I am a converted crappie angler. The thrill of the hunt and the pure power of the fish is drawing me to catfishing. It’s been a long time since I had a fish on with that much power and know all I can do is hold on. I enjoy the fact that the men and women anglers have been very helpful to a newbie. Also, the tournaments are very family oriented and fun.
I have found that when the water is cold the fish are normally deeper. They still gotta’ eat and they are going to go where the bait is. Anglers are likely to find them staged up in deep wintering holes waiting for bait to swim by. I use my Vexan Rods to target them in their deep-water haunts.
I find the bite to be very light in the cold water. They are not going to take it down like they do in the spring and summer months.
On a river system that has dams and current they are going to get in a hole behind rocks or anything that gives a current break. They just don’t want to use energy when it’s cold. They will lay down there and wait on something to swim in front of their noses.
That’s my take on January cold water fishing. If you want to be successful slow down your approach to winter cats.
