A Guide to Non-Typical Catfish Fishing Techniques Part III by Jeff Williams

A Guide to Non-Typical Catfish Fishing Techniques Part III by Jeff Williams

Method 2

The second method that works really well for me is drift fishing. Lets start by explaining how drifting works. Its really pretty simple: you cast out bait and drag it behind or from the side of your boat while the wind pushes you along.

Where to Fish

The majority of Cat-men that I know all use the same rig, although their tackle will differ from one guy to the next. Whatever tackle they use, they are all dragging some kind of bait on the bottom. The big difference between most drifters and myself, however, is that I usually do not drift in water any shallower than 30 feet deep while most others like to fish much shallower, such as 10-20 feet deep.

The shallow waters of most lakes contain a few big fish and lots of little ones resulting in lots of action, but not too many that will test your string. I have said before that Blue Cats can and will live and feed in deep water. My best day of drifting, as far as numbers of fish weighing between 3-20 lbs. goes, occurred last December. In one drift I caught and released 47 Blue Cats. These fish all came off of a huge flat that runs parallel to the main river channel with an average depth of 45 ft. Its surface has a few small humps and a couple of old ditches running across it. People drive by me and look in disbelief when they see me drifting in 30 to 50 ft of water, but when that fish locator shows big fish marks on the bottom at those kind of depths I have a pretty good idea of whats down there.

Not all lakes are as easy to drift: some have gobs of timber and some have tons of rock on the bottom. The best lakes I have found have had some silting or massive mud flats that were old fields at one time. Simple structures like old ditches that carve across mud flats give Blue Cats a place to ambush their prey and might give them a little relief in the water column when the water is at its coldest or warmest. Look at these flats from different angles and ask yourself, How does the bank look? Could the surface under the water look similar to the structures above the water? Chances are that it will be pretty close.

These ideas are not really new. Bass and Walleye fishermen all over the U.S. use land structures to locate their fish and when it comes to locating these structures, fish locators are very valuable tools. My opinion is that you get what you pay for with electronics, but if you can find shad or baitfish with your locator as well as see the big fish marks, thats all you need.

Catchin the Big Cats

The speed of your drift makes a huge difference. A good rule to follow is the colder the water, the slower you should go. A big Blue Cat will not want to chase bait thats traveling fast in cold water, so when you are dragging bait on the bottom you should use some kind of drift sock or sea anchor. You might have to experiment with different sizes until you figure out what size slows your boat down. Manufacturers of drift socks will usually give you an estimate of the size of sock compared to the size of the boat you are using.

Furthermore, just because you are a Cat-fisherman, it doesnt mean you cant use the tools other fishermen use. Experiment with different hooks, weights, line, rods and reels, but my advice would be to eventually work your way into having an exactly matched set of at least 4 rods and reels. When you learn what works for you, you will be much happier with a matching set of gear. Having your gear match might not sound like much, but when you start catching Blue Cats over 20 lbs you'll know the limitations of your tackle. Furthermore, you wont have to worry every time you set a hook about which rod the fish hit because they will all perform the same.

Closing

Get some good gear capable of handling big fish. Get your tools so you can go out and learn your lake. Spend time learning your water before you start to fish. If you cant or dont want to spend the amount of money necessary to purchase all the equipment and cover all the various expenses, dont be afraid to take guided trips. Youll have good company from someone who knows the lake well and can teach you a great deal, plus it takes A LOT of guided trips to add up to the cost of equipping yourself.

Dont be afraid to experiment with new tactics after you start fishing. Always remember: Blue Cats are Blue Cats, they dont know what lake theyre in or where they live. They will behave the same where I fish or where you fish. If youd like, I can actually travel to your lake to prove it, as well as show you what a professional guide would do on your lake or river. Always keep your eyes on your fish finder, and get out there and try some non-typical Catfishing!

If you missed either of the first 2 parts of this article, head to this URL for the complete article: http://www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com/nontypical-catfishing.htm

Copyright2002-2005 Jeff Williams

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...


About the Author
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!

A Guide to Non-Typical Catfish Fishing Techniques Part I by Jeff Williams

A Guide to Non-Typical Catfish Fishing Techniques Part I by Jeff Williams

Introduction

Many of the people about to take one of my guided trips dont believe that Catfish feed as aggressively as other game fish. People are used to throwing out their bait and letting it set while they wait. Some days this works and they dont have to wait very long, but some days we all know that the wait can be very long. This waiting is what encouraged me to try to catch Blue Cats using other methods. Some techniques are passed down from generation to generation and these tried and true methods have caught Catfish since people have fished for them. I have used these methods most of my life and it was the way I was taught to catch Catfish. On the opposite end of the Cat-fishing spectrum, however, are two newer methods that I have been using to consistently catch Catfish, as well.

Fishing for Catfish

Ah, the American Catfish! The big three: Blues, Channel Cats and Flatheads; arent they a wonderful species of fish? Each one has its own outstanding features to thrill Catfishermen and women throughout the United States and even worldwide. Flatheads, with their big, wide heads and flat tails, have my vote as the hardest pulling fish pound-for-pound in fresh water. No Catfisherman can talk very long without telling their favorite Channel Cat story.

