Catfish will never win a beauty contest, but they are beautiful, indeed, to millions of North American anglers. These whiskered fish live in warm-water rivers, ponds, lakes and reservoirs throughout much of the U.S. and southern Canada. Catfish are willing biters, and they’re spirited fighters when hooked. They’re also very good fried and served with French fries and hush puppies!
There are three common American catfish species: channel catfish, blue catfish and fathead catfish. All have a host of local nicknames.
Channel catfish have olive-blue sides fading to silver-white bellies. They also have small dark spots on their backs and sides. Channel cats live mostly in rivers or lakes with slow to moderate currents. They are the smallest of the three catfish species, rarely exceeding 25 pounds. The world-record channel cat weighed 58 pounds even and was caught in South Carolina in 1964.
Blue catfish look very much like channels, except they don’t have spots on their backs and sides. They grow larger than channel catfish. Blue cats occasionally exceed 100 pounds. The world-record blue cat weighed 116 pounds 12 ounces and was caught in Arkansas in 2001. Blue catfish thrive in big, slow-moving rivers such as the Mississippi, Ohio, Tennessee and Missouri. They gang up in tail-race areas below dams on these rivers.
Flathead catfish are so-named because of their appearance. The fathead’s mouth is long and fat, and its lower jaw is slightly longer than its upper jaw. Its back and sides are mottled brown tapering to a lighter belly. Flathead catfish live in a variety of waters, though they prefer current and clean water. The world-record fathead cat weighed 123 pounds and was caught in Kansas in 1998.
All three of these species share certain traits. They have a slick, scaleless skin and feature eight barbels (whiskers) around the mouth. The barbels contain highly-developed smelling organs, which the fish use to sniff out and “taste” various foods. Catfish have one of the most highly developed senses of smell of all fish. Sometimes catfish rely more on their sense of smell to find food than their sense of sight.
Flathead Catfish
Bullhead Catfish
Blue and channel catfish eat worms, insects, baitfish, crawfish, invertebrates, wild seeds, and a long list of other foods. Flathead cats, on the other hand, feed primarily on living foods - baitfish, crawfish, etc. Many catfish feed more at night than during the day. They feed mainly on the bottom, though they will move up and forage near the surface if a good feeding opportunity exists there.
Catfish spawn in late spring, after the water temperature reaches 70° F. Females lay eggs in holes in the bank, under logs, among rocks, or in other spots that offer some protection from current and concealment from predators.
Bullheads are members of the catfish family, and are often assumed to be small catfish. There is one easy way to tell them apart. Bullheads have rounded tails (fatheads have rounded tails like bullheads, but are recognized by their long, fat mouth.)
There are three common species of bullheads in North America: black, brown and yellow. Their range covers most of the U.S. and southern Canada. They live in a variety of waters, from small ponds and marshes to large impoundments and rivers. Three other species (snail, spotted, and fat bullhead) are found in the Southeast.
Bullheads prefer quiet, warm waters, and they usually hang close to bottom. They are highly tolerant of pollution and low oxygen content, which means they can survive in many waters where other species can’t live.
Bullheads are usually much smaller than catfish. They rarely grow larger than 2 pounds. The world-record black bullhead weighed 8 pounds 15 ounces and was caught in New York in 1951. The world-record brown bullhead weighed 6 pounds 5 ounces and was caught in New York in 2002. The world-record yellow bullhead weighed 4 pounds 4 ounces and was caught in Arizona in 1984.
Bullheads share many of the same feeding and spawning habits as catfish. They’re favorites of many panfish anglers, since they’re plentiful and usually bite when other species won’t.
Although many freshwater fishermen have certain gamefish that they like to fish for, above all others, the reverse is also true: Many freshwater anglers also have certain gamefish that they simply don’t like, for one reason or another. And for whatever reason, the carp often falls into the latter category. Some feel the carp is ugly; others disdain its sporting prowess; still others look down on its unwillingness to hit artificial lures, instead preferring homemade concoctions such as doughballs or cornmeal.
