Early Spring Catfishing

Tackle for channel cats is simple but a couple of tricks can really help your success. You want to start with at least a medium or medium heavy rod. I use a heavy rod and the reason is since targeting these larger channel cats I have landed several over ten pounds. These big channels can put up a great fight and are many times in the middle of some snarled brush not to mention the twirling these fish do as they near the boat which can put plenty of strain on your gear. If you are like me you will start with your regular gear that you have used for years for those one to three pound fish but after hooking into and losing some of those giant channels that prowl the shallows early in the season you might decide, just as I did, that quality and sturdy gear is important to catching big channels. Also there are giant flathead monsters that tend to reside in the same type areas as big channels and the last thing you want is to tangle with a forty-pound flatty in a brushpile with wimpy gear.

Another well-known trick is the slip sinker. These fish are very sensitive to pressure and if they feel any at all they will drop the bait. I have yet decided whether a free spool is better than tight lining. All my rigs free spool just in case I miss a bite he can keep running until I can get to the rod. If I see the bite I set the hook immediately. I tend not to tight line because I have seen too many dropped bites when they feel the rod. So experiment and draw your own conclusion. I used to cover the entire hook with bait for fear the fish might feel the hook and spook. I now leave the hook point uncovered as best I can so that when the fish inhales the bait the point is exposed and even if the fish decides to spit it out there is a better chance the point will find its mouth on the way out.

Terminal tackle should consist of a solid hook and a heavy monofilament leader with a swivel at the top. Above the leader should be a single bead and then a slider for your weight. These sliders are inexpensive and are slicker than just a slip sinker on your main line which tends to abrade your line causing premature breaks. Your main line should be heavy mono or braided line. I choose mono for my leader to give some stretch at the hook and also withstand the abrasion effects of heavy brush a little better than braided line. This is another trick learned the hard way. Braided line is strong for its diameter and allows me to get much more on my reels while still using thirty to fifty pound test line. The braided lines will not hold their strength however with the slightest abrasion so check it often.

I use an octopus style hook in the 7/0 size range. I prefer to set the hook hard on these big cats so I choose the octopus over the circle as my choice in hooks. There are several hook makers out there that offer the octopus style hook. Mustad, owner and Gamakatsu are my favorite and provide excellent made hooks.

Early spring catfish fishing may not be as popular as some of the other fish out there but with a little patients and trial and error lessons learned you might find a new and exciting early spring activity for yourself and family. You might even find yourself alone in your new endeavor and have all those shallow coves to yourself and enjoy some great fishing fun as well as some great fillets for the table. Good Luck!

author website: visit | author bio