Capt. Bob Crosby (right) poses for a photo with a client—Mose Weary of Collins, Mississippi—
holding a dandy Mississippi River blue cat. Fish this size are common in the waters
around Vicksburg where Crosby usually fishes. Photo by Keith Sutton
Monster Cats on the Big Muddy
By Mike Giles
Locating and catching Mississippi River Catfish near Vicksburg.
Captain Bob Crosby studied his depth finder and set the coordinates for his Spot-Lock trolling motor to stay just above the deep swirling eddy so that we could fish the deep hole. We cast out and let the lines go to the bottom of the eddy and kept a tight line.
Wham! Suddenly a catfish bit hard and jerked the rod down violently. I quickly reared back on the rod and let the circle hook sink deep into the jaws of the fish. When he felt the sting of the hook, he dove for the bottom, stripping off line with the power of a mini submarine.
The monster blue catfish never gave up, but 20 minutes later, we finally wore him down and brought him to the side of the boat. Captain Bob was able to get his net under the fish, and we hoisted the 50-pound behemoth aboard! It was my largest blue catfish caught to that point and was an experience that everyone should have at least once. After a few pictures, we released the monster cat to grow some more.
Captain Bob Crosby, of Madison, Mississippi, is a guide who specializes in catching monster blue catfish on the Mississippi River near Vicksburg. Years of experience on the water have taught him how to locate and catch those trophy catfish in all conditions.
“We consistently catch catfish on the river year-round, except for a short time during the spawning season when the fish change their habits,” said Crosby. “My favorite times to catch the really big catfish are during cold weather or during times of low water which concentrates the big fish in the holes and in their preferred haunts. But I have developed techniques that allow us to catch fish the rest of the year under almost any condition.”
Catfish Species and Sizes
While some people want to catch eating-size catfish, most want to catch the larger catfish. Crosby routinely catches blue cats and flatheads.
“We target the little fish for eating, 5-pound to 10-pound blue cats, if people want some for eating,” Crosby said. “The average blue cat we catch in the Mississippi River is 12 to 14 pounds. But you can expect to catch some in the 30-pound, 40-pound and 50-pound range, too.”
Crosby has caught quite a few in the 80-pound to 90-pound range also, and most of those blue cats were released to catch another day.
“We also catch quite a few tabby cats in the 12- to 25-pound range,” said Crosby. “Up until last year, we were shooting for the Mississippi state record blue cat, which was 95 pounds, and we came close a few times. But last April that record was blown out of the water with a 131-pound blue catfish caught on the Mississippi River.”
Locating Catfish on the River
“Catfish are like crappie and bass in that they like drop-off areas,” Crosby said. “Since the Mississippi River bottom is constantly changing during the year, we have to stay up on their preferred locations as some of the best places to fish get filled in or change. To stay on top of your game, you must constantly be in search of new locations to try while you fish during the changing seasons.”
Crosby may run several miles from one hole to another, but while he’s doing that, he’ll make short scouting expeditions by graphing the bottom of likely looking spots.
“We look for revetment points, which we key on because catfish seem to prefer them right now,” said Crosby. “The revetment points have deep holes that have been cleaned out by the swirling current, and they are perfect places for the monster cats to gang up.”
Depending on the time of the year, wing dams also can produce good fishing. During one trip with Crosby, we fished at the downstream ends of the wing dams where the water formed eddies. We caught several big catfish in those locations, too. During that same trip, we also caught quite a few flathead catfish below some of the wing dams.
Proper Equipment
Just knowing where the deep holes are won’t always be the ticket because some of them may not have catfish there while you are fishing. They may move in there at any time, but you must know if they are there before you fish or you are wasting valuable time.
“Electronics is the key, especially when locating fish and trying to catch them on the Mississippi River,” Crosby said. “You need a good GPS and trolling motors with Spot-Lock on them so that you can get positioned right according to where the fish are located and put the bait where it needs to be. Just a few feet could mean the difference between loading the boat or going home empty handed.”
Crosby uses a Humminbird Solex by his steering wheel that he monitors while running and checking holes for fish.
“If I don’t see any fish in the hole, I’ll move on to the next one,” said Crosby. “Sometimes I do find some fish and if they don’t bite, I’ll move on to the next hole after 20 minutes. It’s kind of like bass fishing in holes. You need to stay on the move until you find fish that will bite.
“I watch a Humminbird Helix when I’m in the back of the boat spot fishing or bottom bouncing,” he continued. “I also use a Minn Kota trolling motor that has Spot-Lock on it.”
Bottom Bouncing
When the fish get hard to find in the summer and fall, Crosby will fish for them by bumping the bottom. It’s like money in the bank when you are covering water looking for areas that hold fish.
“I prefer bottom bumping on the edge of deep flats where the water drops off,” said Crosby. “I prefer B’n’M rods with a counter reel and 65-pound braid when bottom bouncing. The counter reels let you know how deep the bottom is, and you can let it down to that depth so that everybody is fishing in the right place. Simply drop an 8-ounce weight down rigged with a skipjack or shad and stay in touch with the bottom by feeling the weight bump the bottom. Keep the slack out of the line and let that bait bump along the bottom and you will get bit when you get to the right spot.”
For more information on Captain Bob Crosby and catching monster catfish on the Mississippi River, phone him at 601-653-5767, visit his website at bluecatguideservice.com or check out his Facebook page (facebook.com/bluecatguideservice).
(Michael Giles of Meridian, Mississippi is an avid bass and crappie angler and part-time guide. He’s also an award-winning wildlife photographer, author and writer who has been fishing and hunting since 1965.)
