Catfish Basics #087 – Speed it Up Steve Dobbs, HOLD’em HOOK Catfish Trail Tournament anglers can do a couple of things that...
Jimmy Lirot is an avid catfish angler and record keeper. He keeps track of things like water temps, barometric pressure, water clarity, and time...
Harley Neal fishes with a strong conservation ethic. That ethic was strengthened and altered when his friend, Roger DeMint Jr (Muskrat Adventures YouTube channel),...
When fishing water with current, I like to look for current seams/breaks. You will find that current seams/breaks usually occur where there is something...
Santee Cooper is known for catching big fish in shallow water. With years of observation as a guide and proprietor of Black’s Camp and...
Bait is everything when it comes to catfishing but it goes a bit further than just having good bait. No matter what you use...
Success is so much fun and can be so addicting! Whether the success that we are experiencing is in our fishing, sports, our careers...
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...
Editors Note: Brent Riddle is an avid catfisherman and the creator of the Monstercat and Alphacat boats from Miracle Marine. In the wintertime...
Walking baits, also known as bumping baits, sends the bait to the fish instead of the fish coming to your bait. This is an...
Rod control is very important to successfully land a big catfish. The bigger the fish and the younger the angler the tougher it is...
Jonathan Cooksey fishes the tournament trail with his dad, Jackie Cooksey. They are well-known for their ability to catch big fish. Jonathan has had...
Rob Parsons knows what it’s like to be in the winner’s circle at tournaments. He and his partner, Carl Morris Jr., travel the county...
I like dragging the flats. Just remember that they are not all alike. There can be subtle differences. But the basics of fishing them...
Taking care of freshly caught skipjack can pay big dividends, according to B’n’M prostaffer Rodney Crimm. A little special care up front results in...
Late September is one of my favorite times to catch big flatheads in the river. As we reach the end of September water temperatures...
In my neck of the woods, Northeast Texas, the blue cats are harder to catch during the hot summer months in both the lakes...
One of Carson Pierce’s favorite baits is skipjack heads. However, over time he realized that sometimes he was missing the bites on heads. After...
Fishing in August can be extremely hot and uncomfortable in the daytime. Probably the easiest fix for that is to fish at night. Not...
I don’t really fit the mold of your typical female catfish angler so people often misjudge me from first appearances. Rest assured that my...
Tyra Eger-Williams is a lady angler and nurse with a new found passion for catfishing. She partnered up with her stepdaughter, Kate Walton, as...
Lee Hannon is proof positive that you don’t need a boat to catch big catfish. Lee is known for his ability to throw baits...
Justin McCall loves fishing from the bank. As a matter of fact, he spends as much time as he can fishing from the bank....
Catfishermen are notorious for tying up their favorite rigs and sticking with them all day long. Sometimes a change of pace is needed and...
Joey Pounders has a passion for flatheads and part of the passion includes live bait. He uses an X-Treme Bait Tank on his boat...
Dustin Faul is a fanatic about proper fish care. He is convinced that the only way we will have trophy fish in the future...
There are a few essential elements of making your own sinkers. First and foremost, molten lead is dangerous, so always think safety first. Trust...
Successful tournament anglers go to all extremes to get their bait and they should. Well known tournament angler, Larry Muse, puts fresh bait at...
CPR is the best thing to do with a catfish that is 10 pounds or above. The only way we can preserve this great...
In almost all tournaments, conditions are constantly changing as time progresses. That makes prefishing important as a way to evaluate different areas. Prefishing provides...
Finding fresh bait is key to catfishing success. Two of the main bait fish we use are shad and skipjack, but other fin fish...
Late fall is my favorite time of the year to chase blue cats. Looking back through my log books I see this is when...
Seventeen-year-old Austin Pierce has been catfishing for most of his life. He likes to catfish with his daddy Carson Pierce on the Mississippi River....
Fish every chance you get. Nothing beats time on the water, but be smart about how you use that time. Take a trip every...
When you just can’t seem to find the cats no matter where you go or what you do–FISH THE BARGES! Barges that are moored...
In the summer months when there is limited flow through the lakes, most big fish will be caught in 8-15 feet of water. This...
Late summer channels cats can be tough, but on lakes it’s the time of year when all fish are done spawning close to the...
Channel cats begin to develop more aggressive eating patterns by August. Anglers can target them both day and night and expect good success. Finding...
Editor’s Note: There are plenty of cat women that never wet a hook. That doesn’t mean they don’t support the sport. In fact, many...
Everyone should remember that fishing is not catching! Ninety-five percent of your time in the boat is fishing, so I recommend you have a...
