The channel catfish,one of the best tasting and sport friendly fish made for the rod angler. I believe that this fish reigns supreme in it's habitat. A fish made for fishing by kids of all ages. you can have a good time catching and eating this fish. Watch out for it's fins and have a pair of pliers or skin pullers at the ready and you will be prepared for a great experience. Chicken liver reigns supreme as bait to catch him. There are also many baits ready made by manufacturers to get him on your hook . Since the channel grows to such large proportions,a large hook and tough terminal gear should be used. I have kids and grandchildren who love to fish. Bass need bigger areas of water in which to live and grow large. Sun fish and bream are okay but they do not grow to large sizes. Kids love to catch the smaller fish but are especially delighted to have a change of pace and have a chance to hook into Mr. whiskers.

I wanted an area where my children could have fun in a clean environment. I had a stock tank built on my property for a reasonable cost. I started to build a fishing pier by myself.The rains came and the pond began to fill up with water. Any ideas that I had in my head about putting post supports in the ground for the pier were dashed. I obtained 55 gallon non metal drums at a reasonable cost and began to work. I built the floating pier next to the waters' edge without the use of any electricity. I used drills that worked off of batteries and hammer and nails, I used treated wood and spiral nails that would not rust in the elements. I used my 6 year old as a pilot to test the stability of my project. After several dunks in the water I added structure onto the pier until it was very stable. I added a box structure on the end of the pier to hold one of my deer feeders. I cut a hole in the bottom and bolted the feeder down. Since I was one person and trying to find the most simple and most efficient means for building, I installed ropes on both sides in two locations. The ropes were secured to trees on the shoreline. The ropes could be secured so that they would not interfere with your fishing. This setup also aids levity in the natural rise and fall of water levels.

I went on a shopping trip to one of the local fish hatcheries, I came away with several hundred channel catfish in plastic bags, The fingerlings averaged from 4-6 inches long. I had already procured cat fish chow from one of the local feed stores. Dog food will do just as well. I put the pellets into the feeder and set the timer to discharge feed early in the morning and about 1 hour before sunset. Monitoring the quantity of pellets released can give you a good idea of how much the fish are actually eating and how much is waste. I changed the batteries in the feeder occasionally and watched as the fish came up to feed on the floating pellets. Catfish do not eat as much in winter months, so adjust the feed output accordingly. I waited until the fish reached a certain length before fishing was allowed.

After 2 1/2 years wait the kids and family were catching catfish that weighed 8 pounds. We had many fish fries where many families were fed. My kids and family looked forward to going fishing at the stock tank and many good times were enjoyed by us all. Outdoor activities like fishing are good ways for kids and adults to spend their leisure time. In this instance we were bringing a lot of food home to the larder. MY son developed an affinity for the outdoors and now my grandchildren are beginning to reap the rewards of my efforts so many years ago.