Summer Time is Catfishing Time

As the water warms up with the summer heat, the catfish moves from spawning to feeding and group in specific places making them easy targets for fishing. With the right approach an angler (experienced or inexperienced) can land himself (or herself) a good catch

Where to angle

The most common place the catfish tend to group in, are the sharp bends in the course of the river. The flowing water scours deep holes creating steep banks, the erosion of which causes bushes and trees to fall in. Also the river bends cause current lines and whirlpools making it a good holding area and feeding place for the catfishes. The catfish can be found swimming in any of these places - near the head of the hole, over the slope, on the edges of the deep holes or even down in the deep water. They will surely be there as these are the favorite spots of the catfish. Trying different anchoring positions can help you find them.

One important thing you should remember is catfish are led by their noses.

How to fish

Start at the upper end of the hole and use baits that carry good scent of food. The scent should be able to reach further down the hole and draw the catfish by its whiskers. Use a bottom rig with egg sinker, leader, swivel and hook; this will suit even the big fishing holes in the river bends. Consider the depth of the water and amount of water current your equipment will have to face, the weight of the equipment should help the rig hold firmly to the bottom.

The best hooks to use would be circle hooks and the best baits would be cut fish or chicken liver or commercial catfish pastes. For the best setup, anchor upstream at a cast's distance to where the natural baits are normally available, cast downstream and let your bait settle to the bottom.

When to fish

While most catfish can be caught even in the middle of the day, channel catfish are nocturnal and feed actively at night. This is also a best time to fish as it saves you from the scorching summer heat; nights in summer are normally more pleasant.

At nights too the catfish can be found in the same holes of the river bends, but they may actually be feeding more in shallow waters rather than in the deeper waters like in the day time. As the sun settles and the weather cools a bit, the catfish migrate to the top and swim near the slopes of the holes to feed. They may stick to the shallow waters and so it is better to anchor upstream from the catfishes holding position and then cast the bait.

Catfishes are more active at night and flurry around in groups. Night fishing can be more challenging as the fishes tend to move more and navigating the river at night can be difficult. Ideally scout for a few good fishing spots before dark and settle in on the flats or the slopes before sun down and you will be able to get a good catch for yourself before retiring for the day.