PUBLISHER
Dan Dannenmueller
EDITOR
Keith “Catfish” Sutton
SR. WRITER
Ron Presley
ART/ CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Matt Mullikin
WRITERS
Alan Clemons
Brad Durick
Brent Frazee
Anietra Hamper
Terry Madewell
Zach Norton
Ron Presley
Richard Simms
Keith Sutton
Brad Wiegmann
ADVERTISING SALES
Phone: 334-285-1623
Email: info@catfishnow.com
Copyright © 2023 CatfishNow Online Magazine. A KMS, Inc. Company. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
Cover Photo Credit
Anietra Hamper holding a redtail catfish caught in the Essequibo River in Guyana where they can grow in excess of 100 pounds. (Ian Henderson photo)
Catfishing in the Sunshine State of Florida
Most would never think about catfishing in Florida with all the other species of fish to target. Recently, Sue and I traveled to fish a crappie tournament on the St. Johns River near Deland, Florida. We not only caught some beautiful, slab black crappie, but also some great catfish.
We were spider scoping for crappie using jigs and some live bait. The crappie were on the move to their spawning destinations, and they were not alone. Many species were on the move, especially some catfish that love to partake in the smorgasbord of fish eggs.
They were not monster catfish like we see in the Tennessee, Mississippi and Ohio rivers, but they were very good-sized catfish for their species. We mainly caught channel and bullhead catfish. Several of the bullheads were in the 5- to 6-pound range, while the channel catfish were up to 7 pounds. We couldn’t put both hands around their heads.
Catching them on 14-foot B’n’M BGJP jigging rods with 10-pound-test Gamma line was a challenge but fun. Good gear always helps.
A trip to the St. Johns for both catfish and crappie should be on your bucket list.
God Bless and Good Fishing!
Dan Dannenmueller, Publisher
