Trophy cats normally move deeper when cold conditions are present. When Old Man Winter comes around and the air temperatures push water temperatures down, my go-to strategy is to fish off the rope.
Once the water temperature drops below 42 degrees my plan is to anchor fish in water that is 35 feet and deeper. I tie on a Carolina rig, target existing shelves, and fish towards the bottom of them.
Note: Brian Wonders is a frequent competitor on the Catfish Chasers tournament trail with his brother Jeff. Team Wonder Boys won the Catmasters event in October 2021 when the trail came to Milford Lake in Kansas. They used their catfishing skills to bring 155.98 pounds to the scales in two days of tournament fishing to claim the top spot.
