by John Osbron

Created on: July 31, 2008   Last Updated: August 04, 2008

If there is one thing that is synonymous with a Missouri summer it is catfishing. Some of my favorite childhood memories include waking up early on an August Saturday morning to go catfishing with my dad. Dads, if you have a little son take him catfishing with you some Saturday morning, I guarantee you will both have the times of your life.

If you are going to go hunting for catfish, first thing is first, you have got to get the right bait. You can try your generic fishing bait of worms and night crawlers, but if you really want to haul in some catfish, I suggest you get your hands a little dirty and get some chicken livers or stink bait.

A very important aspect when looking for catfish is your timing. Contrary to popular belief the night time is not the best time to find catfish despite their nocturnal tendencies. Catfish tend to be very territorial, and they spend most of the daytime in their own little hole under their own little log. So if they see something invading their personal space, like a chicken liver on a hook for instance, they are much more likely to attack it the only way it really can, and that is to bite it.

Another important thing to remember is location. We all know there are spots that everyone and their brother have tried a thousand times to catch a catfish and will try there a thousand more. The key is to stay away from areas like that because all of the catfish that are ever going to be caught there have already been caught. A place that you are most likely to find a good catfish at is at a spot nobody fishes at. Try spots that are full of weeds or are just downright messy. I hate tangling my lines out there just as much as the next guy, and it is a huge disappointment to think you have finally landed the big one just to find out it is 12 pounds of weeds, but when you do get that big one you get a huge feeling of accomplishment. These weedy areas provide plenty of daytime resting areas for lethargic catfish, and having not already been thinned out by other anglers you have your highest rate of success here.

Finally the big selling point on catching the big one is all of the little things. Do not make a lot of noise. Catfish have extremely sensitive hearing and just because they rest during the day, do not think for a second that they will not flee if they believe they are in danger. When talking, try to keep it down to a whisper, do not listen to loud music and do not splash around in the water or make banging noises if on a boat. Also, if there are no catfish in a certain spot go ahead and move to another, catfish is one type of fish you do not have to be particularly patient with, if you do not get anything within 30 to 45 minutes move on to a new spot. Also, try to land your bait as close to a fish hole as possible because again they are territorial and will snap at it if they feel intruded upon. I wish you all the best of luck with your catfishing experiences, and I hope they will be as memorable as mine were and hopefully will be.

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