What is the best month to catch catfish?

Late March, April, and early May are some of the best blue catfish fishing of the year for numbers of fish and also offers excellent opportunities for trophy class catfish as well. Channel catfish action is typically excellent and very consistent also.

What time of day are catfish most active?

Myth: Catfish are more active at night. Fact: Catfish are active at all hours of the day and night, this includes all three species of catfish. Catfish can easily be caught throughout the day regardless of the season. Catfish eat when they are hungry, not when it gets dark.

What is the best weather for catfishing?

61-68°F. Water temperatures just below 70°F is an interesting and one of the most ideal temperatures to catch big catfish. This is because catfish are feeding in preparation for their spawn. They are active and can be found in deep, mid-level, and shallower waters.

How deep are catfish right now?

Conclusion. The best depth for catching catfish is between 15 and 20 feet deep in lakes. This is known as the catfish zone because they reside within such depths in most lakes. However, depending on the time of the year and the temperature of the water, they can also reside in shallow areas.

How do you catch a catfish every time?

Simply add a float above the weight on a slip-sinker rig. Use this rig to drift bait slowly through wood-rich catfish lairs or over weed without snagging on bottom or in cover. Drifting a float also helps cover water from the bank. A jig head (link to the jig head article) tipped with bait will also catch catfish.

The Best Time To Catch Catfish : A Seasonal Guide To Catfishing

How do you attract catfish?

Catfish are bottom feeders and are attracted to food by both sight and smell. They like bright colors such as orange or red. One of the best lures are Cheetos puffs. The bright orange color attracts their attention and the cheesy corn smell encourages them to bite.

At what temperature do catfish stop biting?

When considering the best catfish bait, keep in mind that although metabolism is low, most catfish will still eat. However, “Catfish” Sutton wrote that if the water drops below 40 degrees, the flathead catfish bite shuts down completely.

What's the best catfish bait?

What temperature are catfish most active?

Feeding Temperatures — Catfish farmers say that catfish feed a little when the water temperature is in the 50°F range, but active feeding doesn't begin until the water hits the mid-60°F range. The success of early spring trotliners suggests wild catfish begin actively feeding at 55°F to 60°F.

What size hook is best for catfish?

A number two hook is a good size treble for very large catfish and the largest you want to go with. A number 6 hook is a reliable, standard size. You might use the number 8 if you're looking for smaller cats. Trebles are ideal for punch baits and dip baits.

Which catfish bites the hardest?

a big channel has the worst bite of the 3 cats, channels, blues and flatheads.. they like to clamp then go into an alligator roll frenzy which is the part that tears your flesh, LOL Blues do it a little too but usually you can feel them tense up and your more prepared for it, Flats grip but then shake the tails so they ...

Do catfish like deep or shallow water?

Catfish will hold on any kind of bottom, from rocks to mud, but seem to have a preference for hard bottoms, including those of clay or gravel. The depth of water can be critical. In winter and summer, catfish hold in the deepest water that has enough oxygen to support them, searching for temperatures in the mid-70s.

Do catfish bite after rain?

Short answer is yes! Catfish often feed very heavily after a rain, especially in the summer months. Rain washes nutrients and food into the water from the bank. This provides catfish with easy meals.

Do catfish like hot dogs?

Many catfish anglers have used them for decades. On the other hand, most catfish anglers seem to discover hot dogs out of desperation, after running out of traditional fishing baits such as worms and cut baits. Hot dogs are a common food taken along on fishing excursions and double as excellent catfish bait.

Why do catfish like Kool-Aid?

The Kool-Aid will soak into the chunks and some of the liquid will come out of the meat to form a marinade that helps the flavor soak into the meat. This makes the flavor and sweet smell permeate the chunk and means the bait will keep its flavor and smell for a long time in the water.

Do catfish like soap?

Some types of soap have been used to attract catfish for more than a century. Ivory Soap, made by Proctor & Gamble since 1879, has been used by hardcore catters for more than a century. Zote and Octagon soaps are favorites, too.

How deep are catfish in winter?

Instead of stationary wintering holes that don't move in lakes, there are certain deep holes associated with breaks, sunken timber or bends that will attract catfish by the dozen during the winter. What is this? On cold days, catfish will be deep in these holes which are often 15-20 feet deep.

Do catfish like muddy water?

Catfish, on the other hand, absolutely love the mud. Keep in mind, though, when fishing the muddy inlets you'll likely catch channel catfish rather than bigger blues. Action nonetheless can be excellent. When fishing for catfish, muddy water tends to stir up action.

What smell attracts catfish?

For catfish scents, the smellier the better. Ingredients like chicken liver, gutted fish, Limburger cheese and rotting shrimp are examples of things that can be combined together. The best stink bait is left to marinade for a few days and “ripen” so that the blend of scents is irresistible to the catfish.

How far away can catfish smell?

Catfish have some of the sharpest senses of any fish. Their chemoreception abilities work as far as 15 feet away, Catfish can also smell a substance at a rate of one part per 100 million. The American eel has the most sensitive olfactory abilities, and can detect substances at a rate of one part per trillion.

Will catfish eat fake worms?

Catfish are probably one of the best things to fish for with a fake worm. Try different jigging patterns on slow retrievals near the the bottom. THIS is the right type of worm lure for this approach. A large worm is easy prey for a catfish that will usually eat anything that can fit in its mouth.

Do catfish bite when the river is high?

When a river is rising or maintaining levels that are a few feet above normal flow the catfish will move to feed and rest in locations that are just out of the teeth of the main current. Looking in locations such as back sides of inside curves or in or near snags along the shoreline are great places to find catfish.

Do catfish bite when windy?

You can catch catfish when conditions are windy but you will need to take additional precautions to ensure your gear doesn't get negatively affected by strong winds. Many catfish anglers some of the best fishing can be had during windy days because it can make catfish more active, but wind can complicate fishing.

Can catfish sting you?

Catfish skin toxin and the venom from their dorsal and pectoral spines may cause a menacing sting. Although these stings are often innocuous, severe tissue necrosis may occur. The hand is the most common site of catfish stings. Two cases of catfish stings of the hand are presented.

Should I use a bobber when fishing for catfish?

When catfishing with these techniques the sound of the float hitting the water helps draw in fish and gets them to strike. Using a streamlined float that doesn't make a good “splash” in the water would actually work against you so the traditional bobber rig is preferred.