Characteristics: Catfish are part of a much larger group (order) of fish. There are many varieties of them throughout the world, but the one that is most commonly found in Southern Ontario is the Brown Bullhead. Their bodies are a brownish yellow colour. The top of a catfish is usually a dark brown and then it lightens to a yellow colour on the side of their body which leads to their white belly. These guys get their name from the barbells that poke out by their mouths making them look as if they have whiskers. They can range in size from just a few inches, if they are young, up to 20-35cm when fully grown. Once it is more mature it can weigh in at anywhere from 1 to 2 pounds.

How to handle: Catfish are a tricky fish to handle. Be very careful of their barbells as these things can easily prick your finger and give you a nice gash. I have experienced this too many times. If you are in an area where you know you are going to be catching catfish make sure you are quick on setting you hook, as these guys will usually inhale a worm, along with you your hook making it difficult to get them off and back in the water. Once you get them on shore you can grab them around their body so that they don’t squirm around too much. Once you have them firmly in your hand grab some pliers to get the hook out. Sometimes you can get the hook out by simply popping it out with your hands, but these guys can have tough mouths so it is better to get a firm grip on your hook with a pair of pliers. These guys don’t have teeth so you need not worry about getting your fingers in their mouths.

Where to find them: These guys are abundant in many of the swampy areas in Southern Ontario. They love warm shallow water where there is a muddy or sandy bottom. Catfish are bottom feeders so they will scoop up mud or sand in their mouths and filter out any vegetation or other food that might be found. They are generally regarded as herbivores, but truth be told they will eat just about anything. Stagnant or very slow moving water is where these guys like to live.

How to catch them: As I mentioned these guys are bottom feeders so the best way to catch them is to set a hook and bobber combo in a way so that the hook goes to the bottom of the lake or pond. They will cruise around and when they come across your worm, bread ball, or even corn, they will gobble it up. Pound for pound catfish are some of the best fighting fish. When you get one on your line it will feel as if it is a much larger fish and will give you a run for your money. Personally I love the fight they put up but I absolutely hate handling them, but don’t let that put you off, get out there and catch some of these underwater cats.

Catfish (Brown Bullhead)

Characteristics: Rock Bass are close cousins to largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. Like their cousins they are also a brownish green color but they have rows of dark coloured spots. One of their most definitive features is their red eye. They resemble smallmouth bass but are usually quite smaller. They can range in size but are usually anywhere from 6-8inches in size and will usually weigh in under one pound.  

How to handle: Just like the largemouth bass and smallmouth bass they too have no teeth so you can feel quite safe with putting your fingers in its mouth to pull your hook out. Since they are small fish you can usually put your whole hand around them, making sure to push their fins down as your grab them so as to not puncture yourself. Once they are caught they will not put up much a fight and if they are firmly grasped in your hand you need not worry that they will flop around.

Where to find them: Rock bass are some of the most abundant species of fish in North America. They can be found in almost all lakes and slow moving rivers. They prefer to hand out in rock piles, hence their name, and can be found in anywhere from 1’ to 10’ of water. These fish are very abundant and do not seem to be spooked by manmade structures. They can be often found just off shore, in and around docks, bridges, and in weeds. I have even seen them underwater while swimming in some of my local lakes. They are active during early summer to late fall, but will provide the most action in the middle of the summer.

How to catch them: Many anglers consider rocky bass to be a pest. Since they are so abundant and do not make for great eating, when anglers catch them they usually quickly get them off the hook and throw them back into the water. However, if you have never fished before or are looking to take some kids out for a day of fishing, rocky bass are an excellent fish to catch. They are active all day and you do not need to cast out far to catch them. They do not fight too hard so a child can easily reel one in. They eat insects, leeches, worms, and other small fish, but if you wish to simply target rocky bass for fun, a worm and bobber combo are the best option for a full day of catching these little guys.  

Rock Bass

My buddy Tom with his pike

This Pike was brought in at Frenchman’s Bay, a little bay in Pickering which accesses Lake Ontario. Believe it or not this Pike was caught on a worm and bobber!

