Spring – Great Time For Catfishing
There’s quite a variety of good fishing going on out there now, but soon some of the best that will be occurring on the big lakes will be in the rocky shallows, as channel catfish move in for their spring spawning action. Spawning usually takes place in late May or early June when the water temperature reaches 75 degrees.
Hollow logs, overhanging underwater ledges or holes under mud banks are typical nesting places. Females lay about 10,000 eggs each. Males guard the nest against intruders, including females. Eggs hatch in 6 to 10 days determined by temperature. After hatching, the catfish fry are attended for a short time by the male as they feed in a dense school.
And it’s certainly not difficult to find a prime spot for this traditional early-summer catfish action on the big lakes. Every major lake has literally mile after mile of rocky riprap fill where a highway crosses the lake. Those are always hot spots for this fishing, and of course they can be accessed most effectively by a boat, as anglers move along the riprap, working them with a slip-cork rig and some type of good catfish bait. My favorite has always been cut bait.
But if you don’t have a boat, you can still pick a spot somewhere along the rocky banks and put out several rods/reels with corks to cover a good amount of water. Catfish can be caught anytime of day but they are most active at night. Be patient and you will catch your share of catfish.
The Right Catfish Fishing Hook
Catfish fishing can be one of the most fun and exciting fishing you can do. Choosing the right catfish fishing hook will depend on what type and size catfish you are trying to catch. Choose a hook too small and you will never catch the really big ones. Choose a hook to large and if you don’t catch the big one you may not catch anything at all.
When catfish fishing you should always have a variety of sizes in your tackle box so that you can adapt to the catfish that you catching. I generally keep sizes 1/0 to 6/0 bait holder hooks. I almost always begin with a 1/0 bait holder hook. I have caught catfish over 20 lbs with this hook. They are great for channel catfish of all sizes and will certainly allow you to provide plenty of good tasting fish for your dinner table.
When fishing for the big catfish, flatheads and blues, I usually start with a 4/0 bait holder hook. You may miss a few little ones with this hook but by using it we are saying we don’t want the little ones anyway. Remember that generally speaking bigger bait catches bigger catfish.
When it comes to winter catfish fishing, you really can get better results using smaller hooks. Even when you are trying to catch big fish. Especially in the winter, when the water is cold and calm, the catfish tend to be finicky, and you have to try to get them to take the bait without spooking them.
In the springtime, when the catfish are more aggressive, you can move up to some bigger hooks like a 6/0 bait holder hook. These are particularly good when there are flood water conditions present. During flood conditions, the fish tend to get very aggressive, and they really grab on to basically whatever is out there. You will miss some fish you could catch if you use the smaller hooks in flood conditions.
When Channel Cats Get Tough: By Rob Neumann
Experiences of top catmen along with results of scientific studies have tightened our grip on the seasonal response of catfish, from small rivers to the largest of watercourses. Myths about notoriously tight-lipped catfish late in the year have been dispelled — in fact, autumn catfishing can be fruitful when conditions are right. At other times, channel catfish can be anything but aggressive, especially after a bout of a miserably cold October or November rain (or worse). But when the cold steel of the hammer drops and the going gets tough at traditional summer spots, the tough get going — right down to the places channel cats ride out old man winter.
