A Guide to Non-Typical Catfish Fishing Techniques - Part II

Method 1

Equipment

I fish baits at all depths, not just the bottom, in wide-open water. I always set up and fish deep lake structures. Besides an understanding of the contours on the bottom of the lake, being mobile and being able to read your fish locator are the keys. The tools I use are 8-foot heavy action rods, circle hooks, cut and live shad, balloons and the all-important fish locator. I use 30-pound line, large capacity reels, 8-foot heavy action rods, 2 oz. Egg sinkers, barrel swivels and #7/0 circle hooks.

Basically a Carolina Rig, I have a hook with an 18-inch leader tied to your barrel swivel, which is connected to your main line, which is where your egg sinker is attached. My boat is equipped with steel rod holders, a hand-controlled trolling motor, two fish locators, a big dip net and marker buoys. My equipment is not the most expensive but it is practical. The main thing to remember is to keep whatever equipment you use in good condition. Many know all too well about the disasters that can be caused by old line and improperly maintained fishing equipment and big Blues will test everything from your knots to your rod holders. If there is a weak link, they will expose it.

Find the Big Fish

You need to know how to tell the difference between larger fish and bait fish while using your fish locator.

There are two main structures that I catch Blue Cats on: ledges and humps. Blue Cats are creatures of edges and they seem to congregate on the brake lines of ledges and humps. The one-two punch comes when you find these structures with both bait fish and big fish mixed together on your locator. There are very few spots that I will stop and fish where I don't see either big fish or bait fish on my locator. The ledges that I primarily fish are old river channels edges. The fish can be scattered up and down the edge but the best fishing occurs when they are on the top.

Catching Them

Typically, when I set up to fish these ledges, I run my boat over them and throw out my marker buoy where I see the fish. A little trick to using your marker buoys is to throw your marker upwind of where you are going to fish. If you drop the marker right on top of the fish, you will be bumping it and will eventually move it while the wind is pushing you around. If you throw it upwind of the fish, you can run your trolling motor right up to it without the wind pushing you over it.

Next I bait my rods, staggering them at the depth I see the fish. If the fish are up high, above 10 feet, I use a balloon and live shad on two rods. The other four rods will have half live and half cut shad, which I will suspend over the fish, continuously moving around the marker until the first strike occurs. In the warmer months the bite will usually occur on live shad. The colder the water, the better that cut bait seems to work.

Keep moving the depth of your baits up and down according to what your locator is telling you. An easy way to determine the depth of your bait is to measure the distance between the first guide and your rod's reel. My rods are two feet from reel to the first guide so when I pull out twenty sections of line between my reel and the first guide, my bait will be approximately 40 feet deep. Stagger the depth of your bait so that you know how deep each is. When you get your first strike, move your other rods to that depth. If no strikes occur within 30 minutes move to another structure. I have set on the same ledge for many hours and caught fish, but I will usually have to move after catching 5 to 10 active fish. If you do not have a trolling motor you can use anchors, but it requires many sessions of heaving up heavy anchors and can soon kill the fun of ledge fishing. When water is at its coldest, the anchor method will work better due to the inactivity of the fish below.

In other words, the warmer the water the faster the fish will spook out from under your boat. The colder the water the less chance the fish will want to move away due to their comfort zone in the water column.

Make sure to read Part 3 of this article to learn about Capt. Jeff's second non-typical technique!

You have permission to publish this article free of charge as long as you are not selling it and that you include the author bylines immediately visible with the article and, if published in an electronic medium such as on a web site, you provide a link back to www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com in the author bylines, both where the web address is listed as well as well as with the text "Lake of the Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service"...

Jeff Williams runs a Truman Lake Hybrid Bass and Lake of the Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service offering lodging and guided trips in Missouri. To book a trip, learn more tips, or find out how Capt. Jeff would fish your own local waters, call 1-866-HOOKSET or visit http://www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com today!

---

Fishing The Henrys Fork.... First Test

All the books written on fly fishing all mention the... Read More

Do You Know How To Clean A Fish?

Now that you have caught your dream fish, do you... Read More

Do Fish See in Color

Fish do indeed perceive color. Every fly fisher knows that... Read More

Update Alaska: News From The Front

Stopped into The Fishin' Hole the other day, which happens... Read More

How To Find Fish

PondsAnywhere there is a pond; it could be a hidden... Read More

Bass Fishing Tips

3 Lures You Must HaveDo you know what the top... Read More

Drop-Shotting For Picky-Overfished Bass

There is a fairly new technique when it comes to... Read More

A Big Fish Story

Ketchikan, located in southeast Alaska, is a good place to... Read More

Further North to Alaska

With the excitement of my first trip to Alaska still... Read More

Bluefin Tuna Fishing

Bluefin tuna are one of the greatest challenges to anglers... Read More

Swordfishing in South Florida

Southeast Florida Swordfishing ? "Purple Fever"Once you have your tackle... Read More

Its Raining... Time to Go Fishing!

Ah, fishing in the rain. You may not like the... Read More

Get Ready For Bed....Bedding Bass That Is!

It's getting near the time bass will be on their... Read More

The Joys of Trout Fishing

The thrill of trout fishing! It is the best, isn't... Read More

Finding Trophy Bass

Have you ever noticed some people have all the luck... Read More

The Truth About Night Fishing

Why Night Fishing Beats Day Fishing Any Day of the... Read More

The Fishing Industry and Sponsorship

Should you approach the fishing industry for sponsorship?First let's look... Read More

On The Road...With Jack Karpawack

Jack Karpawack here.I've taken to the road...Life can be simple,and... Read More

The Low Down On Worms

We all know that plastic worms are one of the... Read More

Brook Trout, One of Canadas Most Loved Trout

Brook trout are one of the most popular game fish... Read More

How To Catch Largemouth Bass

Six strategies for a good day's fishing(1) Largemouth Bass like... Read More

Satisfy Your Thirst for Fishing ? 3 Parts to the Fishing Cocktail

Everyone who fishes either for sport or fun knows that... Read More

Orlando Florida Fishing - Redfish Capital of the World

When visitors think of Orlando and Central Florida, they imagine... Read More

Making The Most of Your Time - Fishing Safety Rules Everyone Should Know

When you are going fishing, whether nearby your home or... Read More

What You Need To Know Before You Sell Your Boat

As the owner/operator of a full service boat detailing-yacht maintenance... Read More

North to Alaska

For many fishermen Alaska is the ultimate "mecca" of fishing.... Read More

Catch More Fish - The American Way

These are busy times we live in.Running a full time... Read More

Hawaii Sport Fishing

If you're coming to experience Hawaii sport fishing, you have... Read More

Reviving Billfish

Last summer we had an unfortunate incident with a swordfish... Read More

Why Do I Fish?

As part of an email discussion list I'm part of,... Read More

Night Fishing Preparation, The Key To Success

Preparation is the Key To Successful Night Fishing, You Better... Read More

The Advantages of Underwater Fishing Cameras

Want to see what's really going on under the water... Read More

6 Things You Must Do If You Want To Have The Secret To Catching More Trout

It has always been my private conviction that any man... Read More