The second method that works really well for me is drift fishing. Lets start by explaining how drifting works. It’s really pretty simple: you cast out bait and drag it behind or from side of your boat while wind pushes you along.

Where to Fish

The majority of Cat-men that I know all use same rig, although their tackle will differ from one guy to next. Whatever tackle they use, they are all dragging some kind of bait on bottom. The big difference between most drifters and myself, however, is that I usually do not drift in water any shallower than 30 feet deep while most others like to fish much shallower, such as 10-20 feet deep.

The shallow waters of most lakes contain a few big fish and lots of little ones resulting in lots of action, but not too many that will test your string. I have said before that Blue Cats can and will live and feed in deep water. My best day of drifting, as far as numbers of fish weighing between 3-20 lbs. goes, occurred last December. In one drift I caught and released 47 Blue Cats. These fish all came off of a huge flat that runs parallel to main river channel with an average depth of 45 ft. Its surface has a few small humps and a couple of old ditches running across it. People drive by me and look in disbelief when they see me drifting in 30 to 50 ft of water, but when that fish locator shows big fish marks on bottom at those kind of depths I have a pretty good idea of what’s down there.

Not all lakes are as easy to drift: some have gobs of timber and some have tons of rock on bottom. The best lakes I have found have had some silting or massive mud flats that were old fields at one time. Simple structures like old ditches that carve across mud flats give Blue Cats a place to ambush their prey and might give them a little relief in water column when water is at its coldest or warmest. Look at these flats from different angles and ask yourself, “How does bank look?” Could surface under water look similar to structures above water? Chances are that it will be pretty close.

These ideas are not really new. Bass and Walleye fishermen all over U.S. use land structures to locate their fish and when it comes to locating these structures, fish locators are very valuable tools. My opinion is that you get what you pay for with electronics, but if you can find shad or baitfish with your locator as well as see big fish marks, that’s all you need.

Catchin’ Big Cats

Many of people about to take one of my guided trips don’t believe that Catfish feed as aggressively as other game fish. People are used to throwing out their bait and letting it set while they wait. Some days this works and they don’t have to wait very long, but some days we all know that wait can be very long. This waiting is what encouraged me to try to catch Blue Cats using other methods. Some techniques are passed down from generation to generation and these tried and true methods have caught Catfish since people have fished for them. I have used these methods most of my life and it was way I was taught to catch Catfish. On opposite end of Cat-fishing spectrum, however, are two newer methods that I have been using to consistently catch Catfish, as well.

Fishing for Catfish

Ah, American Catfish! The big three: Blues, Channel Cats and Flatheads; aren’t they a wonderful species of fish? Each one has its own outstanding features to thrill Catfishermen and women throughout United States and even worldwide. Flatheads, with their big, wide heads and flat tails, have my vote as hardest pulling fish pound-for-pound in fresh water. No Catfisherman can talk very long without telling their favorite Channel Cat story.