Category: channel catfish

Hello Italo, i hope you are well during the current pandemic. As there is not muc else to do, i have decided i want to try and catch a channel catfish, as its the only species i have yet to catch in southern ontario. When is the best time frame? Hopefully i havent missed it. Can you give me the basics on technique and maybe a few spots to try along the grand river?To my understanding the grand river is the best option that is semi close to toronto?Thanks alot Italo

Posted on April 20th, 2021

Nice to hear from you. We are all doing fine, thanks for asking. The Grand River, ON is definitely one of the most reliable locations to catch Channel Catfish and the best time is right now when they move in to spawn next month. My favorite stretch is below the Dunnville Dam. You can fish the 20′ hole right at the dam but I prefer to either fish on the other side of Grand Island where the flow is less or out from FishMasters marina on the 7′ flat. The best time to go for them is at night but you can catch them throughout the day. Bests bait to use right now is fresh white sucker chunks fished on a #2 baitholder hook with a sliding-sinker rig. An egg sinker in the 1/2 oz. or 3/4 oz. size should be fine for keeping your bait on the bottom. You can use your regular spinning or baitcasting outfit…God bless you.

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Hey Italo,I live in Niagara Falls and was wondering where I could catch some cut bait for catfish close to Jordan harbour. Usually I would just go to peters tackle but in these times I can’t buy any. Also is there any other bait I could use that works just as good or better then cut bait? Thank you so much, Tyler

Posted on March 31st, 2020

Hi Tyler, I would suggest you go to any creek going into Lake Ontario right now and catch a couple of White Suckers (they are running now). They are excellent cut-bait for Channel Catfish.

Your other option is to purchase either while frozen Smelt or a few jumbo Shrimp, they also work well.

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Hello Italo, hope you are holding up well during these crazy times. I would like to try going for channel catfish this spring, its one of the few species ive yet to catch. Can you suggest a spot and time of year i can try? I live in ajax, are there any rivers nearby that get a run. Im curious what rivers in southern ontario get a run of channel cats. Thanks Italo.

Posted on March 30th, 2020

Hi Jack, I’m doing well, thank you. Hope you and your family are doing well also.  One of the best spots to catch Channel Catfish right now is the Grand River, Dunnville, ON. The best location there is Fishmasters Marina where you can park and fish from shore. They may even have fresh baitfish chunks there that you can purchase.  I do not know of any really good Channel Catfish areas near you. The other good spot is in the Trent River, Trenton, ON fishing right off the #1 Dam up from Lake Ontario.

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Hi Italo. I’ve been a big fan of your videos for learning how to fish. I’ve been looking for locations to fish channel catfish or brown bullhead in the east of GTA. Could you please share some location if possible with Google Maps coordinates(Don’t want to trouble you if its difficult). Thank you so much. God bless you and your family

Posted on June 21st, 2019

Hi Stephen, thank you for your kind words, glad you enjoy our videos. Here is a list of locations for both and Google coordinates:

-brown bullhead:

Regional Municipality of Durham

Ontario, Canada

Oshawa
Ontario, Canada

Clarington
Ontario, Canada

-Channel Catfish:

Trent-Severn Waterway, Lock 1 – Trenton
29-45, Regional Rd 33, Trenton, ON K8V 5P6, Canada

Hastings County
Ontario K0K 1X0, Canada

Washago
Ontario, Canada

 

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Hi Italo, It’s catfish season on the mighty Red River The red for Channel Cats is a bucket list destination. I was out yesterday and I had my own catfish rigs, however some of them broke and I lost 4 or 5 of those river monsters. Can you help me what type of line I should be using to tie a catfish rig, and how to tie it. I did manage to land some big ones for sure. Including a 35 inch channel cat

Posted on May 24th, 2019

Hi Dan, sorry to hear you lost a few “hawg-Channel Cats”. I would encourage you to use at least a 50 lb. braided leader  about 16″ long with a #2/0 Circle Hook with a sliding-sinker rig. Remember that with a Circle Hook you don’t “set-the-hook” by giving a hard snap back with your rod. When you get a pick-up reel your line in and let your rod tip go close to the water. When you feel the fish want to take off with your bait, you simply lift the rod up and start reeling without stopping until the fish starts to fight. Hope you land some trophies…God bless you.

