Catfish info
- Thread starter Skuimkop
- Start date
Ill post my chicken bomb when i find the picture. # day olds on a nice big old 12/0 circle hook. Personally i do not believe in leaving the skin on, or the wings head and feet. Reason behind taking off these parts is hook obstruction. I've snagged a wing and what not more times than i care to mention. For me leaving the skin on and making it look natural will work, but for me the way the barbel hones in on its prey this is not neccessary. When skuim floats the bait, yes in clear water you will need it to look natural, as the barbel is using sight to find its prey. But in dirty water i cast a skinned day old under a tree and they hit it almost as it lands using the vibration from the bird landing to find its food. In looking and researching different catfish species over the years certain trends pop out, mainly when we look at the eyes, a catfish like the piriaba of the amazon or the phemba in the congo they use sight to hunt, whiskers are short. Our barbel has small eys and over developed whiskers, along with the fact the skin is loaded with taste receptors our barbel are mainly finding food by smell or vibration. So i skin my day old especially because of this. If you look closely at the day old when you skin it, you will see fat under the skin. What is fat made up of? Most importantly what is the catfish looking for in its prey? PROTEIN PROTEIN PROTEIN. So just by taking of the skin we put a scent in the water off the fat. But the biggest scent from a day old is from blood and the egg sack. By removing the head of the bird i open up a cavity down its neck into the organ cavity, this means lots of blood once it defrosts and also scent from the guts and organs. When we cut open the stomach you release the egg yolk from the bird, this is the embriotic sack that it feeds on while growing in the egg. This is loaded with protein and is an amazing way to get scent into the water. This is also a reason i sking the bird. I personally believe this part if the bird is a semi permeable membrane. This has been proven to me time and time again when small fish or eels are present in my fishing area. Ever had a tug on a day old and than nothing? Every single day old i have a small run on that i have taken out the water has had the egg yolk or stomach removed. The fish ate the egg yolk and than left the rest of the bird alone. It used its highly developed smell and scent receptors to find where on the bird the tasty smell of protein was coming from, removed it and went off. So this tells me the fish could smell the egg sack. It was releasing scent and the fish followed that scent trail to the source. So this brings me back to skinning it and why i disagree with cutting open the stomach. I can create a scent trail by removing the head and skin, and can than create a scent trail that will last for hours by leaving the stomach intact. Immediate scent with blood and fat and a slow gradual scent with the stomach. If i open the stomach i think we release to much scent to soon. Once its gone, its gone. As it sinks the egg yolf will leave the body, even while you cast it will fall out. So most of that good scent never ends up where you want it and is gone very quickly after the bird lands in the water. This will be great if there are fish really close to your bait, but if you dont have them close than you need to rely on scent being spread around, ad you need that fish to follow the scent to your bait. If all that yolk has left the body and is not close to the bird leading the fish there like a road than you will miss fish and also your bite rate will decrease rapidly. If fishing in current you will be sunk before you start as all the scent will wash down stream with no connection to the bait. In a bomb i will cut open one of the 3 day olds i use to create that huge initial scent trail in the water. But i leave the other ones as i want the slow relases and trial to last.
Anyway just my 2 cence. Will try post my bomb today.
Anyway just my 2 cence. Will try post my bomb today.
Hi guys
I'm kinda new at barbel fishing, have been twice but have had great success!
Firstly I referred to some carp and saltwater fishing ideas to formulate the strategy I used.
The first time I caught over 40 barbel and the second time I caught about 30 in one night sessions...
When it comes to day old chicks, this is what I did!
I bought 100 day olds from a chicken farm.
I took 30 and blended them up in a blender with some water... I also like to add chicken livers in this mix maybe 3x 500g tubs
( I do not use livers for bait! Have not caught anything using it)
This makes a nice bloody gooey mess.
Then take 20 to 30 of them and chop them up into pieces. Mix with blended ones.
