When Will The Cats Start Bitin?!

[troutman11]

Hey guys I love catfishing but don't know much bout the actual catfish anyone know when they will start becoming more active and biting more I assume it's just when it warms up a bit I'm planning to try to make it out to a park on the meremac by my house sometime soon just wanted to get some input from you guys to see If they are biting mow if I need to wait a lil longer and also what to use I will probably be using chicken liver or live bluegill... Any help would be great!! Thanks!!

[kevthebassman]

Maybe others can chime in, but I have never, and I mean NEVER, had good luck on the Meramec it's self around St. Louis fishing for cats. Too much fishing pressure, too many assholes who will cut your limb lines and steal your trot lines, and it's just a general mess. That's just my personal opinion though.

If you can find a quiet slough or some strip pits, you can hook up with some quality cats. I would recommend live shiners, the biggest you can find. Bluegill will work, but not as well as shiners, from what I have seen. One thing that works in warmer weather is whenever it rains over central MO and the river is on the rise, casting big night crawlers a couple feet off the bank.

[aftersh0ck]

may is a good time to start, all kinds of baits work since they are hungry and moving up thinking about the spawn. minnows and baitfish are good in the spring. i also use shrimp or dehydrated hot dogs. where on the river do you plan on fishing, and are you going for channel, blue or flathead?

[Smalliebigs]

you can ctach cats already you just have to know where to go.you really need a boat to fish the Meramec effectively for cats, you need good sonar to find the contours in the channel where they are holding.i have found in the last two decades blue cats have been coming in from the Mississippi more, all the way up to Eureka.the biggest i have caught thus far is 39 pounds,on the Meramec.with the blues came Skip jack Herring witch is what you want to use for bait.you should either fish for them with skippy jigs or cast net them.cut skippy's are the best bait for Blues but, cuy anything works.there is a good hole below hwy 44 towards george winter, good moving water about 8 foot that drops to 15 to 18 and it holds logs and debri.there is another good hole just above the old hwy 30 bridge water goes from 6 foot to 15 and the is a water outtake there, very good cat hole.another one is just below the hwy 141 bridge.all of these spots are hard to hit without a boat.i have several spots on the Mississippi and Missouri that will produce trophy Blues all the time.......pm me and i might run you over to one if you ask nice.......p.s. we need several skip jack herring to catch the big ones...over 50lbs.

[Smalliebigs]

you can catch cats already you just have to know where to go.you really need a boat to fish the Meramec effectively for cats, you need good sonar to find the contours in the channel where they are holding.i have found in the last two decades blue cats have been coming in from the Mississippi more, all the way up to Eureka.the biggest i have caught thus far is 39 pounds,on the Meramec.with the blues came Skip jack Herring witch is what you want to use for bait.you should either fish for them with skippy jigs or cast net them.cut skippy's are the best bait for Blues but, cuy anything works.the Meramec has Flathead but they hold so tight the laydowns you have to be right on them as they leave to hunt for food.there is a good hole below hwy 44 towards george winter, good moving water, a large bluff is on the north side of the river that has a hole about 8 foot that drops to 15 to 18 and it holds logs and debri.there is another good hole just above the old hwy 30 bridge water goes from 6 foot to 15 and the is a water outtake there, very good cat hole.another one is just below the hwy 141 bridge.all of these spots are hard to hit without a boat.i have several spots on the Mississippi and Missouri that will produce trophy Blues all the time.......pm me and i might run you over to one if you ask nice.......p.s. we need several skip jack herring to catch the big ones...over 50lbs.