This system is one of the best ones for river fishing, because a heavy
sinker can be used to combat the current, while the bait remains free
to float naturally, and its link is directly to the rod tip, and not
the sinker. Alternately, in some situations, it is possible to use a
heavy bait without a sinker, but current pull may work against you and
lift your bait away from the fish.
Using a rod in a boat, the sinkerless heavy bait idea works much
better, as it can be drift fished through the holes and troughs in the
bottom where the biggest cats congregate. Float downstream from above
the deep spots, with your bait in tow, but with lots of line out, to
let it roll naturally along near the bottom as it goes, until it rolls
past a big, waiting cat.
Speaking of baits, big cats almost always prefer to eat dead fish, with
the Flathead being the only habitual live-prey hunter of the three main
species. All cats locate food and navigate by their senses of smell and
touch. Accordingly, any bait you choose should be natural and
highly-scented, and be a big enough morsel of food for the fish to
appreciate, when it finds it. While dead fish is still probably the
most surefire bait for big cats, smaller cats tend to be less picky
eaters, and will grab up most anything that smells and feels good -
chicken livers, bacon and wieners, cheese or soap baits are a few
options that may prove effective. For Flatties, live bait fish are a
good choice, especially on the deep-side edges of the shallows at
night. Dead fish is also a very effective bait for Flatheads.
Chumming an area for a couple of days/evenings before you fish it is a
great way to acclimatize the local fish to whatever bait you intend to
use. Make a base chum mix, and add some too-small bits of your bait
choice, and put it out there. The cats will get used to looking for
your bait, but the first time they actually find a decent piece of it,
it will be attached to your rod tip.
Make sure you check your local regulations for information on
trotlining or
jugfishing, if you intend to try these methods.
To get the full "River Fishing For Catfish" article you'll need to download it here.
