by Keith “Catfish” Sutton
Cast from shore and hook a big one!
Want to catch a fat spring catfish that’ll tip the scales at 20 or more pounds, or a mess of smaller cats for a fish fry? Head straight to the nearest big-river dam. In the tailwater there—the stretch of fast water just downstream from the dam—you’re almost sure to find good fishing for channel cats, blues and/or flatheads.
As spring progresses, fishing improves for several weeks. Shad and other baitfish move into the riprapped tailrace to feed and spawn and in doing so provide an abundant, concentrated food source for cats. Many catfish move upstream as their summer spawning times nears, looking for tributaries where they make upstream runs to lay eggs. These fish add to the population, making this season a top time for catching loads of heavyweight fish before spawning activities begin.
Many jumbo catfish hold in the “grooves” of slower-moving water between openings in the dam. When water is released, the fastest flow is in the center of the discharge, and the slowest water is on the outer edges of the flow. All surface water appears to move at the same speed, but the area of water between two discharges—the groove—is actually slower-moving water where cats usually hold. Fishing these grooves is more productive than fishing the main current.
Chunks of cut-bait are the perfect enticement. Slice a shad, herring or sucker into 1-inch chunks. (Larger pieces are difficult to present properly in the swift current.) Push the hook once through the bait, leaving the point exposed to ensure a good hook-set.
A basic three-way rig with a Kahle hook and bell sinker works great in this situation. (See sidebar.) The sinker should be heavy enough so the current won’t drag your bait too fast across the bottom. Cast toward the dam and into the head of a groove, letting the rig sink. If you’ve hit the groove properly, your rig should stop when it hits bottom. If you missed the groove, you’ll feel the bait tumbling along at a fast clip. Practice enables you to know for sure what’s happening.
When you hit the groove, allow your bait to remain in one spot as long as possible. Cats swim from one end of the cone-shaped groove to the other, over and over. The grooves usually are short, 50 feet or less, so it shouldn’t take long for a cat to find your enticement. When one does, its strike will be hard and unmistakable. Point your rod tip toward the cat when it hits and set the hook.
A three-way rig works great for tailwater catfish. Tie your main line to one eye of a three-way swivel, and add drop lines 12 and 24 inches long to the swivel’s other two eyes. Tie a 1/0 to 5/0 Kahle hook to the longer drop line and a 1/2- to 4-ounce bell sinker (heavier in swifter current) to the other.
With this rig, your sinker stays on the bottom while your bait rides high. This is a highly versatile presentation, useful for both still fishing and drift-fishing.
If cats quit biting in one groove, reposition your bait in a similar location and try again. Water flow through a dam increases or decreases as power requirements or water levels demand. So even though water runs continuously, the flow may change several times daily. When the flow changes, cats often move and search out more slack water in which to feed.
The washout hole, a depression scoured in the river bottom by the forceful action of water releases from the dam, is another important tailwater catfishing area. In most cases, it starts at the dam face and extends downstream for many yards. If safety factors permit and you can fish from a boat, you can use a fish finder to pinpoint the downstream lip of the hole where most cats hold. This will appear as a sharp drop discernable as you move toward the dam. If the washout hole is within the danger zone off limits to boaters, you’ll have to speculate on its position and fish it by casting to it from the shore.
A jig/cutbait combo works great in this situation. Impale a chunk of cutbait on a 1- to 2-ounce leadhead. Move upstream as far as safety permits, then cast to the washout, let the bait sink to the bottom and crank it up a foot or so. Use your motor to maintain a speed that keeps your bait vertical as your boat drifts, or let the bait bounce along bottom as you keep a tightline from the bank. When your enticement reaches the downstream lip of the washout hole, you should feel the bait start moving up the drop and dragging across the lip of the hole. This is when most strikes occur. If you get one, great. If not, continue drifting the bait until it’s on the shelf below the hole, then reel up your rig, move back upstream and drift a bait through it again.
Fishing from a boat in the churning water below a dam often is dangerous, impractical or illegal. But, unfortunately, the shore-bound angler will face some distinct disadvantages. Pinpointing casts to distant catfish-holding structures is more difficult, and current billows your line, dragging your rig out of position when you do. Fighting big fish is more difficult and time-consuming. Anglers may be crowded together, leading to tangles and tussles.
Shore fishing can be productive, however, if you use the proper equipment to work your rig in the tailwater. Use a long rod—a 10- to 14-foot surf-casting rod is ideal—to achieve greater distance on your casts. Holding the rod tip high minimizes the amount of line in the water for better bait presentations and also lessens your chance of getting snarled with nearby fishermen. Spinning and bait-casting reels both work fine, but you’ll achieve longer casts with a good heavy-duty spinning reel. Use line no less than 30-pound-test when targeting big catfish.
Carry plenty of sinkers and/or leadhead jigs. You’re going to lose many, if you’re fishing where you need to be. Let your rig settle, then try to get it to hold. Leave it in one spot a few minutes, then move the bait again to be sure it hasn’t tumbled into a hole where cats can’t find it.
Regardless of how you fish, remember that constant water flow through the dam is necessary to maintain good catfishing conditions. Should dam operators close all gates, catfishing success will take a nosedive until ample water flow is restored. The best catfishing generally coincides with periods of moderate water flow, when several gates are open.
