Howdy folks!

[Nightstalker 424]

Hey everyone. I was recently directed to this site and am impressed. I took my first trip to the river a few weeks ago. I managed a few channels but missed out on the bigger flatheads. I'm heading back down there this Saturday night. I'm thinking about going further south and trying out the Palo Verde area.

I was told to fish the drainage ditches. The ones I saw couldn't have been more than a couple of feet deep. Am I overthinking this or should I look for deeper ones? Also, I managed to catch a couple of Gills but had them die out on my pretty quick while in my bucket. The goldfish I had lived but were pretty sluggish. Any tips on keeping the bait alive? Thanks everyone and I'm looking forward to participating on the board.

[daystarchis]

Welcome Sean to the BOC brother:wink:

[Mo.Hick]

Welcome to the BOC Sean from Mo. Dont ever underestamate the shallow water bite.

Tom

[catfishscotty]

same here welcome to the BOC :big_smile: good luck ..

tons of friendly folks on here and endless information enjoy !!!!!:wink:

and congrats on your fish ya caught ...

[azcataholic]

Welcome Sean to the BOC. You will find some answers here. You might want to check the library on this site. Good Luck!

[Nightstalker 424]

Thanks. Mo and CatfishScotty, I have an Uncle that was stationed in Knob Noster and would take me catfishing below Truman Dam. Good times there!! Those Missouri cats sure put up a fight!!!

[Catgirl]

Hi Sean! Welcome to the Brotherhood of Catfishermen family. We're glad to have you! :big_smile:

[bluejay]

Another welcome to the BOC Sean.

[jagdoctor1]

Welcome man. Yeah the drainage ditches are better if they have some more water in them.. however you'd be surprised at how little water can hold a biggo flathead. There are tons of gills talapia and bass trapped in there and the flathead don't have to do all that much work to eat. Go south more down by or below Palo Verde and you can find some larger canals.

[Jollymon]

Sean welcome to the BOC from N.C. you have found the best catfishing site on the web, great info ,but best of all the people on here r the greatest

[Snagged2]

Don't worry about the shallow water,, It makes it a bit easier if you have to go untangle one!!
I pulled fish out of the canals and the main channel this past weekend,, Just take your pic!!

Regarding the bait,, they need fresh water, cool water, clean water..
some use Bubblers, and they work OK, but in the summer they don't keep it cool.
I take a 5 gal bucket, like from laundry detergent, drill a bunch of holes in it. tie a rope on it, and toss it in whatever water you're fishing in,,,, after securing the lid:wink: A recent modification-improvement to that system is to drill holes only halfway around, so it doesn't leak towards you, or in your boat..I also, don't drill below about a 4" waterline, so it will hold some water if need be. handy to have a non-holy bucket to put the holy bucket in, if you decide to move to another area..I don't have a "baitwell" other than that.. It's not perfect, but, it works..

Also,, Welcome to the BOC!!:smile2:

[plumbertom1]

Welcome to the BOC, Sean. Glad to see you made it.

[Mickey]

Sean Welcome to the BOC, from So. Illinois. Check out the BOC library whe nyou get time. Lots of good fishing info.:0a23::0a25::0a25:

[CatMan(Cali)]

Welcome to the BOC from Fresno Cali. Maybe I'll see you down in Blythe.

[Catpaw]

Sean welcome to the BOC

[Nightstalker 424]

All, I truly appreciate the warm welcome. Such an atmosphere makes it that much easier to ask what may be a silly question to some. Jag and Snagged, thanks for the tips. I will try both this weekend for sure. Mickey, I was supposed to be studying for a promotional exam today but ended up in the library for most of it!!! Great stuff in there!!! Once again thanks for the hospitality!

[Nightstalker 424]

Hey Catman, have you been to McClure recently by chance? The lake was almost gone the last time I went there! Let me know if you get down this way!

[BIGCATFISH64]

Welcome to the family brother!!!!

[catfisherman369]

Welcome to the BOC Sean

[rrssmith]

greetings and salutations from the lovely central valley

[bluehunter]

Greetings from the Wood, Ingle Inglewood. :big_smile:

[gilmafam]

Sean...:wink: Welcome to the BOC... You'll like the folks here.. and the info that you will gain from the various parts of the sites....

From the beach at LA... Bayrunner Ray

[shania]

:0a25: Sean to the B.O.C.,
:worship:"You have now arrived" (lol)
:wink::0a23:

[CatMan(Cali)]

Hey Catman, have you been to McClure recently by chance? The lake was almost gone the last time I went there! Let me know if you get down this way!
I haven't had a chance to fish McClure this year yet, but I always go at least once a year. It is one of those hidden gems. A very beautiful lake with plenty of scenery and wildlife. The fishing is awesome. Just a ton of fish in that lake. I've caught catfish, bass, and carp all in the same day. The crappie and trout fishing are very good too. I'm sure nobody cares about catching a carp, but it was still fun and they fight good. Love that lake. I think that is one that Bluehunter and KnotGillty would love. The lake was a little low the last couple years, but the good fishing has always been consistent.