Palo verde spots

[john t]

Hey guys, i usually hit palo verde and fish the canals there but the last 2 times i've went have been skunk'd. its a really far drive for me and i was just wondering where you guys fish to find catfish, im not looking for your sweet spots just some better ideas. i get off on neighbors ave and take the zig zag road to the brigde. does anyone fish there? is it a good spot and im just doin something wrong? any help would be greatly appreaciated. im going this weekend(hopefully, if not then next weekend). thanks guys!!!

ps... im gonna be making my own catfish bait this time to see if i have better luck. im also gonna try to get some goldfish as well as the usual night crawlers.

[Khmerfishing]

Did you try using talipia or bluegills?

[john t]

i havent tried using talipia or bluegills. i've been reading around and seeing that alot of people are using those so i was gonna give it a try. thanks!

[gavin310]

hey man. you don't need to fish the main river. it's good fishing there, but there's tons of other areas off the main river. you'll probably have better luck in the canals and backwaters. use google maps satellite view to find spots. also, if you go to b&b bait to get some goldfish, ask the people who work there for some good spots. they'll help you out. like you said, you're probably not going to get anybody's secret spots, but they'll put you on some nice spots. goldfish work well and so do bluegill or tilapia. just to make sure you realize this, live bait like goldfish and bluegill are for flathead catfish. stinkbait and stuff like that is for channel catfish. you should use heavy gear if you're fishing live bait. flathead catfish get very big and they're very strong.

[john t]

awesome....thanks for that tip... i have heavy tackle that i will be usuing. braded line. now as far as that goes, would you guys run a leader of clear line on live bait or stick with braded line all the way to the hook? and same question for stink bait, straight braid or clear leader? i know the canals out there are dirty so i know the water is not that clear.

[gavin310]

awesome....thanks for that tip... i have heavy tackle that i will be usuing. braded line. now as far as that goes, would you guys run a leader of clear line on live bait or stick with braded line all the way to the hook? and same question for stink bait, straight braid or clear leader? i know the canals out there are dirty so i know the water is not that clear.

i prefer to have a 40 lb. mono leader on my 65 lb. braided line. that's mainly because if i get caught up on a tree or something, i can make sure the mono leader will break and i won't weaken my braided main line. that braid is too damn expensive :) most of the time though the 40 lb. mono is strong enough to break out of almost anything. although my friend fishes with straight braid and he does just fine.

make sure you have at least 4 oz. no-roll sinkers. over the weekend the current was pretty strong so i was fishing with 8 oz. no-roll sinkers.

[Lightning]

The old river near Walter's camp has some good fishing,especially for catfish & carp.

[john t]

thanks for the tip for no roll sinkers. i googled them to see what they look like and i dont have any so im gonna try to get some. would the pyrmid sinkers work well? i also have the ones shaped like half dollars. the last time i was at b & b they had all the catfish skeltons out, some of those damn things were huge. thanks for that info about walters camp, i looked it up on google as well and found out its pretty close to where i fish so thanks alot for that tip.

[gavin310]

thanks for the tip for no roll sinkers. i googled them to see what they look like and i dont have any so im gonna try to get some. would the pyrmid sinkers work well? i also have the ones shaped like half dollars. the last time i was at b & b they had all the catfish skeltons out, some of those damn things were huge. thanks for that info about walters camp, i looked it up on google as well and found out its pretty close to where i fish so thanks alot for that tip.

pretty sure b&b sells no-roll river sinkers. You can call them up and ask what sizes they have. Pyramid sinkers could work if you got some heavy ones, but you really want something with a low profile so the current goes right over them. The half dollars would work pretty well. I like no-rolls because the hole for the line goes straight through it, so there would be less resistance than the half dollar sinkers. just remember you need at the very least 4 oz. and preferably 6 or 8. it's a lot of weight but it's better than your bait fish sliding down the river and getting you tangled up.

[bluehunter]

Not too many people use no roll sinkers out this way because it is hard to find. You have to order them from big stores. Catfishconnection.com has them. I also like to use torpedo sinkers they work well and I keep an arsenal of those when I do not have the no roll sinkers. Also the flat base sinkers. No rolls are good for carolina rigging but that is not the only style to flathead fishing either. You can also get away with fishing dropper loop style on the river or using 3 way swivels. Depending on if you are fishing the main river or canals really determines the size weight you need. Also depends on the current in either or. It also depends on the test line you are using. I stay away from really heavy current as that is not the best flathead holding areas. In the canals I can get away with 4 ounce weights. But generally I stick with 5-7 ounce. If I have to use heavier than that, the current is too fast for me for flatheads. B&B use to not have no rolls sinkers unless they got on the ball and ordered them as I said they are not a really big item used out this way among fisherman unless you are a true die hard. Most people order them. I ask people at shops around here and at BPS and they have no idea what I am talking a about. Those flat base sinkers are the closest to the no roll sinkers and works well too if you can not get the no rolls in time.