Ol’ Mr. Whiskers

No matter where you might live in the U.S. of A., catfish are virtually guaranteed to live in the same zip code – and they’re almost always willing to bite.

There’s no such thing as a sure thing in the world of fishing, but when it comes to finding a fish that lives almost everywhere and bites almost anything almost all the time, catfish are as sure a bet as you’ll find. These prolific, pervasive critters can be found all across the nation, in ponds, lakes, rivers, and bays. Added bonus: Most folks agree that they make a great meal. Anglers, let’s get ready to get after the big three: blue catfish, channel catfish, and flathead catfish.

How To Find ’Em

Choosing where to cast your line is, as with all types of fishing, key when targeting catfish. As a general rule, drop-offs and transition zones from shallow to deep water are good bets. Like most other species, catfish like hanging around structure. So boulders, bridge pilings, and deadfall can aggregate the fish. Most times, catfish will be found in relatively deep water, so hunting for holes and channels is often a good move. There are exceptions, however, such as in the spring when catfish may move to shallow waters warmed up by sunshine.

BLUE CATFISH

Native to the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio, and Rio Grande river basins, blue catfish have spread to most of the states in the union. They were intentionally introduced in almost 20 states; in other cases, they were released into the wild when private lakes or fish farm ponds rearing blue catfish overflowed into nearby waterways. Once in the wild, blue catfish are highly adaptable and can live in a wide range of environments, including fresh and brackish waters.

Preferring rivers with hard substrates like gravel and rocks and open-water reservoirs with sandy or silty substrates, blue catfish can survive in just about any environment. Channels and tailwaters below dams with swift currents are prime areas to find them. In slower-moving waters they’re often found in and around structure. Blue catfish can tolerate cold water and will feed during the winter in many areas, usually in waters down to about 40 F, when they can often be found in deep holes.

CHANNEL CATFISH

Channel catfish can be found in virtually every state and territory in the union, including Hawaii and even Puerto Rico, with Alaska being the lone exception. While their natural range is thought to be through middle America from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico (America), with stocking dating all the way back to the 1800s (when record-keeping was sketchy), there’s some question as to the exact boundaries of their native habitat.

Although channel catfish are found in plenty of ponds and lakes, they prefer rivers with moving, well-oxygenated water. In reservoirs they’re known to be partial to riprapped shorelines and dams, shifting deeper during the day and shallower after the sun goes down. They’re also known to follow old submerged roadbeds, gather around intake/outflow pipes, and feed where sandy or rocky bottoms transition to mud or weeds. In ponds and lakes with low flow, which stratify during the summer months, be careful not to fish too deep because channel cats may remain shallower than the thermocline to stay in areas with higher oxygen content.

FLATHEAD CATFISH

Flathead catfish is another species that has expanded well beyond its native range and today can be found through much of the U.S., excluding Alaska, Hawaii, Montana, Utah, and most of New England. They’re less tolerant of salinity than channel catfish and especially blue catfish, so their numbers aren’t generally as significant in brackish waterways.

Due to the flathead’s preference for rocky substrate, they tend to thrive more often in rivers as opposed to lakes. In either type of waterway, finding rocky bottom is key, and if you try fishing for them over silty or weedy bottom, you’ll generally go home disappointed. They’re known to seek out areas with overhead cover and will hide under deadfall, boulders, rocky overhangs, and in crevices. Flathead catfish feed best after dark, and anglers targeting them often go night fishing.

How To Catch ’Em

You heard catching catfish was as simple as sliding a chunk of meat on a hook and tossing it out there? Doing so may get you a bite or two, but you’ll catch a lot more fish if you bait up and rig up appropriately.

