Daniel Ambrose answers:

Catfish, one of my favorite subjects.

You listed Flathead catfish first, so we can start there. Flatheads tend to be more predatory than scavenger fish so I prefer using live bait. Large minnows, chubs, sunfish, bluegills and even gold fish are all very good baits for Flatheads.

For Channel catfish live bait works as well, but I have personally had my best luck using chicken livers at night. The funny thing about channel cats is that I have actually caught them with crankbaits while bass fishing. It was a heck of a surprise the first time it happened.

For Blue catfish I prefer cut baits that are a little oily such as mackerel, herring and such.

Punch baits, stink baits, blood baits and worms will all catch catfish as well, but I find they are usually best for yellow or black bullheads. Before anyone yells they also work for channel and blue cats as well.

Good luck and I hope you catch a big mess of fish!

Daniel Ambrose answers:

You can catch both pike and bass on a good sized bass spinnerbait.

You’re wasting your time fishing for catfish with lures. Stink baits are the best answer there.

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Well if you do go to the dam (which is what i would do because of the monsters) use live bluegill because large 40-100 pounders sit and wait for a bluegill or any other fish that will fit in their mouth you will also need at least 50lb test because just the current can snap ur line btw if one of these monsters does take ur line (that’s all that under the dam because little guys would die from the current) you will know because they just swallow it instantly Soo hold onto your pole and good luck

Daniel Ambrose answers:

The water which you fish really isn’t the issue to consider. Instead, consider what fish you will be going for and what kind of baits you will be using.

If you’re just a casual Bass and Panfish person, stick with a monofilament line in the 6-10 pound range. You can throw about any bait you want to when staying within this limit, except for heavier baits and deep running baits like jigs or deep diving crankbaits.

If you plan on using deep diving/running or heavy baits, you’ll probably want to up the line a bit. Look into the 12 to 14 pound monofilament.

If you’re going for “teethy” fish like Pike or Musky, you’ll want to at least use a braided leader. I absolutely hate braided line, but sometimes it is necessary. Beware of this stuff though. It will really screw up your rod and reel with time if you’re not careful.

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Taken correctly, you can can drag up rubber boots all day, but rainbow trout and brown trout are the only species of fish that you are allowed to catch and take home. Anything else that you catch must be removed from the line and be put back into the water.

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Most name-brand freshwater tackle will stand up to the salt, as long as you rinse it with fresh water after a day fishing. I’ve caught good fish in the ocean using everything from an 8-pound test freshwater spinning outfit to a heavy 80-pound test trolling outfit. It all depends where you’re going and what you’re after.

For what it’s worth, for a basic inshore trip summer in southern California, I’d recommend a largish spinning or baitcasting outfit, or midsized conventional outfit, with 15-20 pound line, though if larger fish (yellowtail, white seabass) are biting, or if you’re heading offshore for tuna, you might want to go a bit heavier. In other parts of the country your needs will be different.

As for brands, Penn is the old standby, Daiwa and Shimano make high-quality saltwater gear as well.

As for sharks and live bait: Just about every fish will eat live bait (sardines, anchovies, mackerel, etc.) as it’s their natural food. Sharks will eat it, too, but you’re no more likely to get a shark with live vs. Dead bait. Most of the sharks you’re likely to see will be the small, basically harmless bottom-dwellers, these you just unhook and release. If you get a big shark and don’t want it, either break it off beside the boat or clip the line (assuming it hasn’t bit through your line already).

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Dane named it all for u

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Corey has the right answer. The big flatheads like to hit live bait not dead or stinking bait like other catfish prefer. And they often come up on shallow flats to feed at night. A good limb line or stump line baited with a live bream will work great. Use no weight on it and let the bream swim freely. But remember, game fish is not legal to use as bait in most places in the US.

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Flatheads generally prefer live bait. Shad, bluegill, a small carp, etc.
Blues will take live baits also but will generally react to the same baits as a channel cat.
Chunks of fresh gizzard shad or carp works well for both of these.
If you have flatheads and blues, you most likely also have gizzard shad or river herring (bluebacks) available in the same waters. Both are good and oily and make excellent cat bait.

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Best advice I can give you is to use live bait. The flathead prefers live bait unlike other catfish.

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Pike, muslelenge , but they can probably eat a 2lb cat at the most. Lamprey will kill them for sure , maybe snakefish

Daniel Ambrose answers:

Live bait for flatheads :
sunfish, shad, small carp or suckers, small bullhead cats and crayfish.
For channels or blues :
use cut bait like carp, sucker, gizzard shad, even fresh mackerel if you can locate any. Got any S/W fishing friends?
The heavy cover is THE place for these.
Damn!… L live in so cal… Sure wish l lived in the midwest somewhere so l could fish those rivers too!!
How about that red river flooding in ND? Peoples houses are gonna be full of catfish! Although l wish them the best of luck with the flooding!