Baited Areas - "Chum"

Kind of wondering how you guys use this technique?

What I have been doing is troll along until I find a spot of fish holding close to bottom. Anchor on the spot and then start pouring on the cattle cubes. I bring a 5 gallon bucket full and have normally used all of it by noon on a morning trip. On afternoon trips about the same.

I have only been doing this since mid September and never fished for cats, but a guide I fished with starting in September did what I do...or I guess I do what he does!

My wife doesn't like me doing it after she heard my dad who also never fished for cats either and he is 84yo...started riding me I was feeding the fish so they wouldn't bite.

Even though everyone in the boat was catching something the whole time, he was not getting a decent hook set. We have been doing well enough that someone had a fish on all the time. Granted we had a lot of undersized Hybrids eating either our shrimp or the muscles!

Since the water dropped below 80 degrees the catfish have slowed way down. The bite is not as steady, nor as aggressive!

So what is you favorite way of doing it!

Range cubes work for me but I only use about 10% of what you do, only myself and 1 other. Lots of small fish right now.

baited holes (range cubes) work but work best in areas that have fish in the area,

5 gallons seems to be a bit much.

Thanks for the info guys, I guess I am feeding them!

I throw out two big ice scoops of range cubes out the night before and fish in the morning. Range cubes break down slowly. Fishing like your doing I would prefer soured Milo. Works faster, just throw out a scoop in a couple places and go back and fish the first place, 15 minutes move to the other baited spots. I like water 3-6 feet deep in timber or around downed trees and points..

I use both range cubes and soured hen scratch. Sometimes by them selves and sometimes together.
I don't use very much. Range cubes I will throw out a 2-3 handfuls. Soured hen scratch, a little more than a cup.
What I have noticed is the hen scratch usually gets activity started very quickly and the cubes will often take up to 10 minutes
longer to really see the bite pick up. If I have been in one spot really catching fish for an extended period of time I may throw a little more out and see
if fishing stays hot and heavy. If not, I will just go find another spot and fish. Seldom do I fish more than two spots to limit out. I have also noticed that when
I use hen scratch, The numbers of undersized fish increases.

Thanks for the info guys!

I'm sure I've been putting too much out, but I've fished spots for 5 to 6 hours before the bite would start to slow down. I've never caught a "limit" but as the box get fuller I move my keeper size up and by the end of the trip will not be keeping anything under 17".

15 to 25 cats in the box is a bunch of fish...releasing 3 to 4 times that amount, plus mixed Hybrid Strippers...

I use range cubes all year long and of course stubbys cheese bait