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Catfish Fishing Tips
| Catfish Fishing Tips |
Tips to help make you a better Cat fisher:
* The catfish is more of a night animal. During the hot daytime hours they are in the deep pools,
hiding under debris or logs, but they can still be caught. At dusk it is usually the best time to start
fishing. In the spring and in the fall you will find more catfish then in the summer, but you can still try
on cool evenings. Try out one area of the lake for about 15 minutes. If you don't catch anything in this
time period, you are probably in the wrong area of the lake. Move along and try a different area.
When you throw in the line, start pulling it in slowly, zigzagging the path. As soon as you feel a slight
tug, pull once hard to ensure the fish gets hooked, then steadily pull the fish in.
* When catfish fishing a lake with a manmade current or natural current, always anchor your boat on
the upstream side of the submerged river channel. It might not even seem like there is any current,
but if you have had high water or if they generate for electricty, there will always be a small amount of
current flowing through the lake. Fish the submerged river channel just like you would any other river
with the current taking the smell of your bait downstream.
* The cycle of Blue Catfish is exactly the same as the cycle of the Shad or other baitfish you have in
your lake. Don't kid yourself: pay attention to your fish locator. The masses of Blue Catfish will always
be somewhere around the masses of Shad. Look for the bait, catch some bait, cut them up and
driftfish with a carolina rig through the schools of baitfish.
* Dont be scared to fish in 30 to 50 feet of water: Blue Catfish can tollerate deep water yearround.
* Always fish for Flathead Catfish with live bait and remember, there is a difference between live bait
and lively bait. Make sure your bait is really squirming: the more vibration in the water, the better the
chance for a Flathead find it.
* Believe it or not, but wintertime is the best time for Blue Catfish. Catching the fresh bait can be hard,
but after that has been accomplished, look for huge schools of fish in the submerged river channel. It
might take 4 hours to find the schools, but once you've found them, anchor your boat somewhere on
the top side of the channel and cast your baits from the top of the river channel to the bottom of it.
Wait 30 minutes and move. If they are there and in a feeding mode, it will be fast and furious action.
* The biggest blue catfish often come from water below the 40-degree mark. Most other gamefish are
sluggish in water this frigid, but not blues - they'll bite aggressively and put up a world-class fight.
* One of the best baits for a big flathead catfish is a live bluegill (where legal to do so). Fish it under a
float in shallow water, or below a heavy sinker on the bottom of a river. Use stout tackle - when
hooked, a flathead usually heads straight for cover.
* One of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to catch catfish is on juglines. Wrap a length of strong
monofilament line around the neck of a plastic milkjug. Pull out the desired length (6 to 10 ft. is usually
plenty) and secure the remainder in place with a sturdy rubber band. Rig a stout live bait hook at the
end of the line and a heavy sinker (an old spark plug or wheel weight will work) about a foot above the
hook. Use liver, worms, minnows, shrimp or prepared catfish bait. Put out several jugs away from
heavy boating traffic, then get set for fun as catfish try to make off with them. Always check local
regulations before jug fishing.
* In Spring, catfish often move around shallow rock banks to spawn. They can be caught using live
minnows or prepared baits drifted shallow beneath slip bobbers.
* Catfish naturally lay and swim near the bottom 90% of the time. However some times on overcast
summer days Flatheads and Channels can be caught 5' to 7' from the surface. Most Catfish can
usually be caught along the banks after a good rain storm. They will come to the surface to feed on
washed in bugs and insects. So at these times you might ignore the foot off the bottom rule.
* Channel Cats like Prepared Blood Baits and Hamburger Baits best when the water temperature is
above 78'degrees.
* A longer Rod makes for better hook sets and longer casts. It also allows you to pick up your line
quicker. A 9 to 10 foot long rod is usually sufficient. Most pay lakes 17 to 20 lb test line is preferred as
long as your drag is set right. A good reel is essential because they have smooth, even given drag
systems. The thinner the line the better in clear lakes especially because it is less likely to spook the
fish and makes the bait look more natural in the water.
Catfish Secrets by Craig
Anyone living near a large river or lake, can catch large cats. I fish for bait 1st, bag em, with an
aerator, and take them to the river. Bluegills and sunfish work great. Shiners and chubs also work
well. Bluegills can be caught under a float, using bee moths, crickets, or pan fish worms. Once I have
an adequate supply of LIVE bait, I'm off to the river.
If I want to target the blues or channels, I cut the bait into vertical slices, bout an inch and a half wide.
