Fathead minnows for bait

Was out last night without a single bite, and couple other nights within the last week and a half or so without any legit bites. Do channel cats eat fathead minnows? Stopped at bait shop couple weeks back to get some suckers to cut up which has worked really well all early spring but they were not carrying them until opener, so just got some fatheads which was the biggest minnow they had and just have had no type of luck at all with them. But then again maybe they just moved on from their wintering grounds. Tried the minnows halved, quartered, head on, tail on, whole, alive, dead one alive, one dead, two dead one head, you get the pic pretty much everything you can do with the things on different hooks.

Fatheads will work for channel cats. More likely is that you were just not in the right place at the right time. Try squishing their heads too, gets all the best juices flowing

What Dfresh said.

In the winter months fatheads and Sudden Impact is my go to bait for channels. Yeah, I know. I haven’t been out this year at all for channels.

PS One live fathead has worked the best for me.

You’re results may vary.

Time to find a new spot! Thanks guys

This one liked a fat head

Be nice to Erick.

Can the presence of an otter ruin a spot? Lil bugger was sitting on the shelf again when I got there chomping down on a lil something. And evidence last week a huge catfish head in same spot. Plus some beavers that inhabit the area as well. Last night one literally ran under my line that I had setup on the bank. Friendly city beavers I guess. Cool to see a fox up on the hill above me stalking the two following them all the way down the bank was hoping to see one of the beavers get up on shore to see what the fox would do. Just coincidence with the otter?

Fatheads are a great channel bait. We use them a lot.

I use a 3/0 hook and thread 1 on, then hook two through the middle of the body. Set them on the ground and step on them. Channels love it. The two on the end catch the current and move around dispersing the scent, the one threaded on gives you some body.

Sometimes this time of year, a big fat crawler will produce when nothing else will. Especially presented up shallow.

Otters wont effect your fishing unless they keep goin after your cutbait after you cast it out. All my best spots usually got a big angry beavers that love slapping the water next to the boat.
It may or may not be the spot your fishen why you haven’t caught one on fatheads .but sometimes cats are in an area sometimes they’re not.
If that helps any lol!

Just trying to blame elsewhere, that’s all, its the ‘in’ thing to do nowadays it seems. ‘Ell I think the full moon was too bright last night, scared all the fish away, yeah that was it, and the fatheads…..

Saving the “hook was too cheap” for later in the year?

Its not you. Theres a spot down on the reserviour thats shallow and as soon as the ice melts its one catfish after another and I mean right after the ice melts. The catfish come into the shallower water thats warming up, even a few degrees makes a huge diffrence, and they feed like crazy. Look for a shallow spot if you can find one thats not still iced up.