybe fifty yards from your boat and catch fish on them. but be in your boat using rods and reels and not catching a thing? I used to think it was just me, but I've talked to quite a few people who have said the same thing. I have been racking my brain trying to think of a reason why. Do they sense the boat? Any ideas?

Fish are very sensitive, some species more than others. Vibrations are one of the number one signs of danger to a fish. If they even feel you stepping on the bank or boat they're likely to bolt. Sneaking up on a fish you can see can be pretty difficult, just try it out yourself!

For what it's worth, I'll tell you what we notice when bowfishing. My boat has a 2800 Watt generator running all the time and a 25 hp pusher fan running as well. We drive right up on fish of all types at night without issue. And honestly, those two motors are loud with all kinds of vibration. What we have noticed is fish are very jumpy when there is a change in noise or vibration. So if we are just drifting with the generator running while drinking a coke, fixing lines, etc and drift into a pocket of fish and crank the fan motor to go after them, they almost always go from relaxed and cruising to full on escape mode.... I have noticed this many times with catfish, carp, gar, you name it around the boat.

And before this even starts, no I don't bowfish catfish...…

It's more instinct than smarts.
Their world is eat, or be eaten from the time they hatch out, and anything that isn't natural to them will send them into escape mode.
A jug or trotline doesn't leave a large footprint, or continue to make noises while overhead.
I love it when a boat pulls up and the person throws an anchor about twenty feet with the loud clank and splash and then thinks they'll start catching fish right away.

Sound is amplified in the water. Walking around in your boat, the boat leaning to one side, a rod sliding down the side rail, talking and laughing, a fish flopping on the floor are examples of things that fish hear that are not normal to they're environment. Catfish could be more sensitive as Jimbo mentioned they can get eaten even after they're a year or so old. Since I've been fishing out of a kayak I've realized how loud I was when I owned boats. Your presence is hard to hide in a boat unless your fishing in deeper water.

Jumbo,
Any thoughts on how long it takes them to settle after getting them stirred up (after baiting a hole for example)?

If you pull up to a windblown point or flat with hungry fish and fresh bait, it doesn't matter what the method is. They'll eat.

Channel cats don't seem to care as much as blues. I often have caught channel cats literally right beside and under the boat in water less than 6' deep. This is usually around rocks and brush.

Yes & No. Many factors & variables to figure in. But yes to sudden changes in noises. If you are consistently making noises as you maneuver, then they adjust to it as if "norm", but sudden alterrations (pattern changes) change that.

Many of you know, that if you use gizzards by the bird trees (by rod-n-reel), it makes a "splat" noise similar to the bird's poop. The Cats make a run to catch that crude protein chunk. They do not run from it, unless of course it almost hits them on the head.

With that in mind, let's take it to a much bigger step or scenario. In mid-May 2006 I had caught late (about 10 AM or after) two Ops (spotted YellowCats) on a trotline. I have always explained that the older & bigger ones are much more cautious than younger ones (let's say that dividing line cuts in the midst of 25 to 35 pounders). But then sometimes the big ones will surprise you & throw caution to the wind. As I noted, I caught two- one was a hefty 57 pounder, while the other was just over 13 pounds (but still a fair good size). Back at Running Branch, in the fork at my camping site, I had a loop stake on each side of my boat about 7 to 10 feet beyond. I had cut a slit in their bottom throat to tie a portion of 1/4" nylon solid braid cord to.

Some kids wanted to see the smaller one. I think they had already seen the bigger one earlier. So I hoisted the 13+ pounder up from the bank & let them look at it. As I tossed it back out, it made a huge kerplunk. I saw the rope tied to the 57 pounder fly away. It shot off like a rocket. But not as if to get further away, but straight under the boat, as if it had decided that this was one huge meal it could not miss out on. I am not sure if I had enough rope for them to cross paths with, but suddenly the 57 pounder stopped abruptly, then headed back to its side of the boat. To me, it must have thought something akin to, "Oh, it's just you" or perhaps "Hmm, you're slightly larger than I can handle".

Anyway, I was surprised, due to the noise & wake created, that even the big Op would head straight for the noise, instead of trying to flee from it.

I have a pond stocked with Channel cat when my grand kids and I go to feed I tell them to march and march loud and hard you can see those cats come from all sides of the pond the vibration I guess does it. But when you hook one it sends the others running with food still floating. So like Lynn said yes and no .

Hmm interesting responses. Thanks. I just want to be able to catch cats on rod and reel as easily as I can on jugs.

Bud I used to feel the same way I could catch cats on jugs but not Rod & Reel but when I started bringing them in with chum the Rod & Reel was a lot more fun.

I may have to try using chum sometime. Problem is I fish Texoma and there aren't a lot of small coves and such where I feel like chum would be effective. Any advice?

If you are boat or bank fishing I would try chum in a spot that you catch three or four fairly quick must be a reason they are there. throw out about four or five different spots. If they come into that spot then chum it again as you leave for the next day.

Maybe it's cause the jugs are suspended and wiggling around in the waves...... and is your rods and reels you throw out on the bottom? blues suspend quite often...

Seeing as how it is- summer, heat, thermocline & such, that might be your problem. Sometimes catfish will hit my trotlines while I may be setting out the line & adding leaders with hooks (before I even bait out. So I am sure the fish is seeing the sparkle & glitter, but usually this is on 16 feet deep or shallower lines in setting out, which may not be affected by thermocline. So the jugs may have the sparkle, as well as be above the thermocline, while your R-n-R setting may be too deep.

I recall an article in a magazine some 10 or 15 years back, perhaps in our BTU mag (put out by Bryan Texas Electrical municipal power). The guy that wrote the article explained he would go during the summer rod-n-reeling with the thermocline active. He explained the thermocline started about mid-level & went to the bottom. In that case, a 40 foot deep area would house an active oxygen zone from top (0 feet) to about 20 feet down. From 20 feet to 40 feet (bottom), it was basically a depleted oxygen zone. He explained he would use goldfish, as Big Blues loved goldfish. He also used circle hooks.

He explained further that big Blues would suspend themselves at this mid-range or just above, perhaps waiting to dive down if it sensed food, to grab it & get back out of the depleted oxygen zone. Some claim the levels change. Somehow, I have to disagree & say it seems from my experience the article was correct on thermocline.

At Lake Limestone, in the Running Branch fork, I usually do not experience thermocline issues going out just past the No Wake Zone up to about 16 feet deep. However, deeper than that, there is a definite thermocline issue especially in the 25 feet depth to 40 foot depth.

I can set my "Planter" trotlines to about a 10 foot below the surface setting on the main lake (estimated deepest at about 37 feet depth) to avoid and stay above the thermocline level. However, at 10 feet below the surface, another issue comes into play. Big boats such as those using it for skiing, if they fire up just beside the line, it is possible as the boat takes off, it can dig deeper than 10 feet below the surface with the prop hitting my line, cutting it or getting entangled. So I decided it was not worth setting the "Planters" in the deep from about Memorial Day weekends thru after September.

Chumming will typically always improve your fishing if you chum consistently. I have areas I have chummed for a variety of species for over 20 years and you can catch fish in those areas almost anytime. Chumming is really effective for catfish in the winter months but will work all year.

As for noise it depends. You have to work harder to catch old trophy fish that have been actively fished for. Schooling channel catfish that are feeding often don't care about noise. And if you are chumming that anchor going over the side means dinner is coming (lol).