Whats your favorite baits??

French fries.
Frozen will work but Mickey D's are much better.
Use the greasiest you can find.
Add some scent if needed to the frozen ones.

Try it!!!

ORIGINAL: STEALYS4ME

Share some of your secret baits for catfish and carp.   Mine is for catfish smelt with the guts still in them let them out in the sun awhile good smelling bait.  And for carp whole kernel corn soaked in vanilla extract works very well try this sometime late in summer when everything else shuts off u will have a blast.

I just go over to peacyp poopys house and ask him what he had for dinner...
 
it usually slays the catfish..

Chicken Liver!!!
 
Dog Food!!!
 
 

Live bluegills for flatheads.
 
Blood dip bait for channels.

Any kind of fish for the cats, And I'll agree with the fries for carp. (Although the ones from Jerrys Curb service beats Mickydees hands down.One of my kids put one on for a joke years ago, and they are still the best carp bait I've ever used.

Does anyone know how I would catch a carp on a flyrod.  Just curious to know what flies would be successful. 

for cats i like beef liver soaked in caned tuna oil. stays on better than chicken liver.

ORIGINAL: Wally Cat

For finiky fish that have been caught before I like to use a "hair rig" which helps hook those fish that just seem to be tasting your bait. Several fellows that I have shown this to say they have increased their hook-up to bite ratio by 50%.

 
How do you rig a "hair rig"?

Carpin good advice on where to actually see a "hair rig". Many of the carp sites should have diagrams and show you what they are.....very simple to use and effective. In simple terms it's nothing more than a dropper line off your hook to hold your bait while leaving your bare hook adjacent to the bait. The dropper, about an inch either tied off the eyelet of your main hook or tied off the bottom of the hook to which a bead or small treble hook is tied to actually hold the bait.
 
Carp will often taste your bait several times before picking it up and moving it. They can suck it in and expell your doughball before you can set the hook even if you were watching them. I've watched them(while standing in clear river water) many times take the bait into their mouths and spit in out before I could set the hook. When they expell the bait with the exposed hook from the "hair rig" it will usually prick them in the side of the jaw and they bolt resulting in one solid hook up. A properly set drag is essential when fishing like this. 

Wally cat i have used the hair on the pay lakes with some very finicky carp and it works well....

Catfishing the rivers, large minnows/shiners 3-4 feet under a float always produce better than bottom fishing. When you see lots of active fish jumping, most are cats.

Yes I know that twin lakes has some real hogs.....I've caught a few there. I fish Jacobs Creek Park.....lot of carp but most are from 18 - 24 inches.....only caught two nice size ones(15 pound) and I caught both of them fishing for eyes with 5 inch creek chubs.....at first I thought I had a monster eye only to be blessed with a big carp. Caught two the same day.....looked like twins.
 
I also like to fish the Yough on occasion for carp around Dawson or Connellsville. Not very big but they fight like tigers in that cold running water. Biggest out of the Yough was a 14 pounder that I caught during a carp tounament. I took first place for biggest carp and first place for most weight in five fish.
 
Donegel Lake has some monsters in it. I've caught several there in the 20 pound class and I'm sure there are bigger ones there.

depth charge.....I like your idea of using planer boards for big cats in the current.....like below in dam in a river.....that way several people could fish the current and have your baits spread out a bit. Think I my try that on the Mon River below the locks where I fish.
Thanks