{"id":7472,"date":"2026-04-11T23:00:55","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T22:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/?p=7472"},"modified":"2026-04-11T23:00:55","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T22:00:55","slug":"how-to-catch-channel-catfish-and-why-you-should-target-them-this-spring","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pe-ts.fun\/?p=7472","title":{"rendered":"How to Catch Channel Catfish \u2014 and Why You Should Target Them This Spring"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Flatheads and blue catfish hog the spotlight. At least that\u2019s the way I see it. I understand that both of those species grow much bigger than the lowly channel catfish, making for better Instagram fodder and sorer arms. People travel great distances to target those other species, often forgetting about the channel cats right in their home waters. I\u2019ll admit that I didn\u2019t pay much attention to the channels in my backyard growing up. It wasn\u2019t until the Covid pandemic that that I truly learned how to catch channel catfish like a pro.<\/p>\n

During those first few months, it was such a treat to be out on the water for a day that I didn\u2019t want to go home. So, instead of just catching American shad and throwing plugs for striped bass<\/a> I like always did, I extended my days by cutting some of those shad up and putting in some dedicated channel cat time. I always knew my home river, the Delaware, was loaded with them, but I didn\u2019t know just how special the population was and how springtime is the right time to hook a channel catfish big enough to be confused with a blue. Then I went all in, and I\u2019ve been addicted to channel cats ever since.<\/p>\n

Best Channel Catfish Bait<\/h2>\n

Through the summer, my go-to bait for channel catfish is hot dogs soaked in Kool-Aid and garlic powder. <\/a>Channel catfish rely on scent, and they are attracted to salty, sweet, and pungent aromas. Hot dogs are packed with delicious nitrates and, generally speaking, the cheaper the dog, the more nitrates you get with every bite. So, the cheaper the better.<\/p>\n

I catch loads of channel cats all summer long on hot dogs, chicken livers, and worms, but it gets harder to come by a goliath as the season presses on.<\/p>\n

Spring is a different story. Like any other predators, channel catfish tune into spring migrations and movements of baitfish. If you have access to a coastal river like I do, that could be herring, hickory shad, or American shad. But even in Middle America, gizzard shad and alewife movements get the channel cats charged up. Though catfish have a reputation for eating anything with a strong odor, in the spring I believe it\u2019s worth putting in the time to secure local baitfish, especially if it\u2019s top-tier channels you\u2019re after.\u00a0Drop a chunk of fresh-cut American shad in the spring, and the goliaths often beat the little cats to the bait.<\/p>\n

Rigs and Tactics for Channel Cats<\/h2>\n
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