Got Bait???

Bait Basics for Catfishing

You're geared up and ready to head into battle with some catfish. Rods, reels, line, hooks, sinkers...you've got it ALL covered. Right??? Almost. But, you won't get many fish without some kind of bait. I like to spend more time fishing than collecting bait, so I try to keep things simple and efficient when it comes to bait. 

Basically, I figure there are two categories of baits...dead or alive. Dead baits are fairly easy to use, so I wont spend a lot of time on those. Dead bait could be frozen suckers or other fish, shrimp, dip baits, paste baits. Dip baits can be very effective for channel catfish, just stick a dip worm or tube in there and you're set. I prefer a single hook instead of the usual trebles, easier to remove. Or clip one of the tines with wire cutters if you want a double-hook rig.

Dead baits work great for channel catfish at times and are generally the easiest to handle. If you're using frozen baits, make sure you keep them good and cold. I also recommend keeping them in a separate cooler from your food and drinks. Common sense, right?

Most often, I prefer to fish with live baits. Live baits include worms (especially nightcrawlers) and a whole assortment of live fish. Worms are a good bait, but also appeal to non-catfish species like bullheads, carp, white bass, etc. Still, put a fat nightcrawler in front of a hungry channel cat and they will seldom turn it down. Worms are very too handy because you can catch some of these other species to use as live or cut bait. Be sure to observe the local rules and regulations with respect to what is and is not permissible in terms of using fish caught via hook and line as bait.

Many live baits like worms, minnows, suckers and shiners can be obtained from a local bait shop. When I was a kid, we caught a lot of channel catfish on large fathead minnows from the bait shop. When other baits were harder to come by we even baited trotlines and bankpoles with them. You can also use purchased baits as dead baits by smashing them, cutting them in half, or even freezing leftovers at the end of a trip. I have found that fresh baits seem to attract more fish and will stay on the hook better than frozen ones. Oily fish species like shad, shiners, or suckers tend to be great options for cut bait.  

Larger live baits like bullheads, creek chubs, shad, shiners, suckers, and sunfish appeal to both channel and flathead catfish. Mostly, I prefer to use these species for bait fish because they're generally easy to obtain and keep in good shape for a night of fishing. When I'm targeting flathead catfish, I prefer to use healthy and active live baits. Flatheads are attracted to the vibration and activity of these baits. Many believe that flathead catfish often attack live baits to defend their territory. The bait is essentially an invader and the easiest way for a flathead to eliminate this interloper is to attack or eat it. Problem solved.

When I'm fishing for baits before I fishing trip I'll use a garden worm, spike worm, or meal worm below a tiny float on a #8 light wire hook. I love to use wild baits caught from tributary creeks or streams; I feel fish used to swimming in current tend to be more lively and active baits. I've used everything from bluegill, crappie, creek chubs, bullhead, and green sunfish. I especially like green sunfish and bullheads, they're so frisky and very hardy. Bullheads are about the toughest, easy to keep alive for quite a long time. Many catfish anglers use bluegills for bait, they are readily available and also are a very effective bait.

When it's taking a while to catch baits on a hot summer day it's good to keep the water aerated and circulating to reduce the amount stress on the baits. Lively baits always seem to attract the most catfish and minimizing stress helps tremendously. More on this topic later.


If you have a cast net and shad are available, you can always make a few throws to some of those. Again, just be sure to follow local rules regarding what species can be captured and what size nets can be used. I'm still trying to learn how to throw my cast net, so I rarely use it. But there are some great videos on YouTube where anglers demonstrate how to throw a cast net for bait. On waters with a healthy shad population, catfish anglers frequently use cast nets to obtain bait. Since shad is a primary forage species when available, it only makes sense they would be a great catfish bait in these instances.

Keeping Live Baits Healthy

Fish are fish, and whether they're shad,
bluegills, or shiners water quality is a top
priority to keep live baits healthy. In order to keep baitfish happy, they require fresh water with adequate levels of dissolved oxygen. Cooler water will generally absorb more oxygen, and some type of aeration will help greatly. If you've ever had baits going belly-up on a hot summer day...they probably weren't getting enough oxygen. 

