The Trouble With Using Live Bluegills For Catfish Bait

Bottom line, adding live bait to your arsenal has it's problems.

[@ericsadventuresfishing8832]

lol rod bends into the water "we might have a bite on that rod" man you crack me up thanks for sharing great to watch someone who has mastered the art

[@mattbyrne1822]

Your knowledge of the fish and the gear you're using is priceless. Most KZbin fisherman never tell you about the gear and how to use it or the type of fish there catching and what they'll bite on. Keep up the great work and videos 👍👍👍

[@bch5513]

Agreed. Why I like Richard Gene too.

[@IEchuckie]

Richard Gene needs to stay away from the coffee.

[@larrywalker3137]

Attach a note to the tail of the bluegill telling the blue cat it's only for flatheads maybe they'll leave it alone

[@davidmann6792]

Ok so im not the only one...lol i thought this was kinda fishy!

[@larrywalker3137]

Did I win something Dave I don't really understand how to contact you or is this a scammer

[@ethan_rummel]

@@larrywalker3137 thats a scammer bro

[@ethan_rummel]

@@larrywalker3137 dont text that number

[@larrywalker3137]

Yes I figured that out very quickly thanks for the info though I appreciate it

[@stevehogan8829]

Hey Dave.... Just enjoying watching you fish. You're always such a consistent fisherman Good to see you having fun and enjoying what you like to do. Thanks for taking me along. Need a short paddle to skull that back end around.

[@irakozak1]

Hey Dave I enjoy your videos, y’all need to be happier. You are blessed that you are physically able and have the wherewithal to fish and make videos. God Bless and keep doing what you do. Finally you have a hoot when you got those bluegill 🎣

[@RobertBrown-fi2sy]

Thanks for another video. I don’t like summer either but am glad to see you braving the heat to give us a show.

[@jackw8579]

Dave I love the way you fish and how much passion you have for the sport and just your overall expertise is second to none. I just found out about your channel but I’m a fan from here on out and by the way your commentary is freaking hilarious

[@EASTSIDERIDER707]

Appreciate the hours you devote and the gas you burn. Lucky you’re not paying California prices.

[@davidferguson5011]

Hi Dave, your videos are the best I've ever seen, Thankyou for sharing all your knowledge with us.

[@tw-el6nr]

My only complaint is I wish my thumb was sore from catching all those monsters LOL!!! Love all your vids, I'm 59 and have fished for catfish all my life, mostly bank fishin, but you have showed me a very good Technique from a boat that I will always remember from now on!!! Thanks Dave and Keep up the good work!!!

[@EASTSIDERIDER707]

Ditto from a 71 year old in California.

[@georgenewberry4720]

Once again your knowledge is outstanding. A person could learn a lot watching you.

[@JEJAK_ARTA]

see you again Mr. Dave... you share a lot of knowledge about fishing, I really like it, thank you sir

[@tariqaslam1853]

Thank you Catfish Dave for the effort and knowledge, real deal.

[@halonichealer4277]

When you get too old to fish you could give stand-up comedy a try. You are a funny guy. Always enjoy your videos.

[@chetkelly3099]

I love his style of humor

[@wayneferguson1324]

I and all the catfish you catch appreciate you releasing them. Catfish is my favorite eating fish. If I want some I buy it from the store. Thanks for releasing.

[@Catfish.Knudsen]

That's how I am too. Unless I'm getting low on food & need some meat I'll keep some fish. Otherwise I'll go to store or restaurant. Shit kinda pricey tho

[@kellysheets3285]

Dave, I love watching your videos. I also am an avid catfishing man. Can't imagine not being able to go fishing. I like to watch your videos because i am always learning. Planning on going to lake Tawakoni here in Texas because I hear they have some big cats in that lake. Only difference between us is i keep most of my catfish for fish fries. Keep up the good work brother. I will always watch a new catfish Dave video when i see it.

[@charleywalker2982]

Dave thanks for sharing your videos and keep them coming please.

[@bruceadams9542]

Thanks for the fishing adventure. 👍👍👍👍👍.good luck next time 💪

[@jimmyray1579]

You're one of the most knowledgeable fisherman I've seen so far

[@buckywildman5437]

I enjoy all your fishing videos I like catching catfish too you a are the man Dave keep it up😊

[@LarryLaird-eb8rp]

Love your videos and the Tennessee River is awesome. I live in Arkansas and their is lots of huge catfish in the Arkansas River.

[@stevencox8771]

Love the sounds of your videos...the unmistakable sound of an aluminum net hitting the side of the boat. The outboards whining as they go by, the rods knocking around. It makes me feel like I am there. Thanks for the videos and for the complaining.

