Getting to Know Your Quarry

Welcome to Mr Whisker's Corner! This blog will eventually grow to be a catchall resource for catching catfish. This site has spawned (pardon the pun) from the lack of one concise source on the internet for techniques, rigging setups, bait recipes, and anything related to bringing in the biggest and best fish you can. I'm not an expert in this field by any stretch of the imagination. But that is what makes this blog so valuable. We all learn together. I will scour the internet for you and even impart some of my own experiences for you along the way.

To start our journey in catching those monster fish you have to first understand the quarry your searching to catch. In this first post we're going to discuss the most popular and easiest (?) cat to catch in open waters... The Channel Cat.



Channel cats are notoriously the smaller of the sport catfish with a max weight topping around 50 lbs. However if you catch one in excess of 10 lbs your having a good day. In keeping with the normal characteristics of catfish the channel has barbs on its dorsal and pectoral fins, so be careful! One of the defining characteristic of the channel cat is that is one of the only spotted North American catfish with a deep, forked tail. Also, depending on the waters caught the channel can have different variations of its color due to water clarity. Sometimes this can lead to them being mistaken for young Blue Cats. The good thing about targeting this small fighter is they can virtually be found in just about any body of water. Most rivers, streams, ponds, and lakes carry a fairly large amount of channel cats. Channel cats are more of the foragers of the catfish world. They have a diet that is composed of live and dead fish. They're active throughout the year but tend to be most active in late spring-early summer when the water temperature is 70-85 degrees. This time of the year is mainly a channel cats spawn time and the males in particular can be very protective of their nest. Throughout the year the best time to catch channel cats are during the early morning and late evening hours. At the heat of the day they tend to slow down and head for deeper/cooler waters so looking for holes or submerged structure can be a help. Also, when targeting the larger, more mature channels be aware that they tend to be less nomadic and stick to a general, tight area. Some of the baits that have been found successful are cutbait (cut-up fish), chicken liver, shrimp, stinkbait, doughballs, and even live minnows. Some channels have been caught on artificial lures such as spinners and jigs as well. The sporting aspect of catching a channel cat is finding where they are in a body of water. As with most fish it is best to start shallow and move deeper as fish can see above themselves better than below. Most novices and even alot of experts will try fishing on the bottom and while this may prove successful this can lead to some lost fish. Once hooked a channel catfish can put up a good fight, especially the larger channels (5+ lbs). Given the typical nature of a run and gun fish it is best to have your pole anchored or have your reel open if not near the pole. Many a fisherman has lost his pole to the deeps thanks to this behavior. Once you do catch this elusive fish you’ll be hooked since they can be the easier of the catfish to catch and are so prolific. So get out there and have a blast!