Targeting channels now and into summer

I have some soured milo and some dip bait ready to go and looking to take the kids soon. We’ve been targeting bass exclusively for a couple years but want to have some fish frys.
I do have a boat abs the closest lakes to me are possum kingdom, Bridgeport, eagle mountain, Hubbard creek, etc.

Where should I start on the lake if I’m looking to pattern channels?

Thanks!

I would go to PK. Check out Stubby's catfish bait. It is amazing.

I have found cj's punch bait is best as it stays on hook when its hot, as most other punch baits will not; and catfish love it!

No one knows where to target channels? Deep holes, shallow creeks, flooded timber, etc?

take some punch bait and go to Holland Lake right now.
Seriously we stocked 500 catfish in there 2 weeks ago for the kid fish so its full of fish. Slip cork on the south side between the cypress trees in the channel.

The kids didn’t wipe them out?

No where close... Most of the ones that were caught during the kid fish were released. They dont stock it till just a couple of days before the event so the fish really aren't acclimated to bite yet.

Nice. I’ll take the kids over there tomorrow.

I'd start shallow. Look in shallow timber (less than 5') Look for a wind blown shoreline and I bet you'll get into em. Good luck!

Stopped by today and caught 4 in about 30 min

Might be a little early now, but starting soon rocks will be the place to go. Rip rap like dams, bridges, etc are all great places to try. Cut bait, live shiners/Shad/small bluegill, and even nightcrawlers are great baits. I personally do not like prepared baits. A big peg float with a bait suspended about 3’ below it is the way to go when fishing those scenarios. A really good way to catch a limit and usually lasts through June.

Thanks

Sour some wheat, when summer gets here, throw it out under some docks in 3 to 6 feet, before the sun comes up. Go back to the first dock you chummed, and use a slip cork, with a small treble hook and punch bait, and work the shade. Follow the other docks if the bite slows on that one. Can't miss.

tried and proven

wh2004, I sent you a PM. Thanks.

Try baiting an area in 12' of water with sweet feed

I really appreciate It

wh2004. You bet!!

Have to agree with whoever mentioned Holland Lake Park in Weatherford. We took some fresh shad I caught this morning and went out there for a couple hours this evening. Right in the middle of the pond, caught 4 huge Channels (I say huge, compared to what I normally catch) These were 3-5 pounders, very nice eater size. We threw them all back, just fishing for fun. But there's at least 4 bigguns still swimming in there. We were slip corking at about 18 inches, on a 2/0 circle hook. Whole 3-4 inch threadfins.

We didn’t catch anything while we were there.

We didn't even get a nibble till we'd been there almost an hour. Then, it was two back to back, and then another 15 or twenty, then two back to back again. I have to assume they were making their evening rounds, right before dusk. Last one we pulled it was almost dark, and he was the largest. 26 inches, and fat.

From now till July go to any lake, chum three spots with soured wheat in shallow water 10 to 20 foot of water or less, when I say chum, select a spot where maybe you can tie up to something, throw the chum Straight down on both sides of the boat. go to spot #2, chum , go to spot #3, and chum, then go to spot #1, and start fishing, if you don't get bit in 20 minutes, chum and move to spot #2, and fish, when they move up to feed, they will stay till all the chum is gone, so when they quit biting, chum and move to spot #3, you will normally limit out by about the second pass thru.
Good spots to chum are rocky areas, stumpy areas, channel swings with deep water near by, points. It really doesn't matter, catfish can smell 10000 times better than a shark, so when you chum kind of make sure where you choose the scent from the chum is drifting out across a lot of water as they will come. The windier it is the better it will draw them, I won't even think of going cat fishing if the wind isn't blowing. I use nothing but Mr Whiskers cheese bait, it's as good as there is, and it's cheep. Put it on a number 8 treble hook and use a light weight, as in 1/4 ounce split shot., why such a small hook?, cause catfish don't open there mouths wide open like a large mouth bass. I used to fish lake Fork with my dad, they had a tree that was in 40' of water, it was a flat, nothing special other than it had a big tree to tie up to, we mainly fished it when it was hot in the summer up thru October, after a couple of days you could go back again and again and limit out in that one spot in 60 minutes, some of the funnest cat fishing I've ever done is at Ray Roberts in May up against wind blown shores with slip corks, sling the chum up in the shallows, throw the bait on the cork with 18" depth, set back and watch your cork disappear, caught 80 one time in less than 1 hour. It's really simple throw the chum and fish.

Thanks David!!

Alright. Got my stubbys, milo has soured over a month. Looking to go to PK tomorrow. Would y’all say north end of the lake or south?

shallow water with tree stumps would be a great start, milo should really bring them in

Just had a pretty epic couple hours on pk. Pics to come!

2.5 hours fishing on a wind blown point with stumps and rock in 4’ water with stubbys and milo.

Nice catch!

That’s getting it done!

4 hrs with Stubby’s and some guys that missed way more than they caught! Fun day though #guidelife

I’m a fan of the stubbys. We used an entire tub and a half though!