Fishing For Channel Catfish

Channel Catfish are among the most popular fish caught. They always put up a good fight even the smaller ones.

The channel catfish will grow 1 to 2 pounds per year. They will occasionally grow to 10 pounds and usually have a life span of 6 to 7 years.

They are very aggressive in the spring as spanning season approaches. The natural spanning will usually begin in late winter or early spring when the day temperature reaches at least 70 degrees for 3 days in a row.

The tackle you will need to land the channel catfish depends on the size of channel cat you are wanting to land. You can use a lighter weight line, rod and reel for the smaller cats but very seldom can you pull in a larger channel catfish unless you have heavier tackle.

By nature the smaller channel catfish, less than 14” eat from the bottom. Looking for such food as bottom dwelling organisms, worms and water insects. As the channel catfish grows above 14” there diet will change. They will usually feed on bait fish, dead fish, cut bait, dead minnows, etc. Keep this in mind when gathering your bait for your next fishing trip. The food that the channel cat is biting will also change with the seasons. You should offer the channel cat a bait similar to what is readily available. They are by nature scavengers.

In the spring the channel catfish will be feeding on dead fish, dead minnows and what ever is vulnerable. As the water warms and summer is neat they will be searching for worms, frogs, crayfish, insects and algae. A good prepared cheese bate is very effective at this time. Fall will bring cooler temperatures and this will cause the channel catfish diets to change to whatever is available such as seasonal insects, frogs and again bait fish. Winters is somewhat different depending on how severe the weather gets. The channel catfish are usually feeding from whatever they can find on bottom.

Channel catfish have a very good sense of smell, which is why they are attracted to the “smelly” bait. They also have very good sight especially in clear waters.

The natural habitats of the channel catfish are river inlets at most lakes, on bends of the river.

They can be found under rocks and where there is under water growth. They are more likely to be found between 8 - 15 feet deep as there is less oxygen in the very deep parts of the lake.

Fishing for channel catfish can be a fun and rewarding adventure. I hope I have been helpful if so leave me a commit or just tell me about your fishing experience.