Archive for August, 2008

Catfish Fishing in Downed Trees, Are You Crazy?

Most anglers would say I am crazy to be catfish fishing in trees but that is where one species of catfish like to hang out. Channel catfish love trees. They provide a protected location from which they can hide and hunt.

The best trees are in locations that allow catfish easy movement between shallow and deep water. Look for fallen and flooded trees along channel drop-offs, underwater humps and holes, the edges of shallow flats and other fast-breaking structure. Other trees may hold cats, too, but these are among the best.

Found your location? Now it is time to gear up. Heavy line and tackle are a must for this type of fishing. Use braided line – 50-pound-test or heavier – and a long, stout rod. You will have to have a strong line to pull these cats out of the tree and the protection it provides.

My favorite bait for these channel catfish is cut bait. Big cats love cut bait and big cats are what I am after. Cut baits are also a little less likely to get caught in the tree. I use a 5/0 circle hook with no sinker unless the current is strong. My rig also has a slip bobber. This allows me to place the bait exactly where I want it.

Now you need to get right up in there, as close as you can to the tree, and carefully drop your bait into an opening. You can catch nice catfish along the outer edges of the tree but the big cats will be deep into the tree guarding the best locations. You have to put the bait right in front of them.

When they take the bait, react immediately, setting the hook hard and reeling like crazy. You have to pull the cat out of cover immediately or it will tie you up in the tree. If he does that you have lost. This is no time for finesse and is why heavy tackle is so important.

What is the Best Bait for Blue Catfish

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I am going to make this plain and simple; your best bait for Blue catfish is cut bait. That is if you want the big ones, the trophy cat. They can and have been caught with other baits but nothing will perform as well as cut baits for the trophy size blues.

When they are young Blue catfish are very similar to channel catfish. They are not finicky eaters and can be caught on anything you would normally use to fish for channel catfish. Earthworms, shrimp, chicken livers, hot dogs, cheese baits, blood bats and many other varieties of homemade baits all make good choices. You may even catch a few good size blues with these baits.

If you are trying to get that trophy catfish your chances of catching a big blue are slim with the above baits. As blue catfish grow and get older they get more selective in their eating habits. They become much more of a predator and much less of a scavenger. Cut bait and live bait both work but the fluids seeping from the cut bait make for powerful attractants.

If you don’t know what cut bait is the simple definition is a live fish that has been cut into pieces. The size of the catfish you want helps determine the size of the pieces you make. To give you and idea I will cut a bluegill the size of my hand into three pieces not counting the tail fin as I will discard that. My favorite piece is the head. I will put a 6/0 hook though the top part of the fishes mouth and out through the bottom of the head.

Any cut bait will work but the best is from fish native to the waters you are angling in. Also be sure it is legal to do so. I know that in some states you can not use bluegill for bait.

Good luck on your next outing. Visit Catfish Bait Recipes to get more great homemade catfish baits.

Fishing Trip Planning

If you want to plan a fantastic fishing trip and money is not an issue I suggest that you rent a fishing lodge for a week. A fishing lodge provides all the amenities of home but in natures beautiful setting. Fishing lodges are available at most lakes and many come with a fishing boat dock.

If you have a fishing boat, great. If not you can rent any type of fishing boat you want and park it at the dock of your fishing lodge. If you have more than three people with you you might want to think about renting a pontoon boat to fish from.

The next thing you will want to do for your fishing trip is set up a fishing charter. Having a fishing charter will insure that you get the most out of your fishing trip. A local guide will show you all the good spots on the lake and what bait to use. Having a fishing charter will ensure that you have a great day of fishing and if you plan it early you can return to locations you were shown over and over.

With that said I realize there are a lot of people that can not afford to do all of the above but I do recommend that if you are taking a trip and want to spend at least one day fishing you should consider a fishing charter. They will provide a guide, a boat and all the fishing tackle needed. It is a lot of fun you will catch a lot of fish most of which you will release but you can keep enough for dinner.