Gear & Tackle
Due to the wide range of catfish size – 1 to 60+ pounds – and habitat – rivers, lakes, ponds, reservoirs – it is difficult to recommend an
exact tackle combination. Cats are powerful creatures and often live in thick, snaggy
cover, so try to match your rod and reel to the size of the fish you expect to catch. The
Berkley E-Cat series of catfish rods, available in a range of actions, and a strong, tough
line, like Berkley Trilene XL or FireLine in an appropriate pound test are good choices.
Lures & Presentation
Cats are caught almost exclusively by drifting a bait
downstream or "soaking" a bait near likely habitat. Floats allow you to cover a
lot of water, searching for active fish, while soaking provides the opportunity for
staging fish to discover the bait.
How to Locate
Catfish are bottom feeders. In almost every case, if
your bait is not within a couple of feet of the bottom, you're out of the fish zone. In
rivers, look for obvious habitat such as downed trees, deep pools, wing dams, culverts,
etc. Fish will hold in current breaks, upstream ends of outside bends, and just below
impassable dams. In lakes, ponds and reservoirs, cats will seek out flats with close
access to deep water, and key on the inside turns along drop offs. Mouths of incoming
streams and flooded timber are also high percentage areas.
Effective Baits
Scent feeders, catfish will eat nearly anything Rotten, and there are plenty of disgusting homemade concoctions. Cats also readily take live bait such as minnows, sunfish, frogs and crawfish. The most effective dough bait on the market is Power Bait Catfish Nuggets. Convenient liquid Power Bait for catfish is also available.
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