I froze it in ice trays to make blocks. The rest I put into little tubs with rocks in to weigh them down.
So the theory is the blended ones emit a lot of flavour/smell into the water... The pieces is there to stimulate feeding and for them to taste.
I fish the vaal river so I fish the margins, under trees and about 15m in.
Firstly you want to throw one tub of frozen pieces in a few feet from the bank... Then I will throw my baits in. Usually 2 rods.
I simply hook it threw the stomach. But I smash it up a bit with a rock first so that it's a bit mushy.
The ice cubes I made I will throw one in a little up river as they usually float. The melt quick releasing scent ant pieces all over. I'll throw on or two blocks ever half hour.
Now, this usually attracts the smaller size ones first...
So I put one rod in the mix and one rod 15m out this rod usually gets the bigger class fish.
Now once I have my first small barbel I'll fillet him and use a whole side fillet on a 2 hook rig. This is normally too heavy for my rod but a kind of swing it in. So it's not too far from the side usually in all the chaos. This bait gets ignored by little barbel but the big ones love it. This can lie for hours while your catching on day olds.
For all my rigs I use a simple sliding sinker rig. Round sinker on main line, swivel with 60cm leader to hook.
For the fillet I have one fixed hook and one sliding hook.
Fishing time is early evening and I find around 10pm/11pm is when you catch frequently.
Season was spring and late summer (2 trips 2013/14)
I hope this helps someone out!
I'm kinda new at barbel fishing, have been twice but have had great success!
Firstly I referred to some carp and saltwater fishing ideas to formulate the strategy I used.
The first time I caught over 40 barbel and the second time I caught about 30 in one night sessions...
When it comes to day old chicks, this is what I did!
I bought 100 day olds from a chicken farm.
I took 30 and blended them up in a blender with some water... I also like to add chicken livers in this mix maybe 3x 500g tubs
( I do not use livers for bait! Have not caught anything using it)
This makes a nice bloody gooey mess.
Then take 20 to 30 of them and chop them up into pieces. Mix with blended ones.
I froze it in ice trays to make blocks. The rest I put into little tubs with rocks in to weigh them down.
So the theory is the blended ones emit a lot of flavour/smell into the water... The pieces is there to stimulate feeding and for them to taste.
I fish the vaal river so I fish the margins, under trees and about 15m in.
Firstly you want to throw one tub of frozen pieces in a few feet from the bank... Then I will throw my baits in. Usually 2 rods.
I simply hook it threw the stomach. But I smash it up a bit with a rock first so that it's a bit mushy.
The ice cubes I made I will throw one in a little up river as they usually float. The melt quick releasing scent ant pieces all over. I'll throw on or two blocks ever half hour.
Now, this usually attracts the smaller size ones first...
So I put one rod in the mix and one rod 15m out this rod usually gets the bigger class fish.
Now once I have my first small barbel I'll fillet him and use a whole side fillet on a 2 hook rig. This is normally too heavy for my rod but a kind of swing it in. So it's not too far from the side usually in all the chaos. This bait gets ignored by little barbel but the big ones love it. This can lie for hours while your catching on day olds.
For all my rigs I use a simple sliding sinker rig. Round sinker on main line, swivel with 60cm leader to hook.
For the fillet I have one fixed hook and one sliding hook.
Fishing time is early evening and I find around 10pm/11pm is when you catch frequently.
Season was spring and late summer (2 trips 2013/14)
I hope this helps someone out!
BigLes wrote:
Great post - just to go bit in detail of preparing "day old chicks ice blocks"
I was thinking to pour that gooey mass into empty yogurt containers (1L) and then freeze it , and with that per-bait area.
Now we have to put some small pebbles or small rocks into a that mass so it does not float after being frozen - but how much is needed to make it sink ?
Would old meat mincer be more easier to do this job - meaning less messy as i would not add any water ?
And the last , you have to make this that does not cost too much . How much are the chicks at the farm ?
Chicken intestines can be also bought reasonably cheap and also be minced together.