Sometimes when the Mississippi River gets high the bottom current will be fairly fast, but the current on top will be slow. That stronger...
All of us catfish anglers need to educate others on the importance of putting the big fish back and letting them get bigger. You...
Sonar seems to improve yearly, and it has been one of the major changes in catfishing. Learning to identify what you are seeing on...
What you see is what you get. The majority of the time that I am on the water, on the Mississippi or anywhere else,...
I like to anchor and fish 2 poles in the rod holders while I walk a 3rd bait downstream. That way you are doing...
When I am dragging, I like to start the day with several different baits in the water. For example, if I have 6 rods...
I grew up as an avid walleye angler, using planner boards. By the time I started catfishing seriously they were already part of my...
Are you killing your chances to catch catfish by engaging in simple behavior that can be managed? Keith “Catfish” Sutton is a catfish fanatic,...
One of the common elements of catfish rigs are sinkers. They come in all shapes and sizes, and can be a problem swinging and...
For catfish anglers that want their sonar to operate at top efficiency try this tip from Chris Souders, two-time Cabela’s King Kat AOY. He...
Two years ago, I experimented with rattles for catfish, I knew that I had caught a lot on lures such as crankbaits, so it...
Paul Blackwell operates Fish On Guide Service on Santee Cooper. Blackwell targets trophy catfish with an emphasis on conservation thru catch-photo-release (CPR) fishing. He...
Ten-year-old Cooper Jackson is this month’s cover boy. He is lucky enough to have a catfishing father, Rusty Jackson, to take him fishing. Evidently,...
Hunter Fussell caught a 41.83-pound blue cat to earn the Big Fish Championship belt in the Youth Division at the Santee Cooper Monster Cat...
I like using cut bait because it is easier to obtain than live bait. In the state of New Mexico, it is illegal to...
I talk to people all the time that would like to fish competitive catfish tournaments, but won’t enter due to the fact they don’t...
For most participants, tournaments are fun and exciting. I also think they can be stressful. One of the things Bryan and I do prior...
Tournament anglers Jeremiah Keen and Andy Williams credit much of their success to their ability to pattern catfish. Knowing whether to go up river,...
Successfully catching catfish depends on several different variables. Those elements will all come together with proper planning and conditions. Take time to plan your...
I am motivated to fish competitively because of my love for the sport. I’ve been catfishing now for three years and have become comfortable...
The head portion of any baitfish is usually most folks favorite. It is very durable so it can take multiple strikes. When cut properly,...
Brandy primarily fishes the Chattahoochee River, Coosa River, and more recently the Mississippi River for major tournaments. Her tournament partner is Jody Atkins and...
Sometimes you go out there and the head is all they want, other times it’s a chunk. I haven’t completely figured it out, but...
Ask any angler and they will tell you that some spots just look and feel fishier than others, it relates to fisherman’s instinct. Instinct...
There is nothing that is totally consistent, all the time, with catfishing. There is some stuff that is pretty regular, but there are plenty...
Capt. Brian Barton (www.brianbartonoutdoors.com ) often fishes his home waters of Wilson Lake with a float rig. There are many variations of these rigs...
A big misconception in the flathead community is that you always have to use live bait. While flatheads are top predators, consuming anything that...
As strong as the weakest link. That would be a good way to describe your catfish rig. Unfortunately, some catfish anglers find the weakest...
High water, a 5 to 6 mph current and floating debris challenged anglers at the May 13, 2017 Cabela’s King Lat Tournament at...
Cindy and her husband Lyle Stokes have been tournament fishing as partners for several years. Lyle is well known in catfish circles as cohost,...
Savvy catfish anglers are well aware of the importance of Jimmy Holbrook’s tip. Holbrook fishes tournaments and recreationally with Layla Ledbetter. Looking at their...
Catfish anglers sometimes joke about “barge bites,” but many believe there is something to it. It refers to getting a bite after a barge...
Millions of anglers chase after the whiskered catfish for the same reason. “I like fishing for catfish because of their size and brute strength,”...
Matt “CatMatt” Jones is a flathead fanatic. He spends countless hours on his boat, the Flathead Battleship, scouting, researching and hunting flatheads on the...
It is no secret that most humans have a variable appetite when it comes to what they like to eat. Hamburgers look good one...
Are you killing your chances to catch catfish by engaging in simple behavior that can be managed? Keith “Catfish” Sutton is a catfish fanatic...
Savvy catfish anglers realize the importance of fresh bait, but you need to take it one step further. “One of the biggest problems in...
Bumping Bottom is an interactive approach to catfishing that allows anglers to cover different depths and different locations quickly. “You are always holding the...