BLUE CATFISH

Blue catfish will eat just about anything that lives in the waters where they swim – and then some. Matching the hatch with whatever baitfish is most prevalent at any given time is always a good move. Blue catfish will certainly strike at live baits, but most anglers offer up cut fish chunks or strips; remember that fresh-cut bait will almost always outcatch bait that’s been frozen. Chicken livers are known as a good backup when fresh-cut bait isn’t available, and many blue catfish sharpies also swear by fishing raw chicken breast that’s been marinated in cherry or strawberry Kool-Aid. We can’t imagine who first gave this a try or why they tried it, but you can’t argue with success.

Anglers fishing for average-sized blue cats will generally tie on a standard fishfinder rig or an inline egg sinker, 3- to 4 feet of 40- to 60-pound test leader, and cap it off with a 6/0 to 8/0 circle hook. Some prefer a “Santee Cooper” rig, which adds a float a foot or two above the hook to keep the bait just above bottom. Blue catfish are as much predators as scavengers, and they often prowl around up off the bottom, so there will be times when fishing the Santee Cooper is the key to success.

Anglers fishing for average-sized blue cats will generally tie on a standard fishfinder rig or an inline egg sinker, 3- to 4 feet of 40- to 60-pound test leader, and cap it off with a 6/0 to 8/0 circle hook. Some prefer a “Santee Cooper” rig, which adds a float a foot or two above the hook to keep the bait just above bottom. Blue catfish are as much predators as scavengers, and they often prowl around up off the bottom, so there will be times when fishing the Santee Cooper is the key to success.

Blue catfish can grow to enormous proportions; the world record hit 143 pounds. In many waterways, hooking up with a 100-plus-pound fish is a very real possibility. So when you’re hoping to catch a real river monster, upsizing the rig is a must. Leader size should be increased to 60- to 80-pound test, and hooks of 10/0 or 12/0 are in order.

CHANNEL CATFISH

The same bait rules apply for channel catfish as for the blue cats. Like the aforementioned species, channel cats are opportunistic and will at times swallow just about anything, however, baiting up with the natural prey that’s in the area is a good move.

The same rigs work well, too, although you don’t have to be quite as concerned about breaking out the big guns for this species. Most channel cats will tip the scales at 2- to 10 pounds, and fish over 50 pounds are exceptionally rare; the current record sits at 58 pounds. Coincidentally, that monster was caught in the reservoir that float rig is named for – Santee Cooper – which might provide some extra insight into just how important it is to keep a few floats in your tacklebox.

FLATHEAD CATFISH

Unlike blue catfish and channel catfish, flatheads are known for chasing down live baits with far more vigor than they go after cut bait. While they certainly can be caught on fish chunks or chicken livers, using live bluegills, sunfish, or large shiners is the prime way to tempt flatheads into biting.

Flatheads are often tight inside cover, so most anglers use a straightforward fishfinder or egg sinker rig with just a foot or two of leader, terminating in a 4/0 to 8/0 hook. When live baiting, it’s important to choose hook size according to the bait’s size. With too big a hook, the bait will often foul itself, and with too small a hook, there may not be enough of a gap exposed for solid hook-ups when the bait gets eaten.

At night when the flatheads leave their hidey-holes to go on the hunt, most anglers cast out the baits and let them sit. During daylight, however, you’ll often need to get that bait right in front of the fish’s face in order to get a bite. That means you’ll want to keep moving baits that aren’t getting struck after a few minutes, so hopefully you’ll move them past the catfish. After casting out and allowing the bait to sit for a minute or three, raise your rod tip a couple of feet to lift the weight off bottom. Allow the angle of the line and/or the current to move the rig several feet. Then drop the rod tip back down and allow the weight to come to rest again. Give it a minute or two, then repeat the process. Continue until you get a bite or the rig is directly beneath the boat, then reel up and cast for another try.

How To Cook ’Em

Some people love all types of catfish, and some don’t. However, these fish, like many others, come in a variety of flavors depending on their diet and where you catch them. Catfish that live on a diet of finfish will taste distinctly different than those feeding mostly on clams and eels. In any case, give the recipe at left a try, and we’ll bet you decide that catfish can be a meal fit for a casting king.