Channel Cats live almost anywhere in fresh water and eat an enormous variety of baits, from prepared stink baits to live baits. I believe these whisker fish are the most versatile and adaptive members of the Catfish family. The next Catfish member, the Blue Cat, also commonly called a White Cat, gets my pick for the best all around, year-round Catfish. This is also the fish I target with my non-typical Cat-fishing techniques. Although Channel Cats and Flatheads are caught using these techniques, Blue Cats remain the king in mass numbers. These dudes grow big and fast and will strike your bait with a vengeance. Plus, they pull hard in the Winter, Spring, Summer and Fall.

The Blue Catfish

The Blue Cat is truly an amazing fish. I have caught these fish as deep as 96 feet at the bottom of a river channel in cold water conditions. I have also seen them come right up to the top and smash a school of shad just as a Striper or White Bass would do in warm water conditions. As far as I can tell, these fish feed aggressive all year, which in my opinion sets them apart from Flatheads and Channel Cats. Reports of Blues falling for lead spoons, jigs, crank baits, and many other artificial lures are not uncommon any time of the year. The other Blue Cat bonus is their size, growing much larger than Channel Cats and a smidge larger than Flatheads. That makes your chances of catching a Blue Cat over 20 pounds a big time reality. Fish over 50 pounds are not that hard to find in reservoirs and rivers that have had time to produce that size of Catfish.

These fish grow to be over 100 pounds - its the exception and not the rule, but it does happen. Thats the beauty in setting up and fishing for Blue Cats: your next fish might be 1 pound, 51 pounds, or 101 pounds.

Make sure to read Part 2 and 3 of this article to learn about Capt. Jeff's non-typical techniques!

Copyright2002-2005 Jeff Williams

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...

About the Author
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 Dropper Fly by Cameron Larsen

Fishing the Dropper Fly by Cameron Larsen

Over the past decade or so, some fly fishers have hailed the dropper system as the latest and greatest thing to hit fly fishing since the graphite fly rod. The truth is the two fly dropper system has been around since fly fishing began. Like all techniques it has gone in and out of style over the generations. As new technologies are developed, fly fishing trends change, some things are labeled obsolete only to experience a re-birth later on. For whatever reason the dropper fly has experienced just such a re-birth and its uses are becoming more varied as well.

The two fly dropper system is simply a way to fish two flies at one time, actually a fly fisher could fish more than two flies, but for this article we will stick to just two flies. The advantages of fishing two flies can be many. You can more quickly identify the 'hot fly', if fish hit one fly repeatedly you can eliminate the dropper fly. Another advantage is your ability to search through multiple levels in the water column. The theory goes that finding the depth where fish are holding will increase your chances of getting hits. Depending on the food sources immediately available, fish can be holding down at the bottom, or swirling near the surface, a dropper allows you to explore these possibilities.

Dropper Techniques

There are two basic dropper combinations. One is the sinker/sinker combo, and the other is the dry fly/dropper, sometimes called the hopper/dropper as hopper patterns work very well for this. In the sinker/sinker combo, two sub-surface patterns, are used, usually combined with split shot weights.

There are two trains of thought in the sinker/sinker combo. One is you attach the smaller fly first in the sequence and then attach the larger fly, such as a stonefly nymph and attach a split shot in between the flies. The idea here is that the smaller fly, perhaps an emerger pattern, will stay in the upper portion of the water column while the stonefly will sink down, towards the bottom, where the fish is most apt to strike them.

Others (including yours truly) take the opposite approach. Attach the bigger fly first, take that Stonefly nymph for example, put the weight above it, and then attach your emerger pattern. The idea is that the Stonefly nymph will sink to the bottom, and drift in its proper element. And dangling freely behind and above it will be your emerger or whatever smaller nymph you would like. Personally I have had great success with this rigging, although I must say I don't use the previously mentioned one very often.

The hopper/dropper combo, takes the same principles but applies them to a dry fly. Using a larger dry fly with lots of buoyancy, and gooped up with Gink, you then attach the sub-surface dropper pattern that will have you fishing sub-surface as well. If you are using a buoyant enough dry fly, then you may even use a small split shot above your sub-surface pattern, to help it stay down.

Rigging the Dropper

There are fancy ways to attach dropper flies to your tippet, some use the tag ends of the tippet, to attach the dropper fly, others use loops on the tippet itself. But for me there are two very simple ways to rig the dropper. After you have tied on your fly at the end of the tippet, you can easily attach about two feet of tippet through the eye of that fly, and then attach another fly and the other end of this tippet. This method does not work well if you are planning on attaching a split shot above the second fly. The other method involves rigging up normally, and then at the end of the bend of the fly already tied in, tie in a two foot or so section of tippet, and then tie in your fly at the end of this section. The drawback of this method is, it is easier to lose your dropper fly, especially when using barbless hooks.

Cast these riggings with care, as it is easier to tangle your flies. Once tangled it is often easier to cut the rigging off and redo it, rather than try to untangle two flies. Also cast very tightly, as it can become unwieldy with wild casting or under windy conditions. The last warning is in regards to releasing fish, always make sure both hooks are out of harms way, before releasing your fish. It is very easy during the release to snag the fish, your hands or your legs/waders, with the free hook.

Dropper riggings are great for searching for fish, they take a little practice to cast and to tie. But the rewards will quickly outweigh the time invested to learn the proper way to do it.

About the Author
Cameron Larsen is a retired commericial fly tier and fly fishing guide. He now operates The Big Y Fly Company. http://www.bigyflyco.com/flyfishinghome.html He can be reached at info@bigyflyco.com. This article will appear in the Big Y Fly Fishing E-Zine at Http://www.bigyflyco.com/Bigyflyfishingezine.html