Despite this, the carp does have a following, and it’s growing. Think about it; Carp grow huge–up to 25 pounds in many waters; they’re abundant; and they are able to survive in murky or even polluted waters that would kill other gamefish. In the past 10 years or so, fly fishermen have also discovered that yes, carp will hit certain flies. Expect to see more of anglers “sight fishing for northern bonefish” in the coming years.
Catfish and bullheads spend the most time on or near the bottom of small ponds and lakes, so this is where you should fish for them. While they prefer deep water, they may move up and feed in the shallows from time to time. In either location, fish directly on bottom without a float or just above bottom with a float.
While you move a lot searching for sunfish, crappie and bass, fishing for catfish and bullheads calls for a pick-one-spot-and-wait-’em-out method. These fish find their food mostly by smell and you have to leave your bait in one place long enough for the scent to spread through the water and for the fish to home in on it.
It’s possible to fish for these species with long poles, but I prefer spin-cast or spinning outfits so I can fish farther off the bank. I take at least two rods. I pick a spot on the bank close to deep water. Then I cut a forked stick for each rod and push it into the ground next to the pond’s edge. I cast out my lines, prop my rods in the forked sticks, and wait for something to happen.
Carefully examine small ponds for features that provide fish holding areas. The map below shows typical features encountered in a farm pond, such as sunken timber and brush piles, shallow weed beds, and a submerged creek channel.
When using two rods, I tie a bottom rig on one and a slip-bobber rig on the other. This gives the catfish or bullheads a choice of a bait laying on bottom or hanging just above.
Catfish grow much larger than bullheads, so if catfish are your main target, you need larger hooks. I recommend a #1 or 1/0 sproat or baitholder hook. If you’re fishing for bullheads, select a smaller #6 hook. If you’re trying for both species, use something in between - a #2 or #4.
Catfish and bullheads will eat the same baits. Earthworms or nightcrawlers are two favorites. Chicken liver, live or dead minnows, grasshoppers and a wide variety of commercially-made baits also work well. With all these baits, load your hooks. The more bait on them, the more scent you have in the water, and the more likely you are to attract fish.
Cast your baited lines into deep water. With the bottom rig, wait until the sinker is on bottom, then gently reel in line until all the slack is out. With a slip-bobber rig, set the bobber so the bait is suspended just above bottom.
Now, just relax and wait. When a fish takes the bottom-rig bait, the rod tip will jump. When there’s a bite on the slip-bobber bait, the bobber will dance nervously on the surface.
If you get a bite, don’t set the hook until the fish starts swimming away with the bait. Pick up the rod and get ready to set the hook, but don’t exert any pull until the line starts moving steadily off or the bobber goes under and stays. Then strike back hard and begin playing your fish.
If you’re not getting bites, how long do you stay in one place before moving to another? Probably the best answer is “as long as you can stand it.” The best catfishermen are usually the ones with the most patience. But at a minimum, you should fish in one spot at least 20 minutes before moving somewhere else.
Catfish like to feed in lowlight periods of dawn, dusk or night. For night fishing, buy a small metal bell and fasten it to the end of your rod. When you get a bite, the bell will ring, indicating that a fish has your bait.
Big lakes can hold big catfish, and the best time to catch them is in late spring during the spawn. These fish move to the banks and look for holes and protected areas to lay their eggs.
Look for banks with big rock bluffs, riprap, etc. Catfish like to spawn in rocks. Fish around these areas with fixed or slip-bobber rigs baited with gobs of wiggler worms or nightcrawlers. Set your float so the bait hangs just above the rocks. Use medium strength line (10-20 pound test) and a steel hook (#1-3/0), since the possibility of hooking a big fish is good.
