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I am planning a trip to the river this weekend, as the weather is calling for 5 ft seas now. [  ]
I know ahead of time the water is way up, and I would have a very slim chance of catching any live bait. I called the tackle store here in Florence to see if they had live bait, and they did of course. What tripped me out is that they sell goldfish for bait. [unimpressed] I've never heard of using goldfish for bait. From what the guy at the tackle store said, they are suppose to be the "hot bait" for catfish now. Personally, i've never seen anything that worked as good as a big crappie for a monster flathead. Have any of you guys heard of using goldfish for bait?
Oh, they are 6 dollars a dozen, which I thought was pretty good. They are something like 5 inches long or so, and he said they have a fat belly.
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wait til PETA finds out about this[cool]
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[  ] That probably would upset some of the PETA members, consequently, it's not illegal to use a sterotypically known "pet fish species" for bait. Infact, it's my understanding that they are farm raised specifically for use for bait. But, in essence of the word, bait is bait. Rather it's Menhaden, mullet, shad, or in this case goldfish. And I will admit, in my humble opinion, a fish is a fish. [  ] And if the goldfish taunt the big kitties on the hook, then so be it. [cool] I'll fork out 12 bucks for a dozen to land a few monsters. It's easier than spending 3 hours in high water trying to catch a few bream.[  ]
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You know, now that you mention it, I think I remember reading that he used goldfish in one of his posts back in the day. Thanks for the reminder.
He does post some awesome cat pictures. I'll be adding a few big ones up there, one for the up and comming 16 species contest. I'd like to put up a nice 50 or 60 pounder anyhow.
Santee Cooper is right up the road, and I know I could land 5 50 pounders a day, but I don't know the water that good, and they are in the trees right now. I value my boat too much to go riding around the stumps when I don't know the water. [ ]
We got a 62 pounder out of little pee dee last season, and caught numerous over the 20 pound mark. My biggest was right around 45. The father in law got the big one. You should have seen the on his face.
Thanks for your inputs Guest. Please take a moment and register with the site. We'd like to see more of your insights in the future. Once you register, you can send private messages, enter free contests, and lots of other great benefits.
Bryan D.
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ok to use goldfish by me anything to help get a fish on the line just being a little sarcastic bout peta they oppose fishing too bunch of kooks with too much time on their hands
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LOL [sly] I thought I detected a hint of sarcasm, but I figured i'd play it safe as to not offend you. [cool] I was thinking a seasoned angler as yourself and PETA wouldn't have much in common. I actually looked those guys up after your post. It seems they are all vegitarians and don't believe in harming any animal. Sorry all you PETA people, but I use live fish for bait, I LOVE jerkey made from deer meat, and I like my steak Med Rare. [ ]
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LOL, how about pass the Wasabi? [ ]
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In ohio, Goldfish is one of the most prefered baits for catching shovel head or you call them flat heads. My brother-n-law had a bait shop and that was his biggest seller. It also helpped that we lived a few miles from the Muskingum river, known for the catfish. The Goldfish is able to endure the current and has great action all the time. Hook them right behind the top fin on the tail side and they go crazy. They seem to last longer than blue gill or croppie.
Saltwaterron i am ready to go fishin
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[cool]Thanks for the info Jimmy, and welcome to the Bigfishtackle.com message boards! I was actually going to ask where the usual spot for hooking them was. Sometimes hooking them through the lips is the prefered method. I suppose it depends more on your method for fishing.
Like in Santee Cooper for instance. Alot of the time, the guys are drifting with live bait and a "slinky" weight. On the occasion you're drifting, hooking the bait through the lips or eyes would be most efficient. When I drift for flounder on the reef, I hook my mullet minnow through the eyes, and if i'm using mud minnows, I hook them through the lips from bottom to top. (keeps the barb off the snaggs)
Are you still in Ohio, or have you migrated to the Carolina's? I've met alot of anglers from Ohio that came to Myrtle Beach for vacation and decided to make it home. LOL, can't blame them, the out skirts of MB, like garden city and murrells inlet, is a nice place to be; especially if you like good food and fishing. [ ]
Thanks again for your inputs wrightman!