Hi Les
Great post - just to go bit in detail of preparing "day old chicks ice blocks"
I was thinking to pour that gooey mass into empty yogurt containers (1L) and then freeze it , and with that per-bait area.
Now we have to put some small pebbles or small rocks into a that mass so it does not float after being frozen - but how much is needed to make it sink ?
Would old meat mincer be more easier to do this job - meaning less messy as i would not add any water ?
And the last , you have to make this that does not cost too much . How much are the chicks at the farm ?
Chicken intestines can be also bought reasonably cheap and also be minced together.
I use old margarine containers, so using yogurt containers is the same concept!
I wish I had a mincer, so that I wouldn't have to cut them up as that is usually quite messy! I would still use a blender as that finely blended pieces as they are easy moved with the current so spreading and attracting through smell.
The minced pieces will stay in the general area you want them obviously depending on current. These little pieces keep the fish in the area!
You need a good amount of rocks, I usually try cover the bottom or use a single rock that is heavy. Don't overdo it as ice isn't extremely bouyant.
Buying from fishing shops is ridiculous! They add heavy mark ups!
Call a few chicken farms and ask them. Prices vary from place to place but anything from R30 to R100 for 100 day olds is the general price.
I think this is cheap and normally buy a few boxes at a time...
I wish I had a mincer, so that I wouldn't have to cut them up as that is usually quite messy! I would still use a blender as that finely blended pieces as they are easy moved with the current so spreading and attracting through smell.
The minced pieces will stay in the general area you want them obviously depending on current. These little pieces keep the fish in the area!
You need a good amount of rocks, I usually try cover the bottom or use a single rock that is heavy. Don't overdo it as ice isn't extremely bouyant.
Buying from fishing shops is ridiculous! They add heavy mark ups!
Call a few chicken farms and ask them. Prices vary from place to place but anything from R30 to R100 for 100 day olds is the general price.
I think this is cheap and normally buy a few boxes at a time...
What we have done before (single use and not going all out for prebaiting an area) as well is to freeze a good size bait let's say a fish head (rigged with a clip swivel) of 1-2 kilos inside a 5 liter ice cream bucket. We then would drop it off or wade in and throw it in deeper (that will be water in the range of min 1,6 meters) on the one side out of the way near structures or the riverbed where possible. Yes this lures the smaller Cats but they still can't pick that big bait up. You then decide/quess when you think all the chum is unfrozen and loose from your bait and drag it 3 to 5 meters out of the feeding area where the bigger boys is hanging out on the 'rim' of your feeding spot. Only down side is this bait lies for a long time before being picked up but it delivers you the bigger Cats.
Some great ideas here , definitely going to try over the coming weeks . Fishing at the Vaal River was horrible this weekend , the weather wasn't playing along. Only managed a rat barbel of about 3,5 Kg on a day old . Didn't catch any carp on Saturday night so couldn't put out a head or do a presentation for this thread , caught 6 carp between 3 and 5 kgs on Sunday before we left but wasn't going to chop them up just for the sake of it lol I like the idea of mincing day olds for chum to get some tempo fishing , Ive got 2 rigs with 8lb braid and Ultra Lite Ugly Stiks that is made for that type of fishing!
Off to the lower Orange for a week next week, fingers crossed going to target the 20kg plus guys on BEEG Baits
Off to the lower Orange for a week next week, fingers crossed going to target the 20kg plus guys on BEEG Baits
I have also considered for loner sessions of more than 1 night when its difficult to keep things frozen, wouldn't taking the mess of blended goodies in 2 litre bottles and taking your usual mielie bomb and then mixing the 2 when you need them?
Because Ice wont last long, and if you let the bomb soak the mixture for a while, it should theoretically absorb it allow a long term slow release?
Does that make sense?
Because Ice wont last long, and if you let the bomb soak the mixture for a while, it should theoretically absorb it allow a long term slow release?
Does that make sense?