Catfish Fishing Tips

Here are some tips and tricks on how to catch Catfish.


Best Baits
Use for your bait what they would feed on naturally, that works great.  Shad, minnows, crawfish, and cut up small fish.  Some baits that you can buy such as catfish dough work well too.

Be Mobile
Move around.  This will help a lot when you are fishing for catfish.  If you stay in a spot for 30 minutes without much luck, then you just move to another spot, because the catfish probably aren't there.

Where to fish
Fish around rocks and logs.  Catfish love those places

Compound vs. Recurve

Okay, time for round three.  You can read all the pros and cons of both bows because I have posted about both.  It is now time to see who is the winner!

The Winner!!

No one.  IT'S A TIE!!!!  I am just saying that for myself, because they are both good bows.  But you can decide for yourself who you want to win.

Compound vs. Crossbow

Here are the more high tech bows about to face off in Round 2 Compound vs. Crossbow!

Compound


Pros and Cons:


Pros:

• Quiet.
• Has a lot of energy coming from the bow into the arrow because of the long power stroke.
• Lightweight.
• Accurate.
• At full draw the pulleys at the end of the bow turn and give you let-off to make it easier to hold at full draw.
• It isn't quite as traditional or original as the Recurve or Longbow, but it is a little bit original, after all, it is a bow.

Cons:

• Because it is lightweight, slight movement can cause the arrow to be a little left or right of the target.

Crossbow

Pros and Cons:

Pros:

• It can remain at full draw for a long period of time while hunting.
• You can mount a scope or a red dot sight to it.
• Some crossbow models have an automatic cocking mechanism.

Cons:

• The shorter crossbow arrows and the short power stroke of the crossbow can't match the energy stored in the compound bows longer arrows because of the compounds longer power stroke.  The crossbows have to have a higher poundage to make up for this.
• Crossbows are hard to pull back or crank back.
• The higher poundage also is hard on the strings and cables and other components.
• Heavy.

Compound wins!  No offence crossbow, I would still like to shoot an arrow from you sometime.  People who make crossbows are still trying to make their crossbows lighter and more efficient.

Round 3 is next with the final contestants:  Compound vs. Recurve! 

Longbow vs. Recurve

I will be doing a bow tournament in my next couple articles to determine what is the ultimate bow (though all are good, don't take me wrong). I won't be judging anything to win just because I want it to, I will pick the winner the same way I would pick out what bow I want on a normal day (looking at pros and cons and things like that). Today, read Round 1 Longbow vs. Recurve!

Longbow


Pros and cons:


Pros:

• It will forgive minor mistakes made by the person that is handling it.
• Its quiet.
• Lightweight.

Cons:

• Its length makes it harder to carry it around in brush.
• Hard to pull back and harder to keep at anchor point because of there being no let-off like a compound bow.

Recurve Bow

Pros:

• It can store more energy in its limbs.
• Its a little lighter than the longbow.
• They are smaller than the longbow which makes them easier to carry places.

Cons:

• Hard to pull back and has no let-off.

Recurve Wins!

Both of these bows are traditional and original (in some ways).  Someday I even would like to shoot both of them.  Next time the more technical bows face off!  Don't miss Round 2 Compound vs. Crossbow!  Whichever bow wins Round 2 goes against  the Recuve Bow in Round 3!

Selecting a Broadhead

For those who are just beginning bow hunting, broadhead arrowheads are used to kill deer.  That information may not have been necessary but its good to know.  I am going to talk about the two most popular broadhead types, fixed and mechanical (or expandable).

Fixed Broadheads
Fixed broadheads are the most used broadheads the world has ever known.  Even the Indians used fixed broadheads, though they didn't call them that.  Here are the pros and cons of a fixed broadhead.

Pros

• They are sturdy
• Cut on impact
• Don't need a high poundage bow to ensure penetration
• Definite cut
• Blades are usually replaceable

Cons

• Could cause personal injury while putting on the blades and attaching it to the arrow
• Smaller cutting area than a mechanical broadhead    

                                                                                         

Mechanical Broadheads

These broadheads have little tips on them that help the blades to expand on impact.  The blades are usually held together by O-rings, elastics or bands of some type.  Since the blades are in the arrowhead this type of broadhead flies like a field point until impact.

Pros

• Flies like field points would
• Less chance of injury since blades are in the arrowhead
• A bigger cutting area than fixed broadheads 

Cons

• Risk or mechanical failure
• Needs a faster arrow speed to open up the blades on impact, which leads to needing a higher poundage on you bow
• Doesn't cut until the blades are open

I plan to stick with fixed broadheads.  But you decide what you want to use.