Other factors impacting oxygen levels include the surface area of your container (more surface=more oxygen), and the levels of contaminants/ammonia in the water. As fish respirate, they remove the oxygen from the water; at the same time adding ammonia to the water through their waste. Once caught most fish quickly empty their waste adding nitrogen and particle matter to the water. if you've caught wild baits from somewhere, it's a good idea to change their water within about 45 minutes. This can be as easy as having a second bucket on hand with cool, conditioned tap-water. I use Jungle products Start Right to remove chlorine and condition. Overcrowding along with rising water temperatures will also cause a rapid decline in the health of your baits. So keep your baits happily swimming around in good quality water. 

For camping out, you can use "strainer buckets" and just soak baits right in the river. In the boat, I use an aerated bucket or cooler. Depending on the number of baits, and length of the trip, I'll use a 5 gallon bucket or 48 quart cooler. For a night of fishing, the 5 gallon bucket works fine for up to about twenty sunfish. The additional capacity of the large cooler works much better when you're going camping and taking two dozen or more baits. Another advantage of the cooler, is that the insulation also keeps the water temperature more consistent. However it does take up more space in the boat.




Other than leaving strainer buckets in the river, I tend to avoid local water during the summertime because the water gets too warm and dirty to use for extended periods. I've found over the years that an aerated container holding conditioned tap water from home or the bait shop seems to work best.

I've been using a 12 volt-powered aerator for a number of years now. This model has a spray attachment that keeps the water circulating and well oxygenated. The pump which forces water through a tube with holes/jets to spray back down on the surface. With this type of setup, you don't have to keep moving a strainer bucket in and out of the boat to keep baits fresh. Plus, have you ever taken off with the bucket still in the water? Another thing I like about my aerator system is that it's large enough for a 5 gallon bucket or a 48 quart cooler.




On a related note, I made a quick video about
catching baits for the YouTube channel. Just basic creek fishing technique that works for sunfish, bullheads, creek chubs, etc.Good luck and good fishing!

Misadventures in Catfishing, part two

Misadventures in Catfishing, part two

All too often, my outdoor escapades seem to involve some sort of calamity. The embodiment of Murphy's Law in action. Bad weather. Lost car keys. Record cold temperatures during summer holiday weekend camping trips. Tackle boxes left behind. Capsized canoes. Damaged motors. In retrospect, it's often when things that went wrong that made those times more memorable. Misadventures in catfishing.

 

The legend of Old Blue

According to some old papers, $119 was all we paid for the brand new Appleby aluminum boat our family purchased in 1971. It was a turquoise colored lightweight jon boat that was easy to row and moved along quite nicely when powered with a trolling motor. My sister and I would ride in the back of the pickup truck when we drove out to the local Sportsmen's club lake a few times every summer. Over the years, we covered every inch of that place and had a lot of fun catching small bass and other species. We sure got a lot of enjoyment and good times out of that modest investment.

One of my earliest boating memories was falling out of the boat one time. I was probably about six years old, upon falling in I began thrashing about wildly in the water. My Dad, unflappable, just hollers "Stand Up!!!"
(I was only in about 18" of water.) Another unusual occurrence was when a big bass, apparently jumping at the drain plug of the back of the boat, ended up in the boat. Every time an angler talks about how the fish "were practically jumping into the boat", I'm reminded of that day one actually did!

I'll never forget when my great uncle Oscar and I took Old Blue out for a spin on the "New Hillsboro Lake" (later named Lake Glenn Shoals) one spring around 1980. The lake had only recently filled, I'm not sure if any of the access areas were even fully developed at that time. We put in behind an old tavern and powered the boat with his 10 hp Mercury outboard. Didn't really fish a lot that day, but we ran all over that lake. He let me "drive" most of the day and with his motor on the back of such a light boat, it felt like we were practically flying across the water!   
 
When I was old enough to drive myself, I bought an old (1953) Johnson 5 horse outboard to use several of the nearby lakes in central Illinois. All you had to do was load the boat in the back of the pickup and you were ready to go off for on an adventure. Whether it was fishing for cats at the lakes at Coffeen or Taylorville, bass in Hillsboro, crappies at Lake Shelbyville, or bluegills on crickets at Sangchris lake, my friends and I had a lot of fun in that little boat.

Several years later, my friend Terry and  I hauled Ol' Blue to a bridge crossing the Kaskaskia river. Call it youthful optimism, we weren't even sure there was a place to put a boat in until we got there! We carried the empty boat down to the water and loaded it up with gear. I rowed upstream until we got to a shallow and swift riffle where we either had to get out and drag the boat, or start fishing. We started fishing. Working our way back downstream, we spent most of the time fishing at a deep snag near midstream. We caught a stringer full of nice channel cats that day, then finished up and headed for home. I guess this was one of my last trips with Ol' Blue.