[@stevanrose7439]

Almost like being there you just don’t have the wet seat of your pants to go along with the fishing 🎣. 😳

[@chrisgonzalez4119]

always filling videos with fascinating information in-between bites ..God Bless

[@bobbynewton9247]

Great video Dave, I don't see how you can stand it out there in the heat be careful don't overheat, thanks for sharing

[@johncampbell6884]

Just Saying, I watch Your videos all the time and really enjoy them, and have learned quite a lot, That being said when I use live bait I usually use Kahle Hooks that are large enough for my target fish. I thought I would throw that in.

[@stubby8663]

Hey Dave Thanks for the nice long video, I enjoyed it. Hope the big ones start to bite again before too long. Anyways, good luck and have fun doing what ya do.

[@handyman75657]

He would rather Bitch about everything. That is the only thing that makes him truly happy!

[@handyman75657]

Thief!

[@stevewojohowitz3229]

I always preferred green sunfish for flatheads. Rod and reel , trot line or bank lines. They are more stout than bluegill .I am in KS and they are plentiful and easy to catch in the rocks with a small hook tipped with worm and the barb either flattened or filed off. They survive a lot better with a barbless hook. You are awesome cat-man and I truly enjoy your videos.

[@ME-pb2gf]

Shhhh!!! geesh, giving away all those secrets.

[@ericpettyfishing]

Fellow Kansas man here. Fully agree with the sunfish. Cats seems to eat them easier too as they aren't as circular as a bluegill.

[@papaslick83]

What I found works better than just plain j hooks with live bait is the kale hook It's kind of like a circle hook and you get a better hook set when your tight lining or suspended bait fishing like you're doing today

[@JimmyLee0757]

We got to the place that we'd fish for bream, just after sunrise just before sunset. Anything after around 10, on Santee and the rivers around us, they got lockjaw. Even in private ponds they quit biting dur the bright part of the day. Thanks for the videos.

[@JS-oy6nn]

I don’t know about anyone else but, I’m am a huge fan of the catfish Dave dry humor 🤣😂 Somebody needs to get him a big straw hat and an umbrella ☂ cause I was getting 🥵 hot just watching. Here in West Virginia it’s been a pretty nice summer (not real hot) been catching the big bass this season. Great video Dave I hope one day you’re boat decides to be part of the team and help keep the sun outta the camera lens.

[@IamRemoWilliams]

Beautiful day Dave.Get your fish on!!!

[@woodworkingoutdoorsman1660]

Woooo!! Flathead action. You'll get on some big flatheads some day. I have no doubt. Thanks for the video

[@russhayes4882]

Another great video Dave !

[@AndresTorres-tm8kf]

Get It Catfish Dave! Thank you from Hong Kong!

[@hterrebrood]

Who is that? I’m also in Hong Kong

[@grandpatheman5488]

Hey catfish Dave one this is catfish Dave too from Cincinnati Ohio love watching your videos as far as I'm concerned you're the best fisherman catfisherman I just say on water and on land that means you're the man. When you're eating something such as a salad or whatever you get a bite you set the hook cover your food up so the fish Don't splash water in your food because when it's hot out there and you're going to need something to eat and some water to keep you alive. Cuz it's hotter than a hoochie coochie. 🤣👍 This is catfish Dave too Cincinnati Ohio. Take care and be safe out there on the water. This is a video there was fishing video so that makes it a fishing video this catfish Dave signing off with another one. 🤣🤣🤣👍

[@trinityoutdoors]

Glad to see you back on the wayer

[@jacobg2167]

Love the videos Dave. Keep up the good work!!!I know you don't care to use live bluegills.... Have you ever had any luck on some live Skippies? A video on some live Skippies would be badass! Keep the lines tight brother. Sending love from Illinois

[@packerjh2]

They are hard to keep alive for any amount of time, most people don't have the proper setup to do it

[@garycordle5295]

I just use blue gill head,or skip jack they work good for me 👍 Dave enjoy your day.

[@jeffchaffee1235]

Hi Catfish Dave, I asked you about Mad Katz on the last video do you have any used or new rods and reels that you would like to sell? I know a few months back you had some rods for sale, did you sell them? Now I know that it was months back and it’s old news on those rods. Man I can’t wait till deer season it’s to dam hot out right now. Thank you for your time on the water

[@dannyrussell-fl2sq]

I injoy watching your videos i cat fish a lot but i started watching your videos i learned a hole lot more i didnt know dont have a boat yet but i will soon

[@charlesoverton]

Your the best I've seen since Bill Dance.

[@kasilee42474]

Love your videos. Can you tell me what type of rod holder you have on the back of your boat

[@scassidy77]

Hey Dave, can you do a video using Water Dogs or Salamanders for bait, please? We used to use water dogs all the time in Nebraska when I was growing up and then were the most productive bait we used for catfish back then. I'd love to see how they work in the Tennessee river!