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Hi Italo, I recently watch one of your shows where you were fishing a Thames river tributary for catfish using cut Gizzard shad. I was planning to give Gizzard shad a try but noticed they arent officially listed as a legal baitfish species in Ontario, does this mean they may no longer be legal? Or is it not counted as live bait when its cut and frozen? I’ve been struggling to find a clear answer no matter where I look.Thanks for your time! Chris

Posted on March 3rd, 2017

Hi Chris, always good to ask questions to avoid costly mistakes. I checked with the OMNR&F and it is definitely OK to fish Gizzard Shad as cut bait (dead). Big channel catfish like to feed large forage fish like shad, smelt and other baitfish, especially if they are easy to gobble-up. I have found that white sucker and shad chunks work especially well….God bless you.

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Hi. I was just wondering when the best time was to catch bullhead and/or channel catfish and how you would recommend fishing for them from shore? I live between Kingston and Napanee. What are some good places to fish for them? Basically anything helpful you can tell me. Thanks!

Posted on March 31st, 2016

April is a good month to catch bullhead catfish in most marshy areas.

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You can also catch Channel Catfish in some of the tributaries that flow in to lake Ontario. Best to use worms or chunks of baitfish for both. You can use a float, or just a sinker and hook. Make sure that with both the bait is right on the bottom.

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Can you catch lake herring in the summer. They are the best bait for catfish.

Posted on November 28th, 2015

You can, but it can be tough since they are a cold-water fish and will feed suspended in the water column.

cs28_channel_catfish

I know of people fishing Lake Huron around Perry Sound and also the St. Mary’s River, ON that target them in the summer time. Helps to have a reliable fishfinder and to use 1/32 oz. jigs with tiny pieces of small minnows.

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Hi Italy in the spring I go to the grand river to fish for catfish below the dam .Is there the same kind of catfish run on the lower credit, Bronte or sixteen mile creek.thanks Russ

Posted on October 27th, 2015

Channel Catfish can enter any of the Lake Ontario/Lake Erie tributaries, but not in as high a number as in the Grand River.

channel_cat

The Grand River below the Dunnville, ON dam is one of the best locations to target them between March-June of each year!

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Italo,Reaching out to you once again for some advice. My brother and I are in search for some monster catfish. Like carp, you can find catfish just about anywhere. But where are the true monsters known to be? We have fished Dunnville all throughout the year (ice out-present) consistently catching fish of considerable size, but nothing in the 20lb+ range. We keep catching large numbers of cats in the 10-15lb range. Seeing these large numbers of catfish one must believe that much larger catfish must be around somewhere! I have seen video of you fishing Lake Erie Tributaries for Catfish as well We have tried Big Otter Creek and want to try Catfish Creek too. We are fishing out of an 14′ aluminum boat which works most of the time.If you were in pursuit of a true monster, where would recommend we fish and what tackle would you sport? Cats got some brute strength and we usually gear up. i.e. 20lb braid, large hook with minnow/large cuts of bait. We always value and appreciate your feedback, knowledge, experience, as well as your willingness to share your tricks/secrets with us! Keep up the outstanding work!CHRIS+BEN LEUSERHAMILTON,ON

Posted on August 7th, 2015

cs28_channel_catfish

Hi Chris & Ben, hearing of your channel catfish catches you are already accomplished channel cat anglers! Unfortunately there are seldom channel catfish caught in southern Ontario that are over 20 lb. I know of a few large channel cats that have been caught in the Welland River between 20-30 lb., but that was in early spring by shore anglers fishing cut-bait on the bottom. The best place in Canada to catch channel catfish between 20-30 lb. is the Red River, Selkirk, Manitoba. You are already fishing some of our best channel catfish tributaries and there is no secret spot to catch really big ones.

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