 
When I moved to northern Illinois, the boat eventually came with me. Not having a truck or a trailer, I wasn't really able to take it out. I still had my outboard to use with rented boats and my garage space was limited. For a few years the empty boat hovered above my car, suspended from the ceiling of the garage. We finally waved goodbye to Ol' Blue when it was donated to a charity auction.

 

 

Misadventures on the Mississippi

Savanna, Illinois is a beautiful old town situated on the east bank of the Mississippi river upstream from Clinton, Iowa. Northwest Illinois is fairly rugged country, similar to central and western Wisconsin. Huge limestone bluffs line the east shore of the river here, there's a beautiful state park there with great hiking and camping. I've camped at the park on a few scouting trips over the years. In two early nineties fishing trips to Savanna, we couldn't have had more different experiences.

For both fishing trips my friend Peter and I drove out and rented boats. We camped at the same spot, known as Santa Fe Island, both times as well. The island is a great camping site in the middle of pool 13. Even though you're only a mile or so from the launch and just outside of town, once you're out on the river it's as if you've escaped from civilization. With all the beautiful scenery around, you feel like you've entered God's country, for sure!






The first trip out, we had sunny weather perfect for a quick swim. A respectable stringer of small catfish was caught, cooked, and enjoyed. We were afraid to motor far downstream with my ancient Johnson Sea Horse 5 hp motor, which I had paid a whopping $35 for back in 1982. Still, its proudest moment had not yet come. As we were about to return to the launch, we ended up giving a rescue tow when a couple guys on the river were having boat troubles...
with a much newer engine! The rest of the weekend trip went downhill fast, after some car keys were misplaced.

Okay, fast forward to the same location two years later. Peter and I are sitting in a tavern impatiently looking out the window, waiting for the pouring rain to stop. Pondering whether we should stay, or should we just go. Finally, we became resolute enough and decided to just go launch the boat in the middle of the downpour anyway. We figured the rain must stop eventually, right?!? We get our gear loaded and start the mile long cruise out to the island for camping. As we get to the island to set-up camp, as if on cue, it slows to a light drizzle, the even sun comes out just a taste, and we're treated to a rainbow! We even managed to get a nice fire going (with all that wet wood)...things were looking up! Later, in the solitude of the quiet night, we woke to the sound of splashing along the shore. It was hard to tell in the dark, but we thought it was a river otter just playing around by the boat. Having poured down rain all day, it was so quiet on the river that night.



















During that entire trip, there was almost no one (except the occasional barge) else on the river. We fished several hours the next day, with only a bit of action the trip. I had a larger motor this time and we ran up and down the river pretty good. We got to cover some water and found some promising looking spots. With the cold front, the fish were less cooperative this trip. About all we managed was a small channel catfish and a softshell turtle the entire day. Still, having an island all to ourselves in the middle of the great Mississippi was a real treat! 

  

 

 

 

Canoe Tripping 

In college, during the late 1980s, my friends and I would visit the local state park on a number of occasions. Fox Ridge State Park was an expansive park with a lot of hiking trails, woods, and included a section of the park along the Embarras river. We often would hike down to swim in the river and sit around the campfire (with a cold beverage or two, of course). Sometimes we would even cook things like steak kabobs over the open fire. Good times. We talked about making a canoe trip to the park from Lake Charleston a few times, but for whatever reason that never happened. A few of us even camped out there the night after graduation, when I lost my keys down by the beach then hiked back down there backtracking my steps right to the spot where they were. Right at dusk.

In my last year of college, which was the spring of 1988, my college friend and I planned a canoe adventure on the nearby Kaskaskia river. Seemed like a great idea to go on a trip like this before graduation. Once we had everything mapped out, we checked out some canoe equipment from the school and took both of our girlfriends along for he canoe camping trip. We all met at my apartment for a hearty breakfast of homemade biscuits and gravy then headed out. Our plan was to put the canoes in the water at Cook's Mills on the Kaskaskia river. We would then paddle for a few hours and camp at the upper end of Lake Shelbyville. Cook up some dinner and maybe relax by the campfire. Well that was the plan...

Deteriorating weather conditions quickly quickly eroded our confidence and spirits. A recent ice storm resulted in more portaging than paddling. Then my wife and I got stuck on a big log in the middle of the river for a while and became separated from the other couple. Great. We paddled, carried, and pushed that canoe down the river in earnest for a couple hours trying to catch up with our companions.

