Along with other sport fish species like bass, catfish make for an exciting angling experience. They can put up quite the fight when caught. Several fishing strategies can help you maximize your potential when fishing for catfish for a successful fishing expedition.
Live Bait
The right type of bait can make all the difference between catching just a couple catfish or landing an entire boat with your angling results, reports In-Fisherman magazine. The magazine says that live bait that can survive the longest on your hook is best, as the blood and other liquids from the bait slowly seep out and attract the catfish's sensitive barbels. Ideal live bait in brackish waters include eels, herring and mackerel. If you're fishing in fresh water, use fish that are native to the region in which you're fishing, such as carp or shiners.
Fishing Locations
Don't waste precious time scouring an entire body of water for catfish. Focus on areas in which catfish like to frequent. Typically, catfish enjoy swimming adjacent to humps on the bottom of a lake, river or stream where rocks, debris and vegetation form a pile above the waterway's bottom. If you don't know the geography of the area in which you're fishing, consult a contour map available from regional extension offices or a local fishing store. According to catfish angler Keith Sutton, author of "Fishing for Catfish," catfish often position themselves alongside the shaded side of a hump.
Fishing Season
You can land catfish all year, even in winter if you're an ice fisher, but the best fishing time for catfish is in the spring. During this time, two factors make catfish much easier to catch, according to "The Freshwater Angler." First, during the spring, catfish schools experience their "biggest movement" from deep winter waters into shallower water where they begin searching for food and spawning. Second, natural food sources are more abundant and encourage more active feeding of the fish.
Timing
Generally, catfish feed best in the evening, but professional angler Steve Hoffman, writing for In-Fisherman magazine, points out a secret specifically for flatheads, a popular variety of catfish. According to Hoffman, you'll also experience great angling rates when casting your bait between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. This can help you avoid traditional catfish fishermen crowds that may congregate in the evening, giving you full reign to explore your favorite local waterway.
References
- "Fishing for Catfish: The Complete Guide"; Keith Sutton; 1999
- "The Freshwater Angler: Catching Catfish"; Editors of Creative Publishing; 2000
- In-Fisherman Magazine: The "Natural" Choice for Cats
- In-Fisherman Magazine: Breaking the Rules for Flatheads
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