Must-do spring adventure: Pulling giant channel cats out of small streams

BAIT

Channel catfish have some of the best noses in the finny business, and anything meaty and fragrant makes for a viable bait. I caught one of my all-time biggest cats, for example, when I used a pinch of roast beef and mustard from my sandwich.

My favourite catfish bait is shrimp, which I buy raw and frozen from the grocery store (precooked frozen shrimp don’t have half the stink). For maximum fragrance, I cook it in the microwave just before heading out. Once you’re on the water, simply peel the shrimp and pinch off its tail, then thread it onto your hook. It’s also worth experimenting with fresh chunks of cut bait, such as sucker.