Finally, we rounded a big bend (of which there were many in the river's circuitous route) and there they were. They were talking to a local couple that was bank fishing below the nearby bridge...just upstream from a HUGE woodpile that stretched from bank to bank and was yards deep. In that moment, and I'm sure it wasn't my preference, a group decision was made to get a ride to the car from the local folks and call it a day.

And to think how the trip started out so pleasant and promising. Of course, we did have quite the memorable adventure. And it probably comes as no surprise, but that was the last time I got my wife into a canoe. We did go on some future camping trips, but that's another story!

Good eats

My mom always said "hunger is the best sauce." A deeper understanding came to me on a Rock river canoe trip in July 2001. We had a very pleasant paddle to Castle Rock state park. The scenery was beautiful, but the fishing was slow. I had made a brief scouting mission a few weeks before and managed to land a few fine channel catfish. It was the first time that I had ever fished the stream. However, the river levels had drastically dropped during the week before the trip. I did land one nice catfish on the way to camp, but we decided to release it since it had a few leeches hanging on. Not exactly appetizing. 


After some more canoeing and a few more hours of fishing, by the time we were ready to set-up camp no other fish had been caught. We were famished. And catfish was the meal plan for that night. Guess we had spent too much time fishing the wrong spots, when dropping water levels had drawn the fish into different locations. Sure, we had ample provisions, but we really wanted a nice catfish dinner. Not cold sandwiches.

 Once camp was finally setup, we had a dandy little spot too, we decided to put some baits mid-stream in the side channel right in front of the tent. We baited up with Sonny's catfish bait. In about 45 minutes of fishing, we had 3 nice eater size fish to go with some fried green tomatoes for dinner (which we finally ate around 10 o'clock!). Back in business!!! We could have eaten the fish raw by then, we were so hungry! Was it worth the wait? You bet. Nothing beats a little fresh caught catfish, rolled in corn meal and quickly fried in hot oil. And enjoyed while you're sitting in camp watching the river currents drifting along.

I only have a few photos of this trip because my camera (that was supposed to auto-advance the film) didn't. There should have been pictures of rock formations, bluffs coming straight down to the river, an eagle's nest, all kinds of gorgeous scenery. Misadventures in catfishing strikes again! I've thought about going back there for a float trip with the boat, but except for a few holes, much of this stretch of river is shallow and rocky. The only way access to the canoe campsites is from the river, which makes for a lot of extra gear in the boat. Still, it would make for a great adventure sometime...

Float Fishing Fun

  Float Fishing Fun!

I got up at sunrise, then quickly headed out into the misty morning air to pick up some more bait. From the instant I awoke, I was fixated on the big catfish I fought the night before...only to make its great escape boatside as I tried to ease him in for a quick photo. 

Armed with only my bait catching rod (a light spinning combo) and some nightcrawlers, I jumped in the boat and headed for the dam. I was fishing the bait just off the bottom below a slip float tight to some overhanging branches near the dam of the small pond. The pond was stocked with channel cats many years ago and some had grown to be quite formiddable! There is an abundance of cover littered about the the pond including assorted limbs and scattered tree branches. The area near the dam not only has plenty of cover, it also drops rapidly from two feet into several feet of water. I was placing my bait close to shore in about 3-4 feet of water. 

After some probing around, I get a pick-up. Just like the night before, the float just starts drifting, moving steadily away like a tiny car cruising down the road. I wait a few seconds, then set the hook...into a BIG catfish. Fishing with light tackle in a boat with no anchor, I had few options other than to loosen the drag a bit and just hold on. While fishing the fish I used the trolling motor to move towards open water in the hope of moving the fish that direction. I finally get the big cat up close and get a nice look. He's even bigger than the fish from the night before.

As my rod strains to control the surging fish, he makes a U-turn and heads straight for some tree branches in the water.  The fish is taking drag now and at that moment I'm sure I'll lose the fight. Again. I can do nothing except hold on and keep trying to turn the fish around. He reaches the branches, I keep applying steady and firm pressure. Somehow, I manage to steer the fish away and the fight continues in open water now. I play the fish another minute or so to ensure I can get a grip on him and haul the fish into the boat. 

