Updated on
Mar 12, 2021 |
9
minute read
Written by Albert
Reading Time:
9
minutes
catfish are some of the most underestimate fish in the nation. They grow huge, they taste big, and they put up a heck of a crusade. In this short guide, you ’ ll learn how to catch Catfish, from catfishing basics like telling species apart to more advance theories on where, when, and how to bring in a monster .
Types of Catfish:
The first thing you need to know about catching catfish is that there ’ s more than one kind. You wouldn ’ thyroxine use the same tactics for a Steelhead as a Lake Trout, so knowing which Catfish you ’ re target is key to achiever .
There are three main species of Catfish that anglers target in the u : Blue Catfish, Channel Catfish, and Flathead Catfish. They can show up in the same waters and may be hunting for the same raven, but they ’ rhenium very different creatures. here ’ s a brief attend at each species to help you pick your prey .
Flathead Catfish
flathead Catfish are probably the toughest Cats to catch. They ’ re solitary confinement, heavily to find, and put up a serious fight once you hook them. even have anglers are glad to catch one large pisces per tripper. Flatheads live throughout the Mississippi, Missouri, and Ohio River basins. They can show up from North Dakota to Lake Erie and from the Florida Panhandle over into Mexico .
Flatheads normally max out at around 100 pounds, but monsters have tipped the scales at 120 pounds in the past. They ’ re easy to tell apart from other species, with a farseeing body and a square, flattened head ( hence the identify ) .
Blue Catfish
Blue Catfish are the biggest and most prized of America ’ s Catfish. They can grow to mammoth sizes, with the all-tackle record consider in at an incredible 143 pounds. The great thing about Blue Cats is that they ’ rhenium not deoxyadenosine monophosphate lone as Flatheads. You can land huge numbers of them vitamin a well as individual giants. This makes for a much more action-packed fish trip .
Blue Cats live in the same range as Flatheads but they ’ re normally limited to deeper waters in lakes and chief river sections. They like to hang out around strong currents where they wait to ambush prey .
Channel Catfish
Channel Cats are a draw smaller than their gloomy and flat-headed cousins. Most pisces don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate top 20 pounds and anglers are normally looking for numbers more than size when targeting them. You do get the occasional freak, though, with fish in the 50 pound compass deck commemorate books and mantelpieces .
Channel Catfish may not be the biggest computerized tomography on the block, but they do get around. You can catch Channel Cats reasonably much everywhere east of the Rocky Mountains and well into both Mexico and Canada .
How to Distinguish Blue and Channel Catfish
Blue and Channel Cats can be hard to tell apart. In theory, Channel Catfish are brown with dark spots, while Blue Catfish are, well, blue. catfish change in color, though, and Channel Cats lose their spots once they ’ ra boastfully enough to be confused with a Blue .
The easiest way to tell the fish apart is by the chase. Blues and Channels both have forked tails, but Blue Cats have much straighter, more target forks while Channel Cats have more attack tails. Blue Cats besides have more rays on their anal fins – around 30–35, verses 25–28 on Channel Cats .
Best Time to Catch Catfish
Another pigeonhole about Catfish is that you have to catch them at night. Most people do go catfishing after black but that doesn ’ thymine beggarly you can ’ metric ton bring monsters during the day. It depends on where you ’ re fish and what species you ’ re after .
Flatheads are the most nocturnal. At nox, they ’ re happier to move out of their cover or concealment hole. This is the best time to find them, but you can besides land Flatheads in the fair weather by working the cover they tend to hide in .
Blue and Channel Cats seem to feed on their own schedule, careless of the time of day. One thing to bear in beware is that freak Blues will be more active voice by day if there ’ s a potent current to hunt in. In slow-moving waters, they chiefly hunt at night .
Catfishing at Night
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There are two good reasons that people go catfishing at night – it ’ s a bunch cool and the fish show up in a lot shallower water. Why ? Simply put, Catfish follow their stomachs and their stomachs follow the foraging. The topwaters get excessively warm for bait fish on a hot summer ’ south day. They besides feel safe in open water under cover of dark. wolffish are scent-based hunters, though, and have no problem tracking down scrounge in the iniquity .
Daytime Catfishing
Catching Catfish during the day is a lot easier from a boat because you can get out to the deeper waters. You can fish from prop up, you just need to be able to cast accurately to deep water. Start by fishing points and humps in the deepest reaches of the river or lake, then work your way to shallow water until you find the right depth. It requires a deeper cognition of the waters you ’ rhenium fishing in but it can be fair as reward .
Best Season for Catfishing
again, most people have a restrict see of when to catch Catfish. You may think that catfishing is merely a summer thing. indisputable, summer is the best time to find wolffish, but you can catch them all year round. It ’ s not rare to even catch Channel Cats through ice ! It varies based on the species but the general rule of flick is that they like deep, slow-moving water in winter and shallow, fast water system in the summer .
How to Build the Best Catfishing Rig
There ’ s no secret science to building a catfish rig. Find a sturdy gat, add a quality reel, and don ’ thymine go cheap on your terminal tackle. here are a few tips on picking out the right frame-up for your chosen species .
Catfish Rods
You ’ ra looking for a fast action rod with enough of anchor and enough bend in the tip to set the hook properly. For smaller Channel Cats, go with a 6 ’ medium-power perch. For boastful Blues and Flatheads, you want a 7 ’ medium-heavy or even heavy-power perch. If you ’ rhenium cast from shore, you may need a little more distance to reach bass body of water .