[@lancefeightner3286]

That's my favorite fisherman right there!!

[@naildrvr2047]

No lie

[@randywood9611]

Hey dave, we've watched you for going on 3 years now i guess maybe more and enjoyed it. But we fish pickwick lake when we get a chance to go and we fish with bleugill all the time but use them as cut bait and do pretty good some times, but we've never saw you fish with them as cut bait and always wondered why?

[@jeremystanton382]

Curse of the 3" bluegill. Can't keep them in the water long enough for flatheads around here. Those 3-5 pound channels hit them as soon as they're dropped and of course we have a good gar population too. We do have big channels here though, but still got to weed through the gar and little ones for those too. Bullheads are on the menu here but they're not as good here like I see from the other states. Gar are like piranha and where there's gar there are usually flatheads. Lately some of the best cat holes I've ever fished have been taken over by beaver and that makes for a rough night in the kayak, they harass you until you leave and you'll be soaked from tail slaps the whole way home.

[@AJRay-db1dr]

That jet ski behind you was hauling the dang hay lol 😅

[@ut000bs]

Ft. Loudon Monster "Messie" sighting at 40:02 on the left. Her graceful neck flying up high out of the water. Dave, you have captured the first clear video of Messie ever recorded.

[@timothyring6836]

Love watching you fish for giants! But, what exactly does pointing at the pole do?

[@RetiredRick]

dave great video , we use cut bluegill a lot and have good success with them? but we in a lake mostly and not the tennessee river...see you use cut skippys but not bluegills...?

[@atchman2]

Along that bank there used to be a lot of downed trees. My dad and I used to catch Crappie all along there.

[@centralscrutinizer76]

Man I wish we had big Catfish like you were catching . I am excited just to see a 5lb fish .

[@stanciempola7890]

I found on my lake in south Carolina that cut bluegill, mostly the head, is best for flatheads. They seem to love it

[@mr.wiskers7455]

In the summer, my grandaddy took me bluegill fishing in a creek channel. They were 30' deep and the bluegills were huge. Go deep Dave.

[@aaronwood3540]

Your exactly right on the blue gill. Go fish for them and then loose most of them. Either die or wiggle off the hook or something kills it. And last but not least you might actually catch a fish.

[@jamescross4845]

Where did you get your rod holders? Great set up.

[@johnrobertson3866]

Man you make it look so easy that's some nice fish.

[@HardEnduroAppalachia]

lol this is awesome, great stuff Dave

[@raymondhafsten5731]

If there is some current what about try lip hooking live gill to improve hook up percentage..little longer leader below the sinker so bait streams rather than tail down

[@aaronmclaughlin3999]

Lol He is annoyed as hell using those bluegills! The heat sucks I get out there the crack of dawn am gone by 10am. Still great video always entertaining!

[@DanielGee420]

Thanks Dave

[@madmike19822009]

Nothing like burning up on a boat, I hate summer fishing aswell.

[@dawnsmith5731]

I’d love to see you come fish Percy Priest

[@atchman2]

If you go under the Northshore bridge to the other side (toward the marina) there on the left you can catch a lot of bluegill. They are all little guys though! We caught like 30 last night with my grandkids but they were all pretty small. We were near where you are at around 7PM it was SO CHOPPY!

[@71160000]

I"ve fished texas bays during the summers for most of my life and I always wear a cotton, loose fitting, white long sleeve shirt and flats fishing hat, long brim and back neck cover. A bit of sun tan lotion on the back of my hands and a pair of good polaroid glasses.

[@johnskipper432]

Sounds like it might be time for a good fly rod with all them mayflies. I sat one time in a kayak with a fly rod and about a 100 feet from the boat ramp and caught brim for about three hours. In one foot of water and caught them as fast as I could pull them in. I had a blast just sitting in one spot. I just enjoyed catching fish. Every once in a while you catch something else because fish can’t resist a good piper. I have caught of course bluegill, bass and catfish off a poper using a fly rod. Life is good God bless.

[@rhodesphotoco]

I've had pretty good luck with large straight-shank Kahle hooks floating live bait, works great with 3"-7" live gizzard shad and small to medium bluegill, nose-hooked or back-hooked doesn't seem to matter. I also trim my bluegills tail and dorsal fins about halfway to keep them from making a mess of my line when floating them. Bluegill on the bottom do better with their whole tail fin trimmed off, they just stay put after that.

[@johncoolidge5502]

Hey Dave I'm sure you thought of a bimini top it would probably be in your way though right

[@geraldbaxter321]

Well dave. Just make that bluegill a 2piece. Love the show

[@FrednDeeDee]

In the Susquehanna River in Pa the river muddies up after a good rain. When that happens, the dang crayfish are king and will tear cut bait to shreds. I use 5-to-6-inch live sunfish. that can keep away from the crawdads. 27 or 28-inch channel cats are the average catch using sunfish. I prefer green sunfish if I can catch larger ones. I think the slime on green sunfish helps catfish inhale them easier and so are favored. When the river clears back up and the crayfish are back to hiding under rocks again, I like to use 6+ inch shrimp and the cats prefer them peeled.