1. Worms

This is the classic bait for pulling in the pan fish all day long and occasionally the big one. If you fish on a worm usually you are a beginner or just out to fish for fun with constant action all day long. Worms can be very productive in all types of water, all times of day, and for a variety of fish. Depending on what lake you’re fishing you can expect to pull in pan fish such as rocky bass, sunfish and perch. However, I’ve also caught largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, catfish, and one of my buddies even caught a pike on a worm to our surprise.

Tip: Keep the box of worms in a cool place. When transporting them keep them in a cooler if possible and when out fishing place them in some shade as direct sunlight will tend to dry them out and kill them, and believe me dead worms can really really stink.

2. Minnows

In terms of use, a minnow is often used exactly the same way as a worm is. You just place it on a hook, through its nostril, and cast it out using a bobber. The action of the minnow on the hook entices the fish to bite. Usually a minnow will yield you a larger fish such as a nice largemouth bass, pike, or walleye, but don’t be surprised if you pull in a rocky bass or two on a small minnow.

You can usually get minnows from a bait shop or you can catch your own using a minnow trap. I will guide you through setting up a minnow trap and the variety of ways you can hook a minnow in this article (minnow 101). You will also want to have a minnow bucket to keep the minnows in water. These traps can be purchased everywhere that they sell fishing equipment.

Tip: Minnows are often caught in streams or shallow water from a variety of lakes. As a result of this, the minnows you buy can be from a completely different lake then the one you are fishing. It is suggested by the Ministry of Natural Resources that if you have left over minnows at days end you shouldn’t just dump them in the lake as they could become an invasive species. Hopefully though you won’t have this problem as the fish love to eat minnows and if they’re biting hard then you’ll quickly run through all your minnows.

3. Lures

Now as I mentioned in my previous articles there is a variety of lures you can use whether you’re shore fishing or on a boat. Lures offer you the advantage of not having to store live bait and they will usually yield you larger fish as they are meant to represent smaller baitfish, frogs, insect, and even mice, the things that the big boys like to eat.

There are a variety of lures you can use from crank baits, twitch baits, top water lures, all the soft plastic baits, spinner baits, swim baits, and spoons. I will cover each of these baits and how and where to fish them in articles to follow. In most tournaments the pros can only use artificial means to catch fish, live bait is not allowed, and as you will see if you check out pictures from the internet on tournament fish, lures can be an extremely productive way of landing big fish.

4. Leeches

I have never been a big fan of leeches simply because I found that small pan fish will go for leeches just as aggressively as they will for a worm and they can be more expensive than worms. You can try using leeches as an alternative to worms and see if they work better for you. These are not always available at bait shops so you may have to look around to find them.

Tip: When attaching a leech to your hook, let them grab onto your nail with their sucker, I usually used by thumb nail. This way they won’t start sucking your blood like a vampire and you’ll be able to attach them to your hook no problem.

5. Bread-balls

Bread balls are used mainly for catching vegetarian fish, that’s right not all fish are meat-eaters. They can be very productive when catching carp which can tend to grow quite large and be a great fighting fish. I tend to use bread-balls with the exactly same set up as I do for worms. Simply put a nugget of the bread ball on your hook and you’re good to go.

To make bread balls is very easy. Simply take a potato and nuke it (microwave) for 5 minutes, or until it is soft in the middle when you poke with a knife. Once it cools cut it open and scoop out the middle flesh of the potato. Take that flesh and mix it with a slice or two of bread, Wonder-bread works great for this. Start mashing it together with your hands until you form a sort of doug. If need be you may want to add some water to the mix to get the dough like consistency. You can rip little chunks of the dough, place it on your hook, and you’re good to go.

6. Other bait

If you’re squeamish of worms or minnows you can use a cut up hotdog to catch pan fish. Small chunks on your hook will entice the fish, as hot dogs usually are jam packed with goodness and vitamins that can stink a lot and entice the fish to bite.

Another alternative to the bread-balls for the veggie fish is corn. You can attach kernels onto your hook and wait for the action. This has worked for me in the past but I always found that live bait or lures are the way to go.