When I first read about the use of floats for catfish, I remember them being touted as a great under-utilized innovation. Best thing since sliced bread.  While there's some truth to this perspective, many times fishing with floats won't be the best way to catch numbers of catfish. Anchoring baits on the bottom is more efficient in a number of situations, such as fishing big live baits in and around wood cover. But, there are some occasions where float fishing can work very well. Floats afford catfish anglers the ability to drift a bait with current. During pre-spawn periods this can be a highly effective way to present baits when targeting active channel cats. Floats also allow anglers to suspend live or dead baits just above bottom clutter, where anchoring a bait would lead to snags. In the end, catfish anglers that rely solely upon anchoring baits on the bottom are missing out on these alternative means of presenting their baits to a hungry catfish. 

When fishing a section of river lined with shoreline cover (such as rip rap or wood cover) or fishing just below riffles on a small stream, targeting active catfish you can cover an area faster using a float to drift your bait. This is especially true in early summer when catfish are seeking our cavities to spawn. If you're targeting spawning catfish (similar to other species), it's important to release those larger fish to go about their business of rearing future generations of anglers with the thrill of a strong catfish at the end of their line.

Another time float fishing works nicely is when targeting fish relating to cover in lakes or ponds. In this instance, cover could be wood cover or submergent vegetation. Mid to late summer, submergent vegetation in lakes and ponds such as weeds and "watergrass" can make it difficult (or nearly impossible) to fish anchored baits without getting tangled up. Using a small slip float to suspend baits just off the bottom, you can effectively drop your offering in these same areas with relative ease. 

On breezy days where your boat is drifting around dragging anchored baits, you can use the float as a bite indicator. In this scenario, you can set your float depth so the bait just reaches the bottom. Above the float, leave just enough slack in the line so your drifting boat doesn't pull the float around. By using the float as a bite indicator, you can eliminate the problem of your boat dragging baits out of position or into snags.  

Mostly, I've used baits with some type of scent trail for instances where I was drifting baits below floats. Cut-up minnows, suckers, and chubs all work well. I've also had success using cheese and dip baits below floats, especially on hot summer days when the water temperature is warm. A number of area anglers swear by raw hamburger - the cheapest, greasiest meat you can buy. Thicken with an egg and some flour and fish just off the bottom using a treble hook. Even though you're drifting the baits right past the nose of active catfish, it never hurts to have a scent trail in the water. Especially when you're fishing in current.

You can also fish live baits below a stationary float in around cover. In fact, I think this presentation works especially well when there's bottom clutter and/or submergent vegetation. Some anglers will even fish live baits in and around wood snags as well. One caveat with this approach: small baits seem to work a little better around wood cover, since larger baits tend to get hung up more often. It also helps to have enough weight to limit the ability of your bait to drag the float around (and into the cover).

 
As far as gear goes, it's pretty simple. You'll need some large split-shot sinkers, hooks, slip floats, and bobber stops. The bobber stop goes on the line first, followed by a small bead, and the float. If you're fishing a live bait, you'll want to put a sliding sinker held above the hook with a split shot or swivel. For drifting, a few pieces of split shot below the float should be just enough to keep the bait bumping along the bottom. Drifting works best at slow to moderate current flows when catfish are in an active mood. As a general rule, I try to choose the smallest float that's buoyant enough to float the bait and any sinkers. As the size of the float gets larger, it becomes harder for the fish to pull under and is more susceptible to drag from any wind or current. Also, the bigger the float the more sinker weight will be required to keep your float at the proper level in the water.

With large floats, you can also hang slinky weights [tie some heavy fishing line onto a sinker slider. Put on several egg sinkers, maybe 4-5 of the 3/8 to 1/2 oz size, and whack the last one with a hammer to pinch the line. cut off the remaining line] below the float. These slinky weights act like a pencil weight and are more difficult to hang-up or snag when there's bottom clutter. 

You can also use slinky weights for fishing anchored baits without a float, I learned how to make these from Jeff Williams of Team Catfish. You can even use submerged floats to keep your main-line just above the bottom in and around heavy cover in deep water.

When drifting baits, I'll set my float depth so the bait just bumps along the bottom. When there's more variance in terms of depth, set the float just deep enough to keep the bait on the bottom during the deepest spot your fishing. If you're using a float to fish a stationary bait, you can fish the bait just above the bottom or barely on the bottom. Sometimes it's a little easier to detect bites when the bait is just off the bottom, when the fish are inactive or light biting. When you get an aggressive pick-up, it doesn't really make a lot of difference. You'll know it when they have the bait.