After they spawn, catfish head back to deep-water flats and channels. Normally they spend day light hours deep, and move up at night to feed in nearby shallows. Find a point or other spot where the bank slopes off into deep water, and fish here from late afternoon well into the night. Use a bottom rig, baited with worms, cut bait, liver, commercial stink bait, or other popular catfish baits.
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) topographical maps, such as the one shown below, provide detailed information about the bottom features and shorelines of lakes, rivers and impoundments.
Another easy and productive method for taking catfish is called “jug fishing.” This method requires a boat and 25 or more milk or 2-liter soft drink plastic bottles. Tie strong lines of 4-6 feet onto the jug handles or around the spouts. Tie a 2/0 steel hook on the end of the line, and add a split shot or a clincher sinker 6 inches up from the hook. Bait these lines with minnows, fish guts, or other catfish bait, and throw the jugs overboard on the upwind side of a lake or bay. The wind will float the jugs across the water, and catfish will be drawn to the bait. When a jug starts bobbing on the surface, move the boat in and retrieve the fish.
Bullheads normally stay in warm bays that have silty or muddy bottoms. Like catfish, they hold deep during the day, but move up shallow and feed from late afternoon through the night.
The technique for catching bullheads is the same as for night-feeding catfish, except you need lighter tackle. A spinning rod, 6-pound test line and a #3 hook are a good combination. A small split shot should be clamped on the line a foot up from the hook. Worms are good bait for bullheads.
Catfish and bullheads are plentiful in most large warm-water rivers. In the daytime, catfish stay in deep holes and channel edges, while bullheads prefer shallower backwaters. At night, both roam actively in search of food.
The best time to try for these fish is just after sundown. Fish for catfish along bluffs, tributary mouths, flats bordering the channel, or the downstream side of rock jetties. Try for bullheads in mud-bottom sloughs.
For catfish, use stout tackle and a bottom rig. Sinkers should be heavy enough to keep the bait anchored in current (1-3 ounces). Hooks should be large and stout (1/0-3/0 steel). Live minnows, worms, cut bait, liver or any traditional catfish bait will work. Cast the rig and allow it to sink to the bottom. Prop the rod in a forked stick jammed into the ground and sit back and wait for a bite. Serious catfish anglers fish several rods at once. They stay in the same spot for several hours, waiting for the fish to feed.
A rock bank will offer red-hot catfishing during spawning time, especially if the rocks are out of direct current. Fish these spots with a fixed or slip-bobber rig, adjusting the float so the bait hangs just above the rocks.
River catfishing can be phenomenal in dam tailwaters - a collection point for fish. Tailwaters contain baitfish, current, dissolved oxygen, and bottom structure where fish can hold and feed.
The best way to fish a tailwater is to work eddies close to the swift water that pours through the dam. If you’re bank fishing, use a bottom rig and cast into quiet waters behind wing walls, pilings or the dam face. If the bottom is rough and you keep hanging up, switch to a slip-float rig adjusted so the bait hangs close to bottom.
A better way to fish tailwaters is from a boat, floating along current breaks while bumping a two-hook panfish rig off the bottom. Use enough weight so your line hangs almost straight under the boat. Make long downstream drifts, up to a quarter-mile or more, before motoring back up to make another float. Don’t lay your rod down since big catfish strike hard, and can yank it overboard.
Another special catfishing opportunity occurs right after a hard rain. Look for gulleys, drains or other spots where fresh water is rushing into the river. Catfish often move up below these inflows and feed furiously. In this case, use a fixed or slip-bobber rig and dangle a bait only 2-3 feet under the surface in the immediate vicinity of the inflow.
Fish bullheads in rivers the same as in large lakes and reservoirs. Light tackle, worms and a bottom rig or bobber rig are hard to beat.
The biggest catfish—we’re talking 20 to 30 pounds and higher—are caught on the bigger rivers, from deep holes. Fishing these waters, particularly where impoundment water is being released, can be treacherous. Think about hiring a guide before you tackle it on your own.
