Springtime Cat Fishing
by Richard "Umpie" Unbehaun

It's spring and the sound of frogs croaking and water running around the boat sounds wonderful! The grass is turning green and the leaves will soon bud out on the trees. Spring time is a special time of the year. The big catfish are hungry and are becoming more active. May and June are the best months of the year to land the big flathead catfish of the deep water. Flathead and channel cats are getting ready to spawn. Spawning generally occurs when the water temperature reaches 70 degrees.

The best baits for spring cat fishing are suckers and bull heads. Later in the summer, stink baits work a little better. You may also find that cut bait, chicken liver and shrimp work well in the summer. In the spring, I normally use live bait. Large bait, 6 to 12 inches long or larger work very well.

Nighttime catfishing from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. is the time the big flatheads come out and feed. I fish the Lower Wisconsin River and have found fishing from sandbars at night are the best time to land the big fish. I try to find a hole close to shallow water. The hole should have 8 to 20 feet of water. The shallow water should have very little current. The fish will come out of their deep holes to feed. Try to position yourself in this type of place. This will work at any time of the year. The bait will vary as I mentioned above, but generally, the flathead cat will always take live bait over the other type of baits.

The Catfish has an acute sense of smell and hearing, better than most other fresh water species. The whiskers on the catfish are like "outside taste buds". The have poor eyesight, but they make up for this with their sense of smell and hearing. If the water conditions are muddy, stink bait and cut baits work well because of the catfish's keen sense of taste and smell. It will bring the fish to you. Taking a good assortment of the cut and live baits with you will assure are prepared for any type of water conditions. The goal is to catch the big fish!

The equipment should be a heavy action pole. Line and reel should be similar to muskie equipment. I try to use a 7 foot heavy action rod. The reel should be able to handle 50-pound test line. I like to use Power Pro braided line that has no stretch. Hooks will vary in size from 1/0 -8/0 hook. Forged hooks are best. Use a 1 to 6 0z. egg sinker as well. I use bells on my pole to detect bites at night. You may choose to use strike indicators instead of the bells for nighttime bites.

I have been fishing for big catfish for 25 years. The largest flathead I caught to date was 56 1/2 pounds, and I caught that fish on a 14 inch sucker. The Lower Wisconsin River contains some of the largest flatheads in the state.

If you'd like to enjoy your catfish for dinner, click to discover all of our free catfish recipes.

The Wisconsin River Valley with its scenic bluffs, valleys, grasslands and prairies is beautiful. The river itself has many sandbars, but beware of under currents. Always walk upstream and remember to respect the current. The river will be here long after we are gone. Therefore, leave no litter. A reminder: glass is not allowed on the Wisconsin River. Pack containers accordingly. When spending a night on a sandbar, the sound of the gentle current, enjoying the clear sky with the millions of stars is one of the most peaceful moments you will ever experience. Hopefully, you will hear the sound of a bell indicating you have a fish on, but if that doesn't happen, the pleasant feeling you'll get from being in-sync with the beautiful river and the fresh country air will be equally enjoyable!

See you on the water!

Richard "Umpie" Unbehaun

Richard "Umpie" Unbehaun recently started his own guide service: the Wisconsin River Guide Service, targeting the lower Wisconsin River. If you would like more information regarding fishing the lower Wisconsin River or would like to have "Umpie" take you out, you can get more information at www.lake-link.com/anglerspage/guides/info.cfm/17/