Hard work pays off when going after catfish

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 18/05/2019 (2579 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Improved weather conditions over the past week have helped raise water temperatures in many of our local lakes and rivers. Current flow has also been reduced, which in many cases is a good thing.

For those after the mighty channel catfish, the combination of cold water and heavy current pushes those fish tight to shore. This means some of the best shore-fishing action of the year if you can find key holding spots. These types of areas will be out of the main current flow, with a bit of back eddy. These areas attract baitfish, along with channel catfish and a variety of gamefish.

When fishing from a boat at this time of year, it pays to move around a lot until you find active fish. Professional guide Todd Longley limits his time on a spot to 15 minutes if there is no action. While this might seem like a lot of work, it does pay off, usually faster than you think. If you are picking good areas, you will find active catfish. Given the large population size in the Red River, there is always pretty good competition for available forage.

Longley understands that concept, so he really bulks up his baits to make sure the bigger channel catfish can find his offerings. “Channel catfish have poor eyesight and are all about scent. They can smell your bait in the water a long distance away. If one shrimp, as an example, is good, two shrimp would be better. The more bait you can put on your hook, the more scent you will have to bring in these huge predators. Different baits work better at different times of the season. Goldeye and shrimp with head on are good from May till the middle of August.”

One of my favourite early-season catfish baits is large chunks of sucker. The oily nature of this fish, along with the strong smell, will really call in fish from a long way. Chicken livers can also be productive.

Anchoring your boat

Once you identify key spots, it’s extremely important to anchor up properly to present your bait in a way that is effective. Almost all hardcore river anglers have two anchors in the boat. I have a real heavy navy anchor that I use off the bow, and a smaller custom-made anchor to put down on the windward side near the back. This will stop your boat from swinging with the wind and current. This helps prevent your weight from dragging on the bottom, which causes hang-ups and headaches.

Over the years, I have also learned that your weight must fall on a tight line when cast out behind the boat or from shore. By doing this, the weight will sit in one spot when it hits bottom. As soon as that happens, I drop it in a rod holder, which is set to have the tip of the rod pointed up at a 33-degree angle. When fishing heavier current, a shorter snell is a must. The use of circle hooks will improve hooking percentages as well.

When you do get a channel catfish to come to your bait, you don’t want to remove the rod from the rod holder until the fish commits to your bait. Depending on activity level, this can be ferocious or just a light tap, tap! You will get the hang of it as the day goes on and enjoy some of the best angling this planet has to offer!

Other key items

Channel catfish are big, tough customers, so you need to beef things up accordingly. I use 30-pound XT Solar line spooled on a level wind reel. I use nine-foot fibreglass rods that allow you to lean on these hard-fighting fish. I will have ready a big net with soft mesh to scoop them up, then drop them gently in a big plastic box for hook removal and release. While these fish are tough, handle them with care and help preserve this incredible trophy fishery.

Angler’s notes

The stocked trout lakes in the Parkland region have been producing quite a few Master Angler fish. West Goose Lake, located in the town of Roblin, has a great population of huge rainbow trout. While they can be hard to trick sometimes, when you do hook into one of these monsters, it’s all good! With the long cold winter, some of our shallower lakes in the province experienced some winterkill. It’s an exciting time to be out on the water, so make sure to plan a fishing adventure sooner rather than later.

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