[@billyjolly3315]

That's the reason we call it fishing, not catching when it's not running smoothly. We still love your videos ole'son

[@akilla4reala669]

Dude, I’ll ride to Tennessee and be your camera guy (for free) just to watch this in person. What do you say Dave, want a cheap cameraman, huh?

[@michaelknapp3702]

Spoken like a true fisherman!

[@davidcopperfield-notthemag397]

HINT: Perhaps putting a large black yard bag over your boat chair when you park it will keep the rain from soaking into the padding??? Not that I mind your wet back end.

[@MGS566]

Have you tried using bigger bluegill in the 7 to 9 inch range? Maybe the dinks will pass them up because it’ll just to big of a meal for them.

[@Thankyou111]

I really like your videos a lot. I've heard you can jig large cut bait up and down, to attract more Flatheads...

[@timbowhite6674]

Good Afternoon My Good Bro Catfish Dave

[@catfishingislife8393]

We typically go through 15 to 25 in one night and you right it is so hard to catch them. We get lucky though and find them.

[@plutoplatters]

The facing the sun thing.........reminds me of this guaranteed thing > " Take a FLY rod if you want heavy winds "

[@aidanwings]

I fish the same waters. I havent caught a truly big bluegill since the 90's.

[@FISHINGWITHTITO]

Dave what type of camera do you use

[@Jim-fo7hc]

Another entertaining video Dave, I'm sure I detected real annoyance when your salad got splashed. I would have finished it, or is the water too polluted?

[@bluesdad54]

I think the water is that bad there. It's all(the Tennessee River system) downstream from Oak Ridge!

[@ralphcantrell3214]

The trouble with using a bluegill for bait where I live, is that it is against the law to use a "game fish" for bait. A "game fish" is defined as any fish species in the state that has a creel limit. The creel limit for bluegill in my state is 50 per person, and this makes them a "game fish" that can't be used for bait.

[@timbyrd792]

I started hooking them in front of the dorsal fin instead of behind it and it at least seems to have helped with them getting ripped off the hook….

[@woodworkingoutdoorsman1660]

My live bait of choice here is 9 to 10 inch suckers but like you its gets frustrating when a small catfish crushes and kills your bait. I dont know who all the people are staring at your but. I never noticed it. I concentrate on your rod bend and setup. Lol

[@joe.r1076]

White perch, live or cut has been working good on the pee dee river the last couple weeks

[@plutoplatters]

I dig those green rods !

[@davidyager4603]

you alt to come back to savannah Tennessee next week dave,we are having the catfish capital..catfish tournament.

[@pyrodave6407]

Western pa cant get one during morning or daytime. From 9pm-11pm is only time we've caught flathead this year

[@NativeBowhunter1965]

Use waffles for bait Dave! If you catch a blue cat on a waffle, is it a Blue Waffle?🤣

[@joeclark7082]

you sure gripe a lot. like fishing with my wife

[@jdoll5704]

That's funny cuz here you are griping like my husband. 😂

[@georgenewberry4720]

The scenery reminds me of Grand Lake.

[@tyrrellroach5872]

So what worked best for me for flatheadsthe hook seemed to really matter. I couldn’t get a hook up with a circle hook to save my life. What I found that worked best for me were short shank hooks like the mustad hoodlum hooks or the 2x stroganoff Gamagatsu live bait hooks they were sharp and they were strong and it seemed the fish didn’t notice the hooks as often I also avoided bluegill there were just better baits. Baits like quil back, bullhead, smallmouth buffalo, even small carp worked better and produced more bits than bluegill.

[@danielparker6269]

Have you used chicken gizzard? If so what's a good mixture for it to soak in?

[@jimpalmer4916]

You catch more dam big catfish than I ever seen. My family is shocked to see how dam good you are with the poles and those monsters you are hauling in.

[@D_ROCK71]

Besides the 80lb you caught on the Chattahoochee the night the people on the pontoon boat wanted you to get their ball, what's the largest flat head you've ever caught?

[@jimmyray1579]

And by the way love your show

[@bidenhasdementia8657]

Seems like blues did have a preference for the live bluegill. It would've been cool to run some cut bluegill and see if it outfished the skipjack too

[@geraldbaxter321]

When the head starts hurting. I'm headed to the easy chair an some cold ac

[@owensbama1923]

Come to Eufaula Alabama I'll meet you there!

[@viddy228]

How many fishing rods do you have Catfish Dave?