Sharkeyes, you deserve a better answer than we gave. First off let me state that I have no formal education on fish and what I tell you may not always be politically correct, but it is from many years of hard knocks. I personally fish for a lot of migratory fish such as spotted seatrout and red drum. They move long distances during different seasons and I have to chase them. But many fresh water species of fish are non-migratory. The white/black perch has many names such as sac-au-lait, crappie, speckled perch, and calico bass. They fit better as a fish type in the temperate bass family than in the perch family. They are a non-migratory fish. So basically it is fish that will not travel to far with the changes of the season. As a matter of fact they are a good fish to fish for in all seasons and, so I have been told, even for ice fishing which I do not do. I personally fish mostly tide waters. In tide water the moon cycles play a big part as to how the fish react. There are roughly 13 moon cycles in the year and four days out of each cycle that crappie fishing is at its best. I use mosty artificial baits for crappie, but live minnows and worms work very well also. They like good cover such as sunken tree tops and will bed during breeding.

Now as to the catfish. The word catfish is a commonly used term for such a diverse group of fish which contain a such a very large veriety of different species that I need more information to be of any real help. I can assume that you are not fishing for any of the salt water species which are migratory and are fishing for fresh water non-migratory species. The basic answer to your question is that they are still in the general area that they were in during the summer. I personally seldom fish for fresh water species of catfish with a rod and reel but I do use trot lines in my local river from time to time.

Your definitely going to find your fish in deeper waters. Where I am at we had just had a recent turnover where we saw an at least 15 degree temperature drop over a four day stretch. The fish fed hard and on large baits, we where catching crappie when we where fishing for walleye in about 14 feet of water about 20 feet from a steep drop off into almost thirty feet of water, they were suspended in schools at the level of the drop off in the deeper water. We were using XXL fatheads on a slip bobber. Quite a few nice 'eyes too.

As for Big Cats, I catch them quite often on the river and I don't usually have to be to picky about where I'm fishing. Usually around dams or upstream from deep holes. And the stinkier the better. I like using a treble hook with some rotten slime that I've had in a jar for three years and then I wrap it in some spawn sack to hold it all together. Use a bottom bouncer and drift down the river, you can catch just about anything this way.

Good Luck!

You 2 need to go on the road with your vaudeville act!! I was going to say "hiding underwater" but I'm too late.

I guess I need to go and check out the river! I was at the creek yesterday and couldn't catch a cold! Thanks for the tips!