Big River Blue Cats

Spring (water temperature: 55°F to 65°F)—I find blue catfish located 2 to 3 miles below an upstream dam during this period. Seasonal rains have the water high, murky, and oxygenated. Male blues are nosing around for spawning sites, while big females continue to feed along the edges of steep drops before nesting. Blue cats can be found shallower now, so I fish mostly 12 to 20 feet deep. Keep at least one rig 25 to 30 feet deep, unless the shallow bite is strong.

Spawn Period (water temperature: 70°F to 75°F)—I usually fish for spawners at night because it’s too hot for comfortable fishing during the day. Blues spawn around rocks and scattered woodcover in water 5 to 15 feet deep, on sloping banks with deep-water access. Cork fishing is fun and effective during the spawn; be sure to cast to visible cover like rockpiles and laydown logs.

Summer (water temperature: 80°F+)—Big-river blues sulk in deep, dark water and don’t eat as often. Fish the coolest, most heavily oxygenated water you can find. The biggest and fastest-flowing rivers like the Mississippi are best for blues in hot weather. Fishermen on nearby Kentucky Lake catch them by vertical-jigging minnows along 60-foot channel drops, but this ain’t for me. It’s usually too hot, with humidity to match, so I don’t bother fishing for blues in the summer.

Fall (water temperature: 55°F to 60°F)—It seems to take forever to cool down some rivers to the point where you can fish them again successfully, but once they’re down to that 60°F mark, it’s time to get back out there. My area rivers can get pretty low this time of year, which pulls predator and prey alike off the banks and sends them to deeper haunts. While the river is falling, try slipfloat rigs around steep banks. Once the river stabilizes, 30 to 40 feet becomes the magic depth again, so hunt up those ledges and start soaking those bottom rigs.