It is best to keep the bait alive until you are ready to cut it. I discard the heads and tails. I try to stray
away from large bluegills, because the hook doesn't tear through the bait as well, during hook sets.
The little ones are tender. Chubs are almost too tender. I hook the bait in one of the corners,
eliminating twirl and line twist. I use at least, a 1/2-3/4 oz.(sliding egg) weight to keep it where I want it.
Lakes require less weight. If fishing a river, you may have to play with the amount of weight, due to
current. I use a small splitshot to keep the weight away from the bait, nearly a foot. I don't use the
giant hooks, most use. I simply use bronze eagle claw 1/0 baitholders. They do not bend easy, and I
have landed TONS of huge cats, using them. More importantly, they are inexpensive! As far as
equipment goes, you should be prepared to land a 50 pound fish. If your not, when you get one on,
you'll probably be seeing springs and plastic gears flying out of your reels! If you didn't see that, you
saw the fish strip every inch of line out till it snapped! My best advice is to at least spend 40-50 dollars
on a large open face reel. Something capable of 20 pound test line. Bait casters may also be used. I
personally use shimano 3500's.(baitrunners) They are the greatest invention for catfishing. They are
open face, spinning reels with a device built in, called a bait runner. They have 2 drag systems, 1 for
the reel, 1 for the baitrunner. Once you have casted out, simply flip a switch on the reel, and it puts
the reel in an open bail state, with out the bail being open. If a fish comes along, and decides to swim
away with your bait, they usually don't feel the tension of the baitrunner, and can run around with the
bait, enabling the fish to keep it in its mouth. It also keeps your poles from disappearing into the water.
Once a fish picks up the bait, I usually pick up the rod while the fish is on the run, turn off the
baitrunner, let the fish draw up the loose slack, and set the hook. Its an 85-90% hook up! I hang those
reels from 9 foot ugly sticks. Medium action, believe it or not. Im not trying to horse the fish in, and
lose it! They are about 50-60 dollars. The baitrunners are around 100 dollars. I still have a couple
runners that I have had since '98. I have only had 1 reel go bad, out of about 10. Spending the exta
money is like having full coverage insurance, in the event of a wreck. Having the right tools will get the
job done, easier. Once you are prepared for the trip, look for the right spots. I like to fish within a mile
or 2 of a dam, on a large river. Fishing near a tributary or feeder creek is the ticket! I look for visible
current breaks.(for blues and channels) This is where you may see water sitting still, right next to a
faster current. I will cast right between the 2. If the current is pulling your bait out of the current
breaks, add weight! These current breaks are where you want to keep the bait. When rivers rise, its
nearly impossible to keep the bait where you want it. If I am fishing lakes, I usually target fish 5-6 feet
down, in shallow flats. Rivers will produce better numbers of large blues. Lakes produce nice channels
and flatheads. I'm not saying rivers do not produce large flatheads. There are larger flatheads in
rivers, but you usually have to go find em in a boat. I look for wood/logs piled up. They also like rock
piles. Where ever they can flee from the light, is where they will be.(flats) If I'm fishing for flatheads, I
use live gills, under a float. Unfortunately, the gills will often tangle up your line, around the float. If you
hook the gill behind the upper dorsal fin, it will make the gill swim in a downward angle, instead of up
in your floats. It works most of the time. Sometimes I will injure a gills tail to prevent it from escaping
the flatheads. Don't kill it, the flats wont bite it! Depending on state laws, you may not be able to use
gold fish. They also work very well on flatheads, under a float. They cannot escape a flat, like a gill
can. The gills however, are a more natural bait. I like to sit my rods up in a rod holder. I use a fold out
lawn chair made for sun bathing. I sit my rods across the legs of the chair, with the chair sitting upside
down. When its dark, you really cant see the line. I buy yellow or white play dough, and make small
dough balls, about the size of a dime. I squeeze it around my line, 2-3 feet away from the tip of the
rod. You may not see your line bouncing around, but you'll see that dough ball! If I stepped away from
my poles, and one of them had a fish bite...even if I didn't hear it, I know which rod it was by simply
looking for the line marker(play dough) The one that doesn't have play dough, or the play dough is
down in the water, is the one that still may have a fish on the other end. Check that rod! The fish may
still be on!! One of the best instructional videos I've seen is In-Fishermans Catfish Fever. Otis "toad"
Smith and Doug Stange take you on a nice little catfish adventure! Its an old video, but still the best I
have seen! Check it out! The best seasons to target these monsters is prespawn/postspawn. Our
prespawn(in Indiana)is around april, and post being in late august/early september. It differs
somewhat from state to state. Try these methods! They have worked miracles for me! Tight lines!
