# Muskingum River



## mastercatman (Jan 30, 2005)

Well, pulled an all nighter last night on the Muskingum and would have liked to go back tonight (got busy)! I started out with a couple of old spots and didn't produce anything! I got motivated and started driving to find a better location. I located a small sandbar with large riprap on either side and some wood cover with plenty of deep water in all casting directions (sandbar extended into a hole). Had a few runs before midnight. I connected on a real good one and quickly lost it when it ran into the riprap!! Braid and rocks just don't mix! Two other runs were missed to getting on the fish too quickly and not letting rods load up like I should have. It has been a tough year and just got too antsy! Will be hitting up the new spot tomorrow with a little more patience! Fish were eating live goldfish, hybrid bluegill, and bass fished on bottom. I think a float would have produced fish after midnight but never tried it. It felt good to know I was on large active fish though...finally! 

BTW, I will let the name slide out of the conversation but, a baitshop I stopped at had goldfish. The guy said he would give me a "deal" on whatever he had left. I normally don't buy them but, I figured if I was getting a deal..why not! Well, I selected the four largest ones 5-7", nice goldfish and I got charged $1.50 each!!! I don't know what the going rate for them is but, that seemed VERY expensive! I'll stick to the cast-net!


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

That is a good deal on goldfish that size, a very good deal. I think $11/pound is close to normal, though it varies. I'd buy everyone he had for that price.


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## mastercatman (Jan 30, 2005)

M.Magis said:


> That is a good deal on goldfish that size, a very good deal. I think $11/pound is close to normal, though it varies. I'd buy everyone he had for that price.


Really? I just don't have the extra $ to spend $1.50 on a single baitfish. He said it was cheap for what I was getting. I guess I have been very spoiled getting most of my bait with the castnet and/or $1.50 worth of waxworms or minnows! I would imagine about 3 of those goldfish would make up a pound! They are a very easy fish to culture, I may consider raising them one day for that kind of money! They do work though, the big fish I lost in the rocks ate the largest one I had within 30 minutes of getting set up!


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## Joey209 (Oct 17, 2007)

$1.50 is a great deal on 5-7 inch goldfish. They are great bait.The closest thing to baby carp since carp are born at 2 lbs


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

If you&#8217;re fishing a river and you can catch good bait, they aren&#8217;t usually worth the money. We fish lakes, and when the water heats up bluegills start dyeing quickly on the hook. In rivers/creeks, the constantly flowing water prevents any type of turnover. Goldfish/carp/koi are some of the only baits that can last all night and still be kicking in the morning when fishing lakes. I&#8217;ve never found a reliable and easy way to catch baby carp. For us, it&#8217;s either buy bait or fish with dead bait. I&#8217;ll stay at home before I use dead bait for flatheads.


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## Joey209 (Oct 17, 2007)

M.Magis said:


> If youre fishing a river and you can catch good bait, they arent usually worth the money. We fish lakes, and when the water heats up bluegills start dyeing quickly on the hook. In rivers/creeks, the constantly flowing water prevents any type of turnover. Goldfish/carp/koi are some of the only baits that can last all night and still be kicking in the morning when fishing lakes. Ive never found a reliable and easy way to catch baby carp. For us, its either buy bait or fish with dead bait. Ill stay at home before I use dead bait for flatheads.


Naw.Its pretty much the same in the muskingum.Or at least thats how its been the last couple years. Summer pool turns the river into a long lake. After the spawn and until september I use mainly goldfish/bullheads/warmouth. Drum/gills/bass/suckers/chubs/shad will all die on the hook


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Joey209 said:


> Naw.Its pretty much the same in the muskingum.Or at least thats how its been the last couple years. Summer pool turns the river into a long lake. After the spawn and until september I use mainly goldfish/bullheads/warmouth. Drum/gills/bass/suckers/chubs/shad will all die on the hook


No kidding. I guess it's been 10+ years since I river fished much, but I thought I remebered not having that trouble. Back then I didn't fish all night, so that may have been part of it. Maybe they just don't die quite as fast, but still die. I experimented once at a lake to see if I just dropped a bluegill a few feet off the bank, would it live. It was almost dead within 10 minutes.


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## Joey209 (Oct 17, 2007)

M.Magis said:


> No kidding. I guess it's been 10+ years since I river fished much, but I thought I remebered not having that trouble. Back then I didn't fish all night, so that may have been part of it. Maybe they just don't die quite as fast, but still die. I experimented once at a lake to see if I just dropped a bluegill a few feet off the bank, would it live. It was almost dead within 10 minutes.


Yea,I blame it on them droppin Dillon too much and too early. They did it again this year and if we dont get much rain this summer Muskingum current is gonna screech to a halt again


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## catfish_hunter (May 31, 2005)

Mike, last week I baught a lb and a half of goldfish and it cost me 22.50. that was for 15 baits....and as you know, to get 15 baits and get a pound and half, they werent nearly the size that I wanted! 

ive baught goldfish at saltfork outdoors and cripple creek this year, and they were 13/lb at saltfork and 15/lb at cripple creek....


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## bigcat62 (Sep 3, 2009)

Those bait shops are making a killing. My buddy gets them up north for a $1.00 a pc and they are perfect size goldfish. I used to buy bait at Salt Fork Outdoors all the time but not now, way to much money for what you get.


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## mastercatman (Jan 30, 2005)

You're right, they're making a killing off of them, that's for sure! It doesn't cost much to raise them and they are potentially the easiest bait to raise in a pond next to fathead minnows! I agree with the life of baits being shorter as water warms. I probably work way too hard to keep baits alive but, I do well keeping things alive this time of year. I am still managing to keep shad alive at this point for at least a few hours or more. I agree carp are born at 2lbs!! LOL I can count on both hands how many I have ever caught smaller! They all produced fish or at least runs..awesome baits if you could ever get them consistently!

I hit the river last night, the shad were getting too much attention from the small channels! I had three runs on bass and bluegills...all three runs resulted in the hooks being fouled back into the bait on the hookset! This happened the other night too! Will start a new thread on this subject.


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