But don’t stop there. Walk a mile and compare the riffle-hole-run series that occur there. Go ahead and try fishing in each successive area. You’ll soon see, and certainly your catch will indicate, that some of these series are much better than others. Deeper holes with extensive cover often hold the most catfish. Eventually, it becomes obvious that staying long in marginal areas isn’t productive. It might even be better to walk right on by until you reach something that’s really worth fishing.
Now travel another mile. And another. And another. Say, over the course of a summer, you eventually cover 20 or 30 miles of river: Now we’re really getting somewhere. This is when you begin to realize that some 5- or 10-mile sections of river aren’t nearly so productive as other sections. You might even realize that a lot of the best sections have narrower, more winding river portions.
And then, if you stay at it long enough, you’ll also begin to view all 50 or 100 miles of river as an entity, where the catfish population shifts throughout certain seasons. Most of the catfish population might, for example, shift into the upstream third during spring, the downstream third in fall and winter. Then again, in high-water years, the preponderance of fish might stay upstream all year long.
That’s looking at river catfishing on a grand scale. At its most basic level, once you determine on a larger scale where the fish should be, it’s still a matter of going to a river section, finding the best portion of that section, and fishing the cover edges in the riffle-hole-run sections of that area.
Larger rivers also contain classic edges, many associated with holes and structural and cover elements that attract catfish. Current edges in tailwaters, eddies, current seams, and scour holes around wing dams, midriver holes, barge moorings, and logjams are spots in big rivers that function fundamentally the same to attract cats as they do in small rivers.
PRIMETIME BONANZA
Many anglers consider the Prespawn Period as the best time of year to fish for channel cats. It begins soon after river levels stabilize from the high water caused by melting snow and spring rains. Unlike pike and walleyes, which move toward spawning areas before the ice fully melts, channel cats are in no hurry to reproduce. They’re much more concerned with finding food.
The Prespawn Period lasts for several weeks or even a couple of months, in many parts of the country. This is an extended period when the overall mood of the fish is aggressive, providing the most consistent action of the year, both for size and numbers of fish.
Prespawn patterns, in terms of location and presentation, generally carry right through summer. Fishing is often more challenging during the spawn, but catfish don’t all spawn at the same time, so you’ll find fish in mixed moods with some always catchable. Once the spawn is complete, they settle into summertime habits, which isn’t much different from the Prespawn Period in terms of location. Put the right bait in the right place at the right time. When you do, fishing can be phenomenal.
