Cats from the bank - Going in Blind

Yes, this is a complete newb type thread, but bare with me

What are some tips for a newb cat fisherman that wants to go to a local lake and fish from the bank? If you are in an unfamiliar spot how do you start out?

What do you look for in an area?

What type of rig do you start out with?

What type of bait do you start with?

In general, what time of day?

I'm mainly interested in this time of year at any lake around North Texas. I don't want this to turn into a "what lake are we talking about?" thread. Just looking for how most of you would start out fishing for cats from the bank in an unfamiliar area.

Thanks!

You will probably ALWAYS do better if you fish windblown banks. That is, fishing with the wind in your face if you're fishing from shore. Lots of baits to try but fresh shad is always good. Then you have your array of prepared baits like Secret 7, Big Marvs, etc. Also remember that we are coming up on spawning season for cats so rip rap areas are going to be key right now too.

+1, add frozen shrimp and mr. whiskers to the possible bait list! good luck, the channel cats are really biting good in the shallows right now!

Most importantly, don't cast past the fish....right now you need to be casting parallel to the bank, not perpendicular.

Ever heard the old saying, "the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results"?

That is 100% true when fishing.....don't sit in one place with the same baits tossed out in the same areas and wait for the fish to "turn on" or "come through"....if you haven't had bites in a few minutes try different bait or try casting closer to the bank, closer to structure, etc. If that doesn't work then try moving down the bank 30 yards and start over.

Now is prime time for fishing off the bank....if you can access the areas where the fish are you can catch just as many as the guys in the boat....access and mobility are your achiles heal.

Here is a thread on bankfishing for cats from the Winter I posted on that sums it up best for me:
http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbt..._fr#Post4446127

Right now for Spring,I like to concentrate on shallow bays (8ft & under) with creek channels near .90% of the year I concentrate on locations with some sort of channel or river bed reachable from the bank.The 10% when I do not really focus in on the channel is in Winter when I am looking for deepwater (30ft+).

Thanks guys I really appreciate the info

Look at Tiny's site catfishingtv.net. Lots of really good catfishing stuff that can help you no matter whether you fish from a boat or the bank.

doesn't appear to be a valid site...

any other tips would be appreciated.

TxHeat, a few pointers I could share would be to pick a spot that will put the wind in your face and be blowing into the bank you are fishing from. General catfish behavior can help you pick out spots as well, like knowing in early spring a shallow spot might produce and cold winter days a deep water spot may be good. Locations where creek channels are nearby also give you good odds on finding cats. Google maps or bing map servers are very good for finding parks and spots to fish from and your basic lake map will help with the channels and structure you are looking for.Everything else is about the same as a fellow fishing from a boat except for being able to move around from spot to spot easily and drifting.Surf rods and rod holders made for banking will come into play as you get more involved with bankfishing but other than that,it's pretty simple.Good luck to ya !

Thanks for posting this - was thinking about asking these very questions - but you did it for me!

One of the questions you asked that I didn't see answered so far - what type of rig do you use?

I've often seen cat fishermen fishing on the bottom, but what's the best way to rig it - how much weight, and do you then place one or more treble hooks further up the line?

When the fish are in the shallows do you still fish from the bottom or is there a better method?

Thanks!

If possible fish at night, for that matter, if you can, fish through the night.

If daytime fishing is preferred I'd look for good shelter areas (deep water, log jams, undercut banks) and fish a stink bait nearby under a bobber.

Catfish like to hang out in such sheltered areas during the day and move out to feed more shallow areas as night comes on. A tempting snack fished near a catfish lair will draw it out even at high noon--- if the bait is tempting enough and close enough to be worthwhile.

When they move into the shallow areas as night comes on they frequently are trying to trap bait fish so this is a really good time to use live shad. Stink bait may still work well as the cats simply don't pass up food if it holds any appeal to them. They can be picky eaters however. For this reason some fishermen going after catfish show up with 2-3 different baits and put out several lines each baited differently.

good luck and get back to us! tell us what you tried and the results.
there is no end to the learning on this topic :-)

Shrimp have been doing well with channel cats for me. I'm still trying to catch those elusive blue cat. I just started using cut bait so hopefully I get one soon. I've been casting straight out from the bank as far as I can but maybe I've been casting past the fish. I'll try varying distances now and parallel to the bank.

Thanks for the suggestions.

what do you all mean by "rip rap" areas?

Rocks .... like along the dams and where bridges touch the shore and where they've dumped rocks to shore up the bank.