ive been a member for a while (a year or so) ive read alot of the stuff from this site over the time and im having a hard time catching these stocked channel cat out of my job lake. me and the boys (my 2 kids) go at least three times a week some times twice a day my oldest boy 5 is geting tired but the youngest loves to fish like me. were only trying to catch some eaters i have a lot of gear, no boat but thay do have a lot of docks ive tryed all of them some times ived fish for 8 or more hrs trying to find them,throwing everthing ive ever read or hered of from shad sides, sonnys stick bait,chicken livers,to some of the stuff ive read on here. some tips would be nice(like bait,rigging style, things to look for while im out there) please dont tell me hotdogs, or some kind of homemade cheese stuff,ive tryed alot. one thing i make sure and do move around alot of docks. i know there in there because there stocked and the lake opens at 7am untill 8pm so if anybody can help i would be greatly thankful ps this lake is not really big but there have been some 8,10lbs channel cat out of there, is it to earily for stink bait,or chicken livers are thay deep please help.
Can I ask why you dont go elsehwhere? If you were to invest that kind of time at a river or bigger lake you would probably have a better time and alot more fish.If you are wantin to stick with where you are at all I can suggest is keep movin, trying different bait and keep at least one pole on a slip rig to catch the ones that arent on bottom. Also if there is a feeder fish as close to it as possible.
First question I would have is are they fed?? If so they may have gotten trained to the feeders only. I've seen farms on ponds that when catfish are fed regularly most of the fish would not bite except the feed they are being fed. If they are not being fed then you need to figure out what their food source is and acquire that and fish with the food source that is not strange to them. Also they may feed alot more at night than in the day. Here's a tip for you if they are fed from feeders or someone goes out and feeds them buy some fish food and throw some out when the fish goes to feeding have your rods ready and cast out using either soft chewy dog food or marshmellows. Good Luck
Already so good advice from Kevin & Kyle Here's my two cents. Do you see anyone catching fish ? if so i would either ask them or watch and see what they are doing and what bait they are using. Being they stock it there might not be a lot of spawing fish in there but should be a few.If there is a rock dam I would be fishing it real soon and see if the are any cats trying to spawn on it. Or if there is some logs/brush/stick-up anywhere on the lake i would be trying them areas as well. As it gets a little warmer go buy some soy beans and fill a 5 gallon bucket about 1/3 full then fill it with water.Put a lid on it loose and let set in the sun for about a week. The day before you want to fish off one of the docks go throw about 6-7coffee cans full around the dock.When you come to fish throw a couple can full out again and drop some sonnys down with a treble hook and small split shot.Fish it about a foot off the bottom on a fast action rod and hold on.Has soon as you see the tip move set the hook. Good luck Greg
Right now they should start eating pretty good. With all the rain we have been having your best bet would be where the water runs in. A creek or any place where there is a constant water flow. Them channels will get right up in there and feed. The harder the water is running in the closer they will be to it. As the water starts to fade out the channels will fade back. Don't be afraid to cast your line into 6 inches of water. How big is this lake?
I can't add any better advice than the brothers have given you already. My question is why do you bother with a lake that seems unproductive? Kansas is blessed with amazing catfishing waters and the water is warming up to where the wild, unfed cats are looking for something to munch on. Look around on the map and pick a state fishing lake that has less pressure on it and a good rating from KDWP. I bet just some nightcrawlers in the late afternoon would set you fellers up fine off one of those made for bank fishing points that they used to let you drive up on. Hey, here's a thought: Why not come to Osage SFL next weekend and let the Kansas BOC folks advise you to the edge of boredom while you get to catch some of the channels in that lake? Bring the little guys, too. If we can't get you hooked up with a fish or two they would get a boat ride to remember at least!
Great advice from everybody. Are you sure there are still fish in there? I agree with michael, come to osage.
thanks everybody the only reason i go there is i see pepole cathcing them and its kinda close for other lakes here in wichita i havent had much luck eather.im not new to catchfishing,but when i do catch one theres no other fun like it, i told my wife its better than (you know what) she started laughing and said you dont seem to have much luck with that eaither(cathing fish) i could only laugh to. i might have to take u guys up on that offer out at osage i dont have many friends and it sure would be nice to lurn how you guys do it, insted of wasting money and time trying to find out.like i said thanks to all you guys and if you know some good waters not to far from wichita let me know. im going to try this afternew since its kind of nice..and also the lake is not too big (about the size of kdot here. p.s i love this site.you guys are great..:roll_eyes:
Definately try and make it to Osage. You will have a great time and have a good shot at catchin some nice channels. You will also meet some great people who know their stuff when it comes to cattin. I fish in and around Wichita but mainly only fish rivers here. There is some good fishin you just have to look real hard to find it sometimes. Just keep at and it will pay off. You have already proven to be more patient than most.
COME ON DOWN!! (I mean up). Besides the fishin', we are having a floor show (J.J.) and no cover charge!!
JJ Uncovered! Mark, you fiend! I got the bugeyes jus' thinkin' of it... Years of therapy wasted. Years more to come. And the tight white jacket.
i'll loan ya one of mine Mike. im gatherin too many from me goin from facility to facility :big_smile:
Greg, ditto here, can't really add anything to improve on the comments already made. I suggest you try to make it to Osage next weekend, If at all possible, coming may not help you out with your problem at the lake your currently fishing, but you'll meet some great folks, learn some new techniques and more'n likely catch some Catfish.
Can't really add more to whats been said. Unless its to try and use a bait native to the water your fishing.
if you want some fast action chumming with soybeans or milo aged to perfection in the hot Kansas sun will keep the little guys interested and the channels biting. My 5 year old is not very patient but last year I put him on the channels around a feeder and he caught 35 between 2-8 lbs in 3 hours. Of course i didn't want to leave I had plenty of bait left. But his arms were getting sore from fighting all the fish. Kids get bored quickly so don't force them to stay out too long. Get a couple of 5 gallon buckets go to the feed store... whole milo is easier to get if you're in the city and it doesn't smell near as bad as the soybeans if you have neighbors. Just give 'em some fresh catfish fillets and they will quit complaining. with milo you fill the bucket 2/3 full of grain cover it with water and cap it off loosely.Takes about 2 weeks to cook the milo 1 week for soybeans to ferment. There's 10 buckets cooking off behind my shed right now ooh the aroma ....the bouquet . Makes me wanna go fishing check the kdwp website for fishing forcast pick the lake in your area with the highest concentration of kitties and head out. The state spends a lot of money shocking and doing creel surveys might as well use that info to your advantage. good luck
if its a small pond or lake i have always caught channels and flaties of of the bank in about 4ft of water right behind the bait fish
Hey I used to fish Kdot east alot in the summer time and that was a stocked and fed pond. I'm not sure which one you are fishing at, but I've fished that kdot east and a few other ponds around Wichita and I always used worms. At kdot east I would go to the north western side where that feeder was and I'd get my worm as close to the feeder as I could. Someone told me once that when you fish those smaller ponds always go to the side that the wind usually blows towards. I think they also said the reason is because the wind blows all the trash and stuff to that side where the channels scavenge for food. I don't know if that is all true, but I do know that worms seemed to work the best in those feeder ponds.
Try chuming with soybeans it really works well! Or any grain (beans just sour the fastest, Wheat and Milo also work well)