My friend John E. Phillips is a prolific and engaging writer whose prose has enhanced many magazine pages over the years. Not only are his articles excellent, but he is the author of several books, including The Masters’ Secrets of Catfishing, available from John’s Night Hawk Publications Web site, www.nighthawkpublications.com. Click on “books,” then go to “fishing books.”
“Use an ice pick to punch two dozen holes in a can of inexpensive dog food. The day before you fish, sink the can of dog food on a rock, clay, or sandy bottom without mud… To chum cats in quicker, purchase the more expensive dog food packed in gravy … By the time you fish the next day, the dog food should have chummed the cats to the spot where you want to catch them.”
—John Phillips, “John’s Journal,” Night Hawk Publications, www.nighthawkpublications.com
“For whopper blues, stick to fish. Big catfish almost exclusively eat other fish. Use whole fish, 4- to 6-inch-long strips or meaty chunks,” reports John M. Felsher in “Big Game Sport on a Small Budget,” on a www.cabelas.com Field Guide Story. Some of the largest blues hit “mere morsels,” he says. Felsher notes that some guides prefer skipjack herring, cut into chunks or filleted. The fillet is hooked one time with the hook exposed and undulates in the current. Catfish can’t resist it.
To fish your catfish bait right on the bottom, use an egg sinker, barrel swivel, 20-inch leader, and No. 6 hook.
Wherever you can find freshwater clams or river mussels, consider them to be catfish magnets. As these critters die and are washed off the shells, catfish will be on them. No clams? Then use spoiled shrimp or live worms.
“When you fish small ponds or little lakes, use cheap, dry dog food to chum up catfish. Anchor your boat and every two to three minutes throw a handful of dog food out in the water … bream will show up first, allowing you to catch a mess of bluegills and shellcrackers. In a short while, the catfish will begin to come to the chum …”
—John Phillips, “John’s Journal,” Night Hawk Publications, www.nighthawkpublications.com
“I used to specialize in fly fishing for smallmouth. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve turned to catfishing. It doesn’t take as much effort, and I can just about always count on getting a few.” (Other southern anglers can do the same in the small creeks and rivers near their homes.)
—Buffalo River, Tennessee, angler Joe B. Sweeney, in the Wade Bourne article “Lazy Days:
Small Streams and Southern Catfish,”
Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Library
“Most people think catfish hang in deep, quiet holes. This may be true of the bigger ones, but smaller cats feed in shallow, swift areas. I’m talking about runs that are 2-3 feet deep and exposed to direct current. Also, a spot is better if it has a clean gravel or clay bottom instead of a mud bottom. Catfish hold around cover (logs, treetops, rocks, and so on) in these areas and move out into the current to find food. In fact, they feed a lot like a bass.”
—Buffalo River, Tennessee, angler Joe B. Sweeney, in the Wade Bourne article “Lazy Days: Small Streams and Southern Catfish,” Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Library
Buffalo River, Tennessee, angler Joe B. Sweeney says “catfishermen can bait with any range of cut-up fish pieces, crawfish tails, stink baits, worms, insects, etc. However, he has narrowed the bait choice to three top performers: red worms, chicken livers, and catalpa worms.” Sweeney says the best way to keep chicken livers on the hook is to run the hook through a thumb-sized piece two or three times.
—Wade Bourne, in the article “Lazy Days:
Small Streams and Southern Catfish,”
Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Library
John Phillips reports that “Mike Handley, a friend, had run out of catfish bait, but he used his creative ability and imagination to create a new one. He started with a pack of hot dogs. ‘I cut the hot dogs into small pieces that would bait well on my hooks,’ Handley explained. ‘I put the hot dogs in a quart fruit jar, poured Fish Formula Catfish Lure into the jar to completely cover the hot dogs, and let the jar sit overnight.’” Phillips goes on to report that the next day Handley caught more catfish in two hours than he ever had before, and continuing his method for another night and a day, he caught more fish than anyone in his camp.
