Stink baits, whether chunks or the "dip" kind, are great for eating-size channel cats. Not so good for anything else or even larger channels. Cut bait or live (where legal) is best. A whole dead minnow 4-5" long is like ice cream to cats. Left-handed blue-eyed minnows are best, as our local expert jokes.

Our best rig out here is a "Flig" or floating jig. You can buy them ready-made or craft them yourself out of foam cylinders. Our local guy does them up fancy...

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If you can't find a "genyoowine" Flig, just slide a foam earplug down to the hook and over the eye a bit.

Tie an appropriate weight sinker to the end of your line, then a short (6" to 18") section of heavy mono leader, then your Flig. Bait up with a perch chunk or an LHBE minnow and fish behind a drifting boat or 'yak. Or bank fish it and reel in very slowly. The Flig keeps the bait up off the bottom and offers both sight and taste appeal. Deadly.

Cleverly disguised as a responsible adult.