Craig
* The catfish is more of a night animal. During the hot daytime hours they are in the deep pools,
hiding under debris or logs, but they can still be caught. At dusk it is usually the best time to start
fishing. In the spring and in the fall you will find more catfish then in the summer, but you can still try
on cool evenings. Try out one area of the lake for about 15 minutes. If you don't catch anything in this
time period, you are probably in the wrong area of the lake. Move along and try a different area.
When you throw in the line, start pulling it in slowly, zigzagging the path. As soon as you feel a slight
tug, pull once hard to ensure the fish gets hooked, then steadily pull the fish in.
* When catfish fishing a lake with a manmade current or natural current, always anchor your boat on
the upstream side of the submerged river channel. It might not even seem like there is any current,
but if you have had high water or if they generate for electricty, there will always be a small amount of
current flowing through the lake. Fish the submerged river channel just like you would any other river
with the current taking the smell of your bait downstream.
* The cycle of Blue Catfish is exactly the same as the cycle of the Shad or other baitfish you have in
your lake. Don't kid yourself: pay attention to your fish locator. The masses of Blue Catfish will always
be somewhere around the masses of Shad. Look for the bait, catch some bait, cut them up and
driftfish with a carolina rig through the schools of baitfish.
* Dont be scared to fish in 30 to 50 feet of water: Blue Catfish can tollerate deep water yearround.
* Always fish for Flathead Catfish with live bait and remember, there is a difference between live bait
and lively bait. Make sure your bait is really squirming: the more vibration in the water, the better the
chance for a Flathead find it.
* Believe it or not, but wintertime is the best time for Blue Catfish. Catching the fresh bait can be hard,
but after that has been accomplished, look for huge schools of fish in the submerged river channel. It
might take 4 hours to find the schools, but once you've found them, anchor your boat somewhere on
the top side of the channel and cast your baits from the top of the river channel to the bottom of it.
Wait 30 minutes and move. If they are there and in a feeding mode, it will be fast and furious action.
* The biggest blue catfish often come from water below the 40-degree mark. Most other gamefish are
sluggish in water this frigid, but not blues - they'll bite aggressively and put up a world-class fight.
* One of the best baits for a big flathead catfish is a live bluegill (where legal to do so). Fish it under a
float in shallow water, or below a heavy sinker on the bottom of a river. Use stout tackle - when
hooked, a flathead usually heads straight for cover.
* One of the easiest and most enjoyable ways to catch catfish is on juglines. Wrap a length of strong
monofilament line around the neck of a plastic milkjug. Pull out the desired length (6 to 10 ft. is usually
plenty) and secure the remainder in place with a sturdy rubber band. Rig a stout live bait hook at the
end of the line and a heavy sinker (an old spark plug or wheel weight will work) about a foot above the
hook. Use liver, worms, minnows, shrimp or prepared catfish bait. Put out several jugs away from
heavy boating traffic, then get set for fun as catfish try to make off with them. Always check local
regulations before jug fishing.
* In Spring, catfish often move around shallow rock banks to spawn. They can be caught using live
minnows or prepared baits drifted shallow beneath slip bobbers.
* Catfish naturally lay and swim near the bottom 90% of the time. However some times on overcast
summer days Flatheads and Channels can be caught 5' to 7' from the surface. Most Catfish can
usually be caught along the banks after a good rain storm. They will come to the surface to feed on
washed in bugs and insects. So at these times you might ignore the foot off the bottom rule.
* Channel Cats like Prepared Blood Baits and Hamburger Baits best when the water temperature is
above 78'degrees.
* A longer Rod makes for better hook sets and longer casts. It also allows you to pick up your line
quicker. A 9 to 10 foot long rod is usually sufficient. Most pay lakes 17 to 20 lb test line is preferred as
long as your drag is set right. A good reel is essential because they have smooth, even given drag
systems. The thinner the line the better in clear lakes especially because it is less likely to spook the
fish and makes the bait look more natural in the water.
Catfish Secrets by Craig
Anyone living near a large river or lake, can catch large cats. I fish for bait 1st, bag em, with an
aerator, and take them to the river. Bluegills and sunfish work great. Shiners and chubs also work
well. Bluegills can be caught under a float, using bee moths, crickets, or pan fish worms. Once I have
an adequate supply of LIVE bait, I'm off to the river.
If I want to target the blues or channels, I cut the bait into vertical slices, bout an inch and a half wide.
It is best to keep the bait alive until you are ready to cut it. I discard the heads and tails. I try to stray
away from large bluegills, because the hook doesn't tear through the bait as well, during hook sets.
