8/4 Grand report

[RiverKat]

Since we were having some seriously hot weather earlier this week I decided to get out the dip bait again. I has produced well for me in the past during the dog days of Summer. I have'nt been using it at all this Summer as the cut bait bite has been so good for me. I'm glad I tried it again though. We had our 1st fish before I got the 2nd rod in the water. It was a channel cat of about 15 inches. Pretty typical fish for dip bait. I have caught much larger fish on dip baits in the past but on average the dip bait produces much smaller fish than cut bait. The action was good all night for those eater sized channel cats. We put 5 on the stringer that were in the 15 - 20 inch range. Most of my clients call me back to tell me how delicious those small channel cats are. I had some cut bait out all evening too and at 9:00pm we hooked up with a nice 10lb channel cat. That was the biggest fish of the night.

I recomend giving dip baits a try sometime this Summer. If you don't mind going for channel cats only. In my opinion dip baits probably spook flatheads. I've never caught a flathead on live or cut bait when I had a dip in the water. Just my opinion though, I don't know that to be fact. A couple good dip baits to try are Sonnys Super Sticky, and Cat Tracker. I was using Sonny's on friday night and was fishing it on yellow Cat Tracker dip worms. The blood formula seems to be the best one.

Pic of the 10 lb channel cat

Dan

[laidbck111]

nice looking kitty,:lol:

[Flatheadhunter33]

that's one deliciouse looking ctafish!

[Sparky Larson]

That's a nice clean looking cat Dan.
Tell me, what size and kind of hook do you use with your dip worm? Do you use the same kind of rig as you normally do?
Sparky

[RiverKat]

Not the same rig Sparky. I do use the same no roll style sinker, but I use a leader with the dip worm. Most dip worms come with small treble hooks and their own leaders. I buy my dip worms in bulk in various colors so I tie my own leaders on 20 lb test mono and use a 1/0 Gamakatsu circle hook. When your unhooking 20 or more fish the trebles get all bent up and even break off sometimes. Thread on a slip sinker then attach a barrel swivel. Tie a short leader of no more than 12 inches to the swivel, thread on the dip worm, tie on your hook. Make sure the dip bait is stirred up good and push the worm into the bait. Use a stick or some other tool to do this. You don't want this stuff on your hands. Cast the bait out and let it sit. If you don't get a hit within 15 minutes ( which is unusual ) reel it in. You need to completely dry the worm off before rebaiting it. I keep a couple towels in the boat just for this. Once you dry the dip worm off repeat the baiting process. As far as color of dip worm I have always had good luck on yellow. I've also caught fish on flourescent green, purple, and black. I don't think it matters much what color the worm is as long as it delivers the dip bait properly. Experiment with a couple different brands of dip bait. I keep at least two varieties with me when I'm going to be fishing with exclusively dip bait. Most dip bait companies make several different flavors. Blood is always a good one. Cat Tracker makes one called Jo Jo's Pole Snatcher that works awesome. I believe it's a cheese based bait. The first time I used it was about 8 years ago in late March. I caught so many fish on it I immediately ordered half a dozen tubs from the factory. I've caught fish up to 20 lbs on it in Apri/May. If your after a bunch of eater size cats and don't mind not catching a flathead dip bait is the way to go during the dog days of Summer.

Dan

[bwanatony]

Good info!
Thanks for sharing!

[Sparky Larson]

Thanks for sharing the dip bait info Dan, not to mention the rigging. I have some blood bait laying around my garage some place. I have used it in the past with some success, but I must admit the smell is enough to make you go back to crawlers or shrimp. I thinik I'll give it a try on the Cass river one of these nights.
Sparky

[RiverKat]

I agree the smell is pretty bad. The results often are enough to justify it's use. It's also good on Ritz crackers!!!!!:lol:

Dan

[bwanatony]

On Sunday the 6th, I caught a 9.5# flathead and a 4.4# channel before it even got dark! (Found a new spot, too).
I thought I was in for a big night, but that was the end of it.
I quit at 11:30 and went home, it was still 82 degrees out.
The flat ate a huge live bluegill, and the channel ate a fresh cut half-a-bluegill.
I hope we get some rain & cooler weather over the next 2 weeks, and I hope the 19th is cloudy, high of 72, low of 58, and theres a threat of a scattered shower.

[Sparky Larson]

Good God Tony, You're not asking for much! LOMA
Sparky

[bwanatony]

Sparky-

Plan for the worst, hope for the best!

Happy Anniversary!

[Sparky Larson]

Sparky-

Plan for the worst, hope for the best!

Happy Anniversary!
Thanks Tony,
I'll, thinking of you fellas when I'm out in New England.
Sparky