Is catfishing seasonal?

[Handsome Rob]

I'm fairly new to catfish fishing (most of my time on the lakes is spent bowfishing) & I started running a few jugs during the summer. 

I'd really like to start targeting cats on a more regular basis, both with jugs & rod & line.

Is there an 'off' season & a 'best' season for cats, or is this something I can do year round with a reasonable expectation of success?

 

Could anyone possibly give me any hints, tips or pointers with baits & tactics etc? I know everyone raves about Skipjacks for bait, but I have no clue what a skipjack is, looks like or how to get hold of any! Every time I see or catch a small 6-12" long silver fish & ask what it is I get told it's a shad. Apparently everything that isn't a Carp, Crappie, Bass, Bluegill or Catfish is a Shad!

 

I bought a second boat this fall, specifically to run as a cat boat & I'd really like to get it wet!

[DaveS]

Rob; what type of areas will you be fishing? Lake? River? Skipjack is a herring. Google "skipjack herring". They make awesome bait for Blue and Channel cats. Flat heads like live bait like blue gills. If you are fishing rivers, let me know, I can give you some ideas.

 

Dave S

[Handsome Rob]

Thanks Dave, I'll be mostly fishing Tim's, Woods & Normandy. 

Is there a difference between Skipjack & Shad, or is 'Shad' just a generic term? I Googlied as you suggested, but I also Googlied Shad & got a lot of crossover pictures :(

[swim615]

I am no expert but do enjoy cat fishing. From November to about April I do not catch anywhere near as many fish as I do in the other months. I have the best results using large live minnows. The bigger the better.

[jtmaze]

Been cat fishing Kentucky lake for many years and it really isn't seasonal as much as knowing where or what depth to fish by water temp. I am no expert by any means, and don't fish much in winter due to I am a wimp and like to hunt more than fish.


JTM
Sent from my iPhone

[DaveS]

Rob; there is a difference between Skipjacks and Shad. Shad have a rather "flat" appearence in body, where a skipjack is not.

http://www.tn.gov/twra/pdfs/anglersguide.pdf

 

Dave S

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

I always heard and followed this rule.. kinda.. in the wintermonth they are pretty lethargic anyway.. when it gets way to hot.. they are lethargic too...

 

We used cut up shad and liver..

 

spring time and early fall .. and below a dam .. mostly.

I dunno. lol

[10-Ring]

I used to fish a lot for cats.  I remember in the Springtime maybe around April we would catch tons of cats up in shallow water in creeks when we were lake fishing.  I believe they were spawning.  That was the best time of year.  Another favorite trick was just after a heavy rain we would fish where small creek would come into the lake.  The heavy rain would flush all of the crawfish, minnows, and everything else out into the lake and the cats would come to feast.

[whiskey]

Rob, you can catch cats in Tims this time of year. You need to fish the deep channels. I don't think there are skipjacks in Tims or Woods. I never saw one till I moved up here. Shad works good, but it was always easier for me to buy large shiners. I always fished them deep in the winter and caught a variety of fish on Tims. The upper side of the dam used to be good for me. 

[Guest USMC 2013]

May and June are fantastic months to catfish.  To get the most fish in the boat I love running jug lines during this time.  I like to use shad and small bluegill for bait, worms and liver.  Favorite bait being 3-4" shad.  Rod and reel work well too, but I love jug lines.  I concentrate my time in large coves off the main river, stump flats and channels where old creek bottoms used to be.

 

July and August are hot so I switch to night fishing.  Find flats next to deep holes, fish the river, run jugs on the river while watching them float down, points off of large coves and anywhere you can find some timber piled up in deeper water.  Flatheads love to hide under log jams and ambush live bait fish.  Plus, they are pretty active June-August.

 

September and October are just like May and June for me but I only use shad and some small bluegill for bait.  The catfish are fattening up on shad, hitting the bait balls hard so I use them for bait.  My bait throw net paid for itself the first year I bought it.  I have jugs with lines running from 3' long all the way to 20', with the majority of them being 6-10'.

 

In my experience fishing during the late fall through winter is tough, but you can land some giants if you learn the how's and where.  I cannot give advice on this time of year as I am still cutting my teeth on this one.  I know of people that regularly catch giants during the winter, but I have had very limited success so far.

 

Semper Fi,

 

Joe

[DaveS]

May and June are fantastic months to catfish.  To get the most fish in the boat I love running jug lines during this time.  I like to use shad and small bluegill for bait, worms and liver.  Favorite bait being 3-4" shad.  Rod and reel work well too, but I love jug lines.  I concentrate my time in large coves off the main river, stump flats and channels where old creek bottoms used to be.

 

July and August are hot so I switch to night fishing.  Find flats next to deep holes, fish the river, run jugs on the river while watching them float down, points off of large coves and anywhere you can find some timber piled up in deeper water.  Flatheads love to hide under log jams and ambush live bait fish.  Plus, they are pretty active June-August.

 

September and October are just like May and June for me but I only use shad and some small bluegill for bait.  The catfish are fattening up on shad, hitting the bait balls hard so I use them for bait.  My bait throw net paid for itself the first year I bought it.  I have jugs with lines running from 3' long all the way to 20', with the majority of them being 6-10'.

 

In my experience fishing during the late fall through winter is tough, but you can land some giants if you learn the how's and where.  I cannot give advice on this time of year as I am still cutting my teeth on this one.  I know of people that regularly catch giants during the winter, but I have had very limited success so far.

 

Semper Fi,

 

Joe

Joe, you need to show me this jug fishing thing! I made some floats last year and never jug fished before.

 

Dave S

[Sidinman]

I have a good friend, his dad goes almost every Sat. don't matter if its 10% or 110%, and he always catches fish. He will catch them when nobody else will, and he mostly uses livers.

[RED333]

I have a good friend, his dad goes almost every Sat. don't matter if its 10% or 110%, and he always catches fish. He will catch them when nobody else will, and he mostly uses livers.

All I ever used, used live bait on limb line.

[Handsome Rob]

Dave, jugging is an absolute blast! It's definitely not the 'lazy fishing' that a lot of folk suppose it is, in fact it's very active & can be hugely productive.

I ran a set of 16 jugs many times over the summer & it'd be a poor night if I couldn't haul up at least a dozen eater sized cats.

 

The best thing is that once they're set, you've got a few hours to go bowfishing!

 

All I've ever used before is chicken liver, but I keep hearing that livebait is more productive. I may just have to invest in a cast net this spring. When we're bowfishing we scare up thousands of shad.

[Guest Fruit jar]

www.catfish1.com

 

This place ought to help some.

[Mister L]

I fish Old Hickory and Priest for crappie in April and May and I catch alot of cats and hybrids at that time of year useing minnows.