Catfish Tips

Experts agree, catching catfish doesn't take anything too fancy. Catfish are hard to spot, as they spend most of their time in the murky waters. They prefer to spawn near rocks and other underwater structures, so having a topographical map of the lake you are planning on fishing can really help to locate the fish. Although catfish are true bottom feeders, many fishermen have success fishing their bait at different depths until they find the fish. In warmer water, the catfish tend to feed in shallower areas, but usually they completely avoid the clearer waters.

Another thing that experts agree upon is that catfish are one of the most delicious fish to eat.  Click here to find recipes for catfish.

Once you have found an area where catfish are spawning, keep fishing that same area for the next 4 to 6 weeks, as different species of catfish will move in to the area and breed at different times.

Now what you use as bait, can vary from night crawlers, minnows, and shad, to liver, corn and pretzles. Most fish have noses for smelling food, catfish have an unusually strong sense of smell due to the fact that they can actually smell with their entire bodies. So anything that smells a lot seems to work well. Some of the most effective baits are those that are left out in the sun in a plastic bag and allowed to rot for as long as a month. Chicken and beef liver, canned ham, and shrimp work very well. Practically anything that is rotten and smells fowl will work fine. As a general rule, begin by dragging it deep and then work the bait shallower if there is no action on the bottom. Just keep adjusting your depth until you find where they are feeding.