Catfish

Question
QUESTION: Where can I find Catfish in my lake now. The water temp. is in the high 50's low 60's. what would they bite on now in the spring. thanks

ANSWER: How big is your lake, how deep, does it have a river or creek running through it, what is your latitude, what species of catfish?  I would need to know this information to really give you a good response.  However, I can say that they are probably in the same area they would be if the water were warmer.  Although they would probably not be in necessarily the deepest water.  A lot depends on what is the main food source.  If there are shad or some other such species in your lake they will likely be near them.  Most catfish with the exception of the flathead are opportunistic feeders.  That means they will eat what is available.  The flathead catfish is almost entirely a hunter eating live fish almost exclusively.  Most of the other cats will eat most anything they can find such as crawfish, minnows, cut bait, worms, insects, frogs, and about any other edible item.  Chicken livers and cut up pieces of pork liver work.  In most tackle shops you can buy cheese baits and other mixtures for catfish.  These baits require a special hook.  This is a treble hook with a little spring on the shaft to hold the bait.
Most catfish are bottom feeders although a few feed on both the bottom and above bottom.

With the water temp below 60 the catfish will likely not be really active but they will bite if you find them.  Look for places where there are piles of brush or logs on the bottom or near a drop off.
If there is a stream running through the lake the cats will probably be near the channel if not in it.  Look on the outside bends of the stream where current has cut away the bottom.

I think that is about all I can say without knowing more about your lake specifically.  I hope this has been of some help.

I am
Jack L. Gaither   (JackfromSeminole)
Lake Seminole, Georgia

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: the lake is 30,400 acres and the maximum depth is 140 ft. But where I fish it's max is 40 ft. Also where I fish it doesn't have a creek or river running through it. Our latitude is 35?5.000'. Blue or channel catfish are my goal. Hope this helps you answer my question.

Answer
Steve; That latitude puts you pretty far north of me. I am near Latitude 31 degrees.

Blue cats and Channel cats both like current and are more prone to live bait than dead but will hit the cheese baits you buy in tackle shops.  If you have a boat I might suggest drifting over areas where the wind may build up a little current.  I doubt they would be in shallow water at those temperatures but then they might fool me.  If it is allowed I would put out more than one line with different baits and perhaps some on or near bottom and others at a few feet above bottom under a bobber.  Such a place might be between an island and the shore or between two islands.  My guess would be that the fish would be located near the lower end of such a channel waiting for food to be moved through by the wind driven current.  Of course another thing about catfish is that they are nocturnal feeders so from sunset to sunrise would be the best time to catch them although they can be caught in the daytime sometimes.

Check the temperature at different depths to see if there is some area that is warmer than others this time of year, cooler than others in summer.  This would likely be a good place to find them.  That is a pretty good size lake and I suspect that there are many places where catfish hang out.

One other good place to look is where a stream or wash runs into the lake.  If you have a heavy rain go as far up the stream or wash and fish the fast water running into the lake.  Catfish, especially channel cats often run up such a place after a heavy rain to feed on the food washed into the water.  We used to use a gob of night crawlers tossed right into the current of a small creek that run into the lake and catch channel cats like crazy.  We usually went out an hour or so before sunset and fished until we got tired or the fish quit biting.

Another way of catching channel and blue cats is to use a trot line if it is legal in your state.  This is not a trout line as so many call it.  I do not know where the name came from.  Use a heavy main line and about every three feet put on a large swivel. Tie 3/0 hooks to dropper lines made from lighter line to the swivels.  Use a heavy weight like a concrete block on one end and tie the other end to the root of a tree underwater.  Take the line and concrete block out in a boat and feed out the line and bait the hooks as you go.  Use different kinds of bait until you find what catches the most fish.  When you reach the end of the line tie another line to the concrete block but without hooks.  Stretch the main line tight and lower the block to the bottom.  In some cases instead of tieing to a tree use two blocks, putting one down and then feeding line until the end of the line then lower the second block by the line tied to it.  Have a piece of drift wood or something else that floats but will not attract attention to be able to locate the second block.  When you are ready to run the line say no less than four hours later find your piece of driftwood or whatever and lift the block into the boat.
Using the main line pull yourself toward the other block slowly taking any fish off as you get to them and rebait the hooks as you go.  To keep the line from tangling as soon as you have retrieved enough of the main line to equal the water depth lower the block.
Now you have the main line in hand with both blocks on bottom.  When you get to the second block pull it up with the main line and stretch the line tight and drop the block back in the water.  This is the way my uncles used to fish the Ohio River many years ago.  They had commercial license and sometimes their line would be a mile long and have over 1000 hooks.  Man did they catch some big blue cats and lots of channels among others.  This may not be a way you would want to fish for catfish but it will catch fish.  Most states limit such lines to 25 or so hooks unless you have commercial license.

Remember finding catfish is getting bait that has some odor or is alive and kicking in an area where wind or current will take the odor  down current.  If there are catfish around they will find the bait.

I hope this has been a little more help than my first answer although the basics are simple sometimes you may have to search for a while to find the fish.  Once you find them they will be back in that same area when conditions become similar year after year.

Good catfishing and thanks for following up with the information.

Jack