Bryan D.
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this young man is an ohio transplant for now he is a big time catfish man i have got him hooked on the saltwater thing he's a good guy though young lol he prefers to eat the goldfish instead of using them for bait (could be rumor though) i'm ready to go fishing too jimmy boy[cool]
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Thank you for the welcome. As ron stated, i am in the carolinas. The main reason for the hook in the back is to allow the bait to swim free. You have to watch how deep you hook it or they will die. We will hook a run chub or sucker through the lips. Another good bait but hard to get is what we call a Red Eye, they are sorta like a blue gill but much hardier. Great action
My roommate's dad has a place on the santee. I have not been down there, but really need to go and catch a monster cat. Not sure how or where to go. He is not into the big fish well i guess his tackle is not capable to catch a big one. He has caught a couple around the 10-15 pound range. I figure the same concept to a point. I may go with him this weekend any suggestions.
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Oh yes, I always hook my fish in the back when i'm still fishing. Usually, if you stay above the latteral line, you're OK. But that rule only applies to certain species. The trick is to stay away from the spine. [ ]
If you can get your hands on some live crappie, you're golden. Flatheads know what tastes best, and if it tastes good to us, it tastes good to them. LOL[ ]
Santee is a tricky river/lake system to fish. It can be very treacherous for the unknowing, and it's best to stay on the beaten path. On the SC DNR website, there are GPS numbers to all the fish attractors. This can prove to be a handy resource. This is the link:
[url "http://www.dnr.sc.gov/fish/fishattract/fishattr.html"]http://www.dnr.sc.gov/fish/fishattract/fishattr.html[/url]
I suggest you also buy a Marine map of Santee. It not only has the GPS numbers to the attractors, but it's a great reference to the holes and for navigation purposes for newbies to the water. The map will cost you a wopping 10 bucks if I remember correctly. Fishing from the bank might be boring and uneventful, it just really depends on where you are at and what's going on under the water with in casting distance. If it's really shallow, you've got a better chance getting a kitty at night. In most bodies of water, catfish move to the shallows at night to feed.
You may want to take a few containers of chicken liver with you as well. A little trick is to freeze it solid before you head out. It works just as good frozen, and it will stay on the hook better. If there are any channel cats with in the area, you're bound to get some action. Don't think channels are all small. The world record came out of Santee years ago, over 60 pounds. [cool]
I don't know what else to tell you accept good luck. I'll make sure and let you guys know how I do Saturday with the goldfish. [ ]
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LOL, well, i've been known to eat the bait on slow days too. [ ] Infact, this particular time I was infact at Santee fishing from the bank. I was using fresh shrimp for bait. We hadn't had a bite the entire time and we got hungry. LOL, we built a fire, shoved a few shrimp on a stick and began to fire roast the bait. You know, it wasn't half bad, even with out the cocktail sauce. [cool]
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That's really making me feel more confident about them for bait. I got to use them the other week, but didn't get a bite. However, I also had bream in the water too, so, I don't think it was the bait. THe water was very high, so i'm thinking the fish either weren't there or they weren't hungry. Thanks for sharing your input T bone! [cool]
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They carry them at my local bait shop too. They are in the carp family so I reackon the cats think they are baby carp? Might be worth a try, I think I'll take a few out to the river next time I go crappie fishing and and bring a catfish rod with me.
Matt
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I didn't think of them being in the carp family, but it makes sense. They are much more spunky than a carp, or even a bream. They are constantly on the go, and thier shiney color isn't so bad either. They really stand out in the water. It would make it easy for a cat to see them in the black water here. I've been skunked the last two trips using them, including this past weekend. LOL, but I don't blame the bait because I had bream and shiners in the water too and didn't get a hit on any of the lines. I just think the weather and water level needs to equalize before anything kicks off. How's the fishing down your way in GA?
Thanks for dropping in Matt! [cool]
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