What would you rather do this winter: Clean your reels? Or tie into a giant freshwater fish the size of a small deer? Here’s how to hook into a monster.
Mark Hicks Tells You How To Catch Catfish
We understand. Deep within your long-suffering soul is the need for a fish so huge you’ll hurt yourself hefting it for the camera. But if you’re like many freshwater fishermen, you probably believe that anything over 20 pounds would be the catch of a lifetime. Even in pro tournaments, most of the bass cheered on by spectators at weigh-in wouldn’t strain the biceps of a 10-year-old. But take heart. There is one sweet-water species out there capable of herniating the burliest of anglers: the blue catfish. These behemoths, commonly caught in the 30- to 40-pound range, can weigh more than a small deer. They’re also getting easier to hook, thanks to a surging wave of catfish addicts who’ve perfected the best techniques. One thing these junkies have figured out is that some of the very best fishing for giant cats starts right now. The following guide distills the rest of their knowledge into simple-to-follow tips and tactics. Read it over, study it well, then hit the water and get the blues. You just might land the largest freshwater fish of your life.
The Equipment To Catch Catfish
1. Anchor A four-pronged model, like the Bass Pro Shops Folding Grappling Anchor, holds well in sand or mud and on hard bottoms. 2. Scale Small cats make good eating, but the trend with trophies is to weigh them, snap a picture, and put them back unharmed. Rapala’s Magnum XL Lock in Weigh Fish Scale accurately weighs beasts up to 125 pounds. 3. Aerated Bait Tank Frabill’s portable Aqua-Life Bait Station runs off two D cells or one 12-volt battery and has enough room to provide an angler with lively bait all day long. 4. Landing Net Landing Net It’s the best way to land a big blue without injury to you or the fish. A Frabill Pro-Formance model 5555 will handle true trophy cats. 5. Depthfinder A high-resolution LCD unit marks baitfish, catfish, and structures worth fishing. Humminbird’s Fishfinder 565 has a 5-inch monochrome display with 640×320 pixels for excellent image clarity.
The Bait To Catch Catfish
The Bait Trophy Blues relish fresh baitfish, including shad, skipjacks, and blueback herring. Use what’s common to the water you’re fishing. You may be able to buy suitable bait near popular big-cat waters, but most anglers catch their own with Sabiki rigs or cast nets. Live Bait (picture above, right) Where there’s little current, use a 6- to 9-inch live baitfish. Hook it through both nostrils, or up into the lower jaw and out the nose, or under the dorsal fin to keep bait lively. Dorsal hooking lets it swim more freely, however, which can be an advantage in still water. Cut Bait (pictured above, left) This works well in current, which washes scent downstream, drawing catfish from long distances. Scale and fillet a 1- to 2-pound skipjack herring, cut the fillets into 1-inch sections, and bait you hook with three to five chunks.
The plan To Catch Catfish
Hotspot: The Pool
Hefty cats stack up in the heads, in the tails, and along the steep edges of deep pools on the outside of river bends. You may need your depthfinder to pinpoint them. If you’re fishing a river that’s been channelized by a lock-and-dam system, concentrate on the banks of the old river channel. Tactic: Give Them The Slip
Anchor 100 feet upstream of a pool. Slip the boat downstream to the head and cast bottom rigs with cutbait, positioning one on the shallow side of the drop and the other on the deeper side. Put your rods in holders. If you don’t get any takes in 20 minutes, slip another 20 yards downstream.
Roger A. Rohrbouck with 101lb catfish
Roger A. Rohrbouck of Alliance, Nebraska., landed this blue catfish on March 2nd, 2000. It weighed 101 pounds. He caught it on 12-pound-test line while fishing the San Vicente Reservoir.
Charles Ashley Jr. with 116 lb catfish
Charles Ashley Jr. of Marion, Arkansas. landed this blue catfish on August 3, 2001. The fish weighed 116 pounds, 12 ounces. He caught it on 16-pound-test line while fishing the Mississippi River, near West Memphis.
Timothy Pruitt with 124 lb catfish
Timothy Pruitt of Alton, Illinois landed this blue catfish on June 3, 2005. The fish weighed 124 pounds, an all-tackle record. He caught it on 40-pound-test line while fishing near Alton.