The little ones are tender. Chubs are almost too tender. I hook the bait in one of the corners,
eliminating twirl and line twist. I use at least, a 1/2-3/4 oz.(sliding egg) weight to keep it where I want it.
Lakes require less weight. If fishing a river, you may have to play with the amount of weight, due to
current. I use a small splitshot to keep the weight away from the bait, nearly a foot. I don't use the
giant hooks, most use. I simply use bronze eagle claw 1/0 baitholders. They do not bend easy, and I
have landed TONS of huge cats, using them. More importantly, they are inexpensive! As far as
equipment goes, you should be prepared to land a 50 pound fish. If your not, when you get one on,
you'll probably be seeing springs and plastic gears flying out of your reels! If you didn't see that, you
saw the fish strip every inch of line out till it snapped! My best advice is to at least spend 40-50 dollars
on a large open face reel. Something capable of 20 pound test line. Bait casters may also be used. I
personally use shimano 3500's.(baitrunners) They are the greatest invention for catfishing. They are
open face, spinning reels with a device built in, called a bait runner. They have 2 drag systems, 1 for
the reel, 1 for the baitrunner. Once you have casted out, simply flip a switch on the reel, and it puts
the reel in an open bail state, with out the bail being open. If a fish comes along, and decides to swim
away with your bait, they usually don't feel the tension of the baitrunner, and can run around with the
bait, enabling the fish to keep it in its mouth. It also keeps your poles from disappearing into the water.
Once a fish picks up the bait, I usually pick up the rod while the fish is on the run, turn off the
baitrunner, let the fish draw up the loose slack, and set the hook. Its an 85-90% hook up! I hang those
reels from 9 foot ugly sticks. Medium action, believe it or not. Im not trying to horse the fish in, and
lose it! They are about 50-60 dollars. The baitrunners are around 100 dollars. I still have a couple
runners that I have had since '98. I have only had 1 reel go bad, out of about 10. Spending the exta
money is like having full coverage insurance, in the event of a wreck. Having the right tools will get the
job done, easier. Once you are prepared for the trip, look for the right spots. I like to fish within a mile
or 2 of a dam, on a large river. Fishing near a tributary or feeder creek is the ticket! I look for visible
current breaks.(for blues and channels) This is where you may see water sitting still, right next to a
faster current. I will cast right between the 2. If the current is pulling your bait out of the current
breaks, add weight! These current breaks are where you want to keep the bait. When rivers rise, its
nearly impossible to keep the bait where you want it. If I am fishing lakes, I usually target fish 5-6 feet
down, in shallow flats. Rivers will produce better numbers of large blues. Lakes produce nice channels
and flatheads. I'm not saying rivers do not produce large flatheads. There are larger flatheads in
rivers, but you usually have to go find em in a boat. I look for wood/logs piled up. They also like rock
piles. Where ever they can flee from the light, is where they will be.(flats) If I'm fishing for flatheads, I
use live gills, under a float. Unfortunately, the gills will often tangle up your line, around the float. If you
hook the gill behind the upper dorsal fin, it will make the gill swim in a downward angle, instead of up
in your floats. It works most of the time. Sometimes I will injure a gills tail to prevent it from escaping
the flatheads. Don't kill it, the flats wont bite it! Depending on state laws, you may not be able to use
gold fish. They also work very well on flatheads, under a float. They cannot escape a flat, like a gill
can. The gills however, are a more natural bait. I like to sit my rods up in a rod holder. I use a fold out
lawn chair made for sun bathing. I sit my rods across the legs of the chair, with the chair sitting upside
down. When its dark, you really cant see the line. I buy yellow or white play dough, and make small
dough balls, about the size of a dime. I squeeze it around my line, 2-3 feet away from the tip of the
rod. You may not see your line bouncing around, but you'll see that dough ball! If I stepped away from
my poles, and one of them had a fish bite...even if I didn't hear it, I know which rod it was by simply
looking for the line marker(play dough) The one that doesn't have play dough, or the play dough is
down in the water, is the one that still may have a fish on the other end. Check that rod! The fish may
still be on!! One of the best instructional videos I've seen is In-Fishermans Catfish Fever. Otis "toad"
Smith and Doug Stange take you on a nice little catfish adventure! Its an old video, but still the best I
have seen! Check it out! The best seasons to target these monsters is prespawn/postspawn. Our
prespawn(in Indiana)is around april, and post being in late august/early september. It differs
somewhat from state to state. Try these methods! They have worked miracles for me! Tight lines!
Craig
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