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Winter Catfishing |
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by
gunner |
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I know that when the outside temperature is just plain nasty
and the wind-chill makes a bad winter worse, most of us want to stay inside
by the fireplace. But, for those of
us who dare to brave the elements, have cabin fever, and just can’t wait to
wet a line, there awaits the mighty catfish. There are countless articles of how to catch catfish at all
times of the year. With that in mind,
I am going to tell you how I have done it on the Ohio River for years. Now, this is not a sure-fire fish-catcher
every trip…but, using this method, I have caught many big cats when friends
sat in the snow and didn't catch anything but a cold. |
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First, find a deep hole in your favorite river. Most cats will be bunched up at the front
side of that hole (at least, in the Ohio they were). I would do the typical procedure and
anchor the boat up ahead of the hole.
Then, I'd let the bait drift down into the slow, soft-biting mouths of
some nice-sized flatheads. So far
this is pretty textbook, but the bait is where I changed from the unwritten
'rules of the river'. |
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I did not use any live bait, because I truly feel the fish
will not be up for any amount of chase at this time of the year. I believe they wanted a “prepared” dinner
placed in front of them…kind of the catfish version of McDonald's. That consisted of various cut bait and
even a few night crawlers. But the
one thing I caught more fish on in the winter than most of my fishing
partners…fresh THICK cut pork rind (at least ½" or more) that I cut off
of slab bacon. Some I would cut in
big chunks, and others I would cut in strips about 2 inches wide and 8 to 10
inches long. At the end of these long
pieces, about two inches from the end, I'd slice a series of cuts (like a
skirt on a spinnerbait) to make it flutter in their face. |
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Now, I wouldn't make these fresh before the trip; they would
be from a month or so earlier. I cut
it, vacuum pack it, and freeze it. I
would place some of the blood and chicken liver juice in a zipper bag, and
I'd throw in a little bit of finely cut-up black licorice just for
kicks. I'd vacuum all the air out of
the bag and let it sit in the refrigerator, turning it over once a day, for a
few days before popping it in the freezer.
(If you don't have one of those fancy vacuum sealers, you can do
this with a straw…put your straw just inside the bag, seal the bag off over
to the straw, holding your thumbs on the zipper, and then suck out all the
air--making sure you don't suck up any of the raw juices!!! Then, with one motion, you pull the straw
out and snap the bag shut. It isn't
as tight a seal as a machine will do, but it is cheaper.) I'd leave it alone till I was ready to
fish…then I'd put it in the microwave for about 30 seconds just to get the
juices going. |
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Now from this point on it is pretty much normal. I use 25-pound line, but the strength of
the current will determine the weight of sinker I will use. I will toss it out and let the current
take it to the hungry, yet not aggressive fish. The time of day for this…well, at this time of year I use the
solar/moon phase charts for times, at least for a starting point! (You can find these in your faithful
Farmer's Almanac…or a good place to check on the web is www.almanac.com.) |
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List of equipment:
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I hope this works for you… Good luck and good fishing… gunner |