—John Phillips, “John’s Journal,” Night Hawk Publications, www.nighthawkpublications.com
In many years of writing about catfishing, including his very informative book, The Masters Secrets of Catfishing, John Phillips has interviewed many excellent anglers to learn their techniques. One of the best is Ralph Barbee, Jr., who pursued catfish at Clarks Hill Reservoir near Augusta, Georgia, and caught a world-record 62-pound blue cat and a 55-pound channel cat that almost broke the state record. According to Barbee, “I found a place where the state had dumped concrete into the reservoir—making humps on the bottom. I’m convinced that chumming is the key to catching big cats … I use a Humminbird Flasher to find the humps in the river and chum …”
—John Phillips, “John’s Journal,” Night Hawk Publications, www.nighthawkpublications.com
World-record holder Ralph Barbee, Jr., on his favorite baits for big catfish: “I chum with Bob’s Blood Bait, which is made in Texas, to call the cats to the humps. I also add cat mullet, a salt water fish, to a mixture of blood bait and chicken blood and entrails in a long-gallon, plastic mayonnaise jar. I let this concoction sit in the sun in the jar for a day. The chum smells so bad I wear plastic surgeon gloves to dump the bloody mixture into a burlap bag. After I sink the bag, I fish close to it with large Louisiana pink worms, which are so big and thick they’ll completely cover a large treble hook.”
—John Phillips, “John’s Journal,” Night Hawk Publications, www.nighthawkpublications.com
World-record angler Ralph Barbee, Jr., (62-pound blue cat) says, “I’ve learned the most productive time to fish for big cats in my area on the Georgia/South Carolina border is between 10:00 PM and 10:00 AM when the moon is dark during August, September, and October. I caught my world-record catfish on a September 10 night.”
—John Phillips, “John’s Journal,” Night Hawk Publications, www.nighthawkpublications.com
For catfish, August, September, and October are the months to go.
They’re big and powerful, capable of making your reel sing and putting a bend in your rod that seems dangerously close to breaking. Although not one of the glamour girls and boys of fishing—and not good to eat (for most of us, anyway)—carp are a worthy gamefish that will pay you back in fun for every hour you put into learning how to catch them. In England, carp fishing has a fanatical army of devotees. We have our share of carp addicts here as well, and once you’ve tried the sport, you may find yourself hooked.
“I submit carp are smarter, speedier, stronger, spookier, as selective and secretive and more durable than any trout, or any other freshwater fish for that matter.”
—Chuck Robbins, noted author and fly-fishing guide. Check the Web site he maintains with his wife, Gale, for his blog, articles, and information on books:
www.chuckngalerobbins.com.
“For starters, carp, especially the river-dwelling variety, are stronger and fight harder than any freshwater fish, including trout and smallmouth bass. I honestly cannot recall hooking a single river carp on a fly that failed to run all the fly line out, and most went well into the backing. Lake-dwelling carp are tough customers too, but don’t measure up to their movingwater cousins.”
—Chuck Robbins, noted author and fly-fishing guide
You’ll hear it from every side: Dough makes a wonderful bait to catch those bottom-feeding carp. Your first thought may be, “How the heck do I keep dough balls on a hook?” Major hook manufacturers such as Eagle Claw and Mustad have the specialized treble hooks carp anglers need to fish dough balls and other creative baits. A common rig is to use a sinker at the end of the line with two 12-inch dropper lines about a foot or two apart above. Carp have no teeth, so special leaders are not needed.
Although they are not good on the table, carp are plentiful, powerful, and are best caught on lighter tackle than many other sportfish. You’ll catch more carp by using a hook that is not too big—certainly no bigger than a 1/0 max—and a small split-shot sinker, or no sinker at all. Carp will not pick up bait and take it if they feel any resistance. Dough balls, corn, and other homemade concoctions make the best baits. See Cabela’s and others for special hooks and tackle.