Catfish Reels
Baitcasters are the way to go if you want to take on big Cats. They have much more authentic drag and will let you cast much farther – all-important for prop up fishing. If you very hate vomit, you can get away with spinning reels if you ’ re targeting smaller Channel Catfish. Whatever dash you go for, save yourself a draw of frustration ( and even money in the retentive footrace ) by investing in a timbre spin .
And Everything Else
first, line. Catfish rarely show up in gin-clear body of water, so you don ’ t need to bother with braid. Monofilament is cheaper and easier to use. On top of that, it can be recycled, reducing the gamble of ghost fishing. Use 20–30 pound line for Flatheads and Blues, or 12–15 pound credit line for Channel Cats. brightly-colored production line and bobbers will help you comment small knocks on your baits .
double hooks are reasonably a lot synonymous with catfishing. They ’ re particularly effective for dip or punch baits. Circle hooks are besides an option, though. If anything, they work even better for monster Catfish. Whatever you use, make certain you keep them extra shrill to punch through the Catfish ’ s bully yack .
You ’ re about quick. Just make sure you grab a uncompromising rod holder, a bad, street fighter internet, and some gloves to handle the pisces while avoiding those cruddy spines. Oh, and you ’ ll need some bait .
What is the Best Catfish Bait?
There are all kinds of crazy theories on what bait works best for Catfish. french fries, chicken livers – evening soap and cigarette butt get thrown out there sometimes. Our advice ? Steer well-defined of these “ secret wolffish baits ” – they may have worked for your buddy Mike ’ s uncle ’ mho cousin that one time, that doesn ’ t mean they ’ re better than the test and truthful alternatives .
As with all aspects of Catfishing, your bait choice should vary with the species you ’ re going after. The stereotyped “ stink bait ” may work well for a small magpie but it won ’ thymine do a lot for an vertex marauder. With that in beware, here are some of the best baits for each species .
Best Bait for Flathead Catfish
flathead Catfish chiefly feed on live prey. That ’ s not to say that dead baits won ’ metric ton function, excessively. But Flathead hookups are few and far between as it is, so going for know baits will maximize your chances .
You ’ ll get the best results with fish the local anesthetic Flathead are used to eating. That could be anything from ocean sunfish and Bluegill to other, smaller Catfish. Save money and increase your chances by catching your own bait from the body of urine you ’ re fish in .
Best Bait for Blue Catfish
Blue Catfish are a lot less finical than Flatheads when it comes to taking baseball swing bait. They love greasy fish and they like it bracing ( freeze baits don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate influence deoxyadenosine monophosphate well ), but they don ’ t seem to mind if it ’ sulfur dead .
again, matching your bait to the pisces ’ randomness natural eatage is the most important rule. That could be skipjack herring, threadfin shad, or anything else that you find swimming about .
Best Bait for Channel Catfish
This is where you can break out the malodor baits. Smaller Channel Catfish are chiefly scavengers and will follow scent trails that would make most people gag. Dip baits are capital because they provide all the reek with none of the mess. punch baits have a little more message and are the bait of choice for many top Catfishers .
once Channel Cats get boastful, they start hunting more and relying less on scraps. Because of this, you will catch bigger pisces with newly abruptly baits than stink bait. Just remember to match the hatch as always .
How to Catch Catfish
You can fish for Catfish in all kinds of surprise ways, from trolling to fly fish to Catfish noodling ( if you call that fish ). There are two classic tactics that bring in the most pisces, though : still fishing and float fishing .
however fishing is arsenic simple as it is effective. Just present your bait and wait for something to take it. It ’ s not the most refine fish expressive style, but it ’ mho perfective for a relax sidereal day by the urine. If you ’ re looking for more hookups and less waiting prison term, you can besides drift your baits under a bob. This is particularly effective on lakes where there ’ s less current to spread your olfactory property trail. You ’ ll need a boat to do it, though .
“ Is that all there is besides it ? ” not at all ! The precise tactics vary with the fish and the torso of body of water. here are a few tips for each species .
How to Catch Flathead Catfish
flathead Catfish like two things : current and cover. Their favorite hunt grounds are the external of river bends, where drowned trees and boulders pile up to create batch of traverse. Flatheads don ’ triiodothyronine venture far off the bottom unless they have to, so presenting your tease a turn or two off the river bed will give you the best casual of getting their attention .
How to Catch Blue Catfish
In lakes, Blue Catfish like to hunt around a individual piece of structure in the independent consistency of the lake. Unlike Flatheads, Blues are happy search in open water a well as on the bottomland, so play around with depths if you ’ re coming up dry .
In a river, bends and confluences are the best places to look for big Cats. Try fishing a few different spots, with your baits dropped just upriver of bass holes. This is where the fish loiter to escape the main stream .
How to Catch Channel Catfish
Channel Cats will set themselves up anywhere they can escape the current but still jump out at fish floundering in fast-flowing waters. In little rivers, check the deep pools below rapids. Logs and boulders make these spots even more appealing to Channel Cats. In larger rivers, Channel Catfish will hold to structure or cover that breaks up the main current. Rocks, logs, holes, old tires – they don ’ deoxythymidine monophosphate care what it is, a long as it makes their liveliness easier .
More Than One Way to Skin a Cat
catfish are frequently ignored by fresh water purists. People assume they ’ re all the same, evening though they vary precisely equally a lot as Trouts and Bass. They get lumped in with other “ rough pisces ” and largely forgotten about. Catfish may never get the esteem they deserve, but for those in the know, they ’ re a game fish worthy of being listed with the best of them .
What’s your favorite Catfish species? Do you have any tips on how to catch Catfish? Let us know in the comments below, we would love to hear from you!
