In almost 30 years of fishing for and writing about catfish, I’ve only seen a handful of truly unique things,” said In-Fisherman Editor In Chief Doug Stange. We were discussing advancements in catfish angling, particularly those that go beyond traditional tactics and their refinements. From Stange’s viewpoint, in that handful the methods covered in this article stand out.
We were introduced to Marlin Ormseth through ice-fishing pioneer and longtime In-Fisherman friend Dave Genz. Genz, a friend of Ormseth’s, fished with him for catfish and recognized his methods as unique. A former bait-and-tackle-store owner from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Ormseth is an accomplished multispecies angler for walleye, pike, perch, and other species. Now living in Bonneau, South Carolina—Santee-Cooper Country—he’s mostly on the water after big blue cats.
Ormseth likely gets his share of doubletakes on Santee as he’s pulling planer-board setups for catfish—boards are just something you don’t see fishermen using down there that often—or if ever, for catfish anywhere. Planer boards are in-line devices used to guide trolled lines and baits off to the sides of the boat, rather than being pulled directly behind in the boat’s path. Another variation on Ormseth’s theme—fishing on the surface—is likely to turn even more heads.
Many fishing developments occur when anglers adapt tactics from one species to another, often across geographic regions. “Ideas like Ormseth’s usually come from great multispecies anglers,” Stange says, “and multispecies angling is what In-Fisherman is all about.”
Since the mid-1990s, catfish have been regularly covered in In-Fisherman, in Catfish In-Sider, and in the annual Catfish In-Sider Guide, the last two being the first catfish-only magazines. “Until we started covering catfish regularly about two decades ago, catfishing was done by a large group that fished pretty much exclusively for catfish,” he says. “There have been good ideas, mostly refinements of conventional methods. Today, more multispecies anglers are getting into catfishing and adapting their tactics to catfishing situations. They bring a multifaceted perspective, so they’re better able to develop new presentation wrinkles to consistently catch more fish.”
Take Ormseth’s catfish methods, largely adapted from those he uses for walleyes. “There are many similarities between walleye fishing and catfishing, although there are obvious differences, too,” Stange says. “But the fundamental mechanics of delivering baits are very much the same. Planer boards seem like a natural fit for catfish. It just took a guy who’s part of the larger angling world to make it work.”
Ormseth’s Spread
Ormseth didn’t start fishing for catfish right away after moving south. At first, stripers were his favorite species on Santee, until their numbers dropped and fishing for them got tough. He turned to catfish as the next challenge. He’s now guiding on Santee as a licensed captain. On an average good trip, he catches about 100 pounds of blues—330 pounds, his best day. His biggest fish is 63 pounds.
Drifting is a popular way to catch catfish on Santee and across North America. Many anglers drift-fish with the wind in pontoon boats. Some anchor and fish stationary baits. Ormseth tried these methods, but his experiences with walleye fishing told him there might be a more effective way to present baits, one with more boat control.
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