How To Catch Huge Catfish

You can catch large catfish, no matter what species you are targeting. Learning how to catch huge catfish is a matter of understanding their environment and presenting them with good bait choices. With this information, you can locate and improve your chances to hook a trophy-sized fish!

Understand The Species You Are Fishing

Catfish are not simply garbage disposals that sit on the bottom of the water. They travel the entire column and can be located in minor tributaries as well as along the shore of larger moving waters or lakes. They are predatory fish and will use underwater structures and covering to ambush prey. Fishing in low light conditions or at night helps to improve your chances at a larger cat.

They can be found in shallow depths in deep bodied waters as well as hugging the substrate. Doing a little preliminary research on a body of water and talking with local fisherman and shops will let you know where they are active.

What Is On The Menu?

Different catfish species prefer some types of meals over others. Understanding what fish like will increase the chance of catching a big one. Flatheads, for example, prefer live baits that are active and flashy in appearance. Baitfish would include bluegill and white perch. On the other hand, Blue catfish enjoy cut bait while Channel cats will eat about anything they can put into their mouths.

With that being said, stink baits can be an effective method for catching monster cats, especially in murky waters with limited visibility. Traditional methods include things such as liver and dough balls. In recent decades, many commercially available products have also been produced to encourage strikes.

Up Around The Bend

Certain locations tend to produce larger fish than others. Fishing on bends can be effective, letting the undercut carry your offering. Larger fish can spook, so food drifting past in a normal manner could stimulate a strike. Fishing in this manner requires gear capable of a long cast of heavy tackle.

Locations often serve the catfish as more than an ambush point. Deadfalls and rockpiles are used to build nests and serve as spawning grounds. Fishing these can produce nicely sized cats.

lower moving waters of smaller tributaries can often house larger catfish not found in the faster currents of a body of water. An irregular bottom structure will be preferred by most fish and have a better chance of containing larger specimens.

Putting it all together

Combining proper bait and location will help land more fish. This is even more true for big fish. Applying what you know makes the difference between eating sized and trophy-sized cats.