Carp like rooting around soft, silty bottoms with lots of vegetation and little current. While they are doing this, a line of bubbles rising to the surface will betray their movements. Try to get your bait on the bottom ahead of the direction they’re moving.
Most experienced carp anglers rely on scent-favored baits in one concoction or another. The scent of the bait can be the clincher that convinces a carp it’s time to dine.
“From watching the Redmire carp I learnt that certain groups of fish liked to follow a set routine while others lived a more individual independent life. It was these nonconformists that I usually fished for … I preferred stalking the loners, especially as these solitary beings were often the largest in the pool.”
Carp fight much harder than many anglers initially suspect.
—Chris Yates, The Secret Carp, Merlin Unwin Books, Great Britain, 2002
“Over the last half-hour the carp have all dispersed in several different directions. Two of them—though not the largest pair—began to probe about near my bait, sending up clouds of bubbles, and there was a tense moment when I saw the line jag and tighten. Yet just as I was going to strike, it fell slack. There was a mighty swirl and both carp streaked away like meteors. That was my chance and I missed it.”
—Chris Yates, The Secret Carp, Merlin Unwin Books, Great Britain, 2002
“In Carp in North America, published by the American Fisheries Society, Ronald J. Spitler says, ‘When it comes to fly-fishing [for carp] we are drifting a bit into the unknown … ‘ I don’t know about you, but I kind of like the sound of that.”
—John Gierach, Another Lousy Day in Paradise, Simon & Schuster, 1996
“They’re beautifully camouflaged against the silty bottom, but you can pick them out by the faint, lazy puffs of mud they blow through their gills as they suck in food, or by their tails waving slowly under the surface like big brown flowers. In deeper water you can sometimes locate them by the trails of tiny bubbles they leave while feeding.”
—John Gierach, Another Lousy Day in Paradise, Simon & Schuster, 1996
“No trout, except possibly a very old, very heavy, very wise trout, fights like a large carp.”
—Steven J. Meyers, San Juan River Chronicles, Lyons & Burford, 1994
Carp can thrive in all kinds of waters, from larger trout streams to the most polluted urban lakes. Although some consider them to be pests, carp are highly prized in Asian and European countries and were originally introduced into North America as a food fish. Fly fishers have discovered that carp are stronger fighters than many celebrated gamefish, and are just as difficult to catch as a spring creek trout or a tropical permit.
Carp are best on a fly rod in spring, when they cruise shallow water to seek warmth, look for mates, and lay eggs. Fishing for carp in deeper water where they can’t be spotted is nearly fruitless, because a successful presentation must put the fly right in front of a carp’s nose. Carp cannot see very well and find much of their food by smell, but they will pounce on an object moving just a few inches away that looks like a crayfish, insect larva, or minnow. However, just because they can’t see well does not mean they are easy to approach. Carp are extremely cautious of vibrations in the water, so sloppy wading, noise from a boat, or the splash of a fly line landing close is a sure way to send a school of them dashing for cover.
Look for carp in shallow water with a silt or sand bottom, along the edges of weeds. If present, they’ll give themselves away by rolling, waking, and even jumping clear of the water. Try to determine which way a fish is moving and throw a weighted nymph or small streamer two to three feet ahead of the fish so that the sound of the fly and line hitting the water don’t spook the fish. When you think the fish is close to your fly, begin moving it slowly and steadily, close to the bottom, like a crayfish or insect larva that has been dislodged by the rooting carp and is trying to get away. If you feel resistance, set the hook with a long and brisk strip rather than lifting your rod, because if you miss the fish it might follow the fly and give you a second chance.
Don’t be discouraged if you spook many of the fish and if they ignore your fly. Carp may not be pretty and glamorous, but they are some of the smartest, most wary fish in fresh water. The fact that they are so abundant gives you plenty of opportunities to try again!