For bite detection, watch for the float to either "pop" below the water, or slowly wander off. Once the float is down a few seconds, reel down and set the hook. If the float is a good distance away, you'll want to set the hook with authority with a powerful sweep of the rod. Fishing in still waters, the float will often just drift off in some direction. Again, wait 2-3 seconds to make sure the fish has the bait and then set the hook. And hold on!!!

One of my favorite qualities of float fishing has got to be the "fun factor"! Watching a float drift away after it's been sitting motionless for a while conjures up all kinds of images about what's going on at the other end of the line. At times, the float seems to have a mind of its own similar to those barrels being toyed around with by the shark in Jaws. Float fishing is so visual, I guess that's what makes it somewhat unique presentation for catfishing. The way the float dances, drifts, veers off, or plunges below the water...all these actions provide visual clues as to what's happening down below.

Camp Cooking!

Camp Cooking: Recipes and Tips 

While I don’t get to do as many overnight fishing trips as I would like, I’ve done quite a bit of outdoor cooking over the years. I’ve traveled and cooked with camp stoves, backpack stoves, charcoal grills, dutch ovens, and open fires. Being involved with scouting for many years, I’ve learned (and forgotten) a ton of great cooking tips and techniques. I generally like to keep things fairly simple, while still eating well.


 Nothing works like a plan...a meal plan! No need to be too formal about this, you could probably improvise a meal plan on the fly shopping at the store in a pinch. However, before you hit the road for a camping trip account for all the meals you’ll need during the trip. Your meal plan could certainly include a fast food stop on the drive out, or you could pack a sandwich in the cooler to enjoy later. As far a cooking on the trip, you can be as ambitious or utilitarian as you like. The real keys for a successful summer camping trip are being prepared for inclement weather and making sure you have plenty to eat and drinking plenty of water. As long as you’re good with those essentials, the rest is really up to you.

Looking at the way I meal plan, I make the same kinds of food camping that I would enjoy at home. Here’s a simple meal plan for one from an old Mississippi trip where I left in the morning and stayed over one night. Nothing fancy, but I ate pretty well:

Lunch: Ham sandwich packed in the cooler (eaten at my first anchor spot). Extra sliced cheese and sausage in the cooler with bottles of water for an afternoon snack.

Dinner: Burgers cooked on the charcoal grill topped with lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes from my garden, etc. Probably had extra sliced tomatoes with salt and pepper too and I think I had a soft pretzel or something in the cooler for later and a couple cold beers.

Breakfast: Fresh coffee and scrambled eggs cooked on the camp stove with meat (probably eaten in a sandwich).
I did a quick clean-up and went fishing after. I’m sure I stopped for a burger or something on the ride home.

Generally, I prefer to pack foods that are easy to handle and prepare and which travel well. Firm breads like French bread/rolls, English muffins, soft pretzels and bagels travel much better than soft white bread. For dinner entrees, I avoid meats like raw chicken, safe handling gets too tricky when you’re camping. However, you can always pre-cook chicken at home to use in recipes later. To pre-cook raw chicken is easy,  you can poach it on the stove or cover and bake in the oven. Bag it up and you’re good to go. Sausages, burgers, and hot dogs are staples for summer camping trips and cook quickly in a pan or on the grill. Packages of flavored rice and pasta make easy side dishes. Single dish meals cooked in a pot are great, although they do require a bit more planning and take longer to cook.


Using quick cooking items on the stove you can get a variety of meals together pretty fast. You can even use your camp stove to reheat pre-cooked dishes made ahead of time such as pulled pork (pictured), sloppy joes, etc. Not only does this save time, but as noted earlier cooked meats are safer in your cooler on a hot summer day. Another trick is to save some individual condiment packages of mustard, ketchup, hot sauce and mayonnaise from hotels and fast food places. Packing these will save room in your cooler.


For breakfast, eggs cook fast and actually travel well with a bit of protection. If you have a stove and a pan, it's easy to brown some meat and cook some eggs. I like to warm pre-cooked bacon in the pan and cook scrambled eggs in the grease that renders out. If you like biscuits and gravy, not only can you pack pre-baked biscuits, if you're in a hurry you could even make sausage gravy ahead of time. Just heat and serve! If you’re feeling lazy, you can even warm those frozen breakfast sandwiches using low heat on your stove. I take them apart first and heat the contents separately. If you want a light breakfast you can always have a bagel or soft pretzel with cream cheese and take a snack for later. 

With a little creativity, you can adapt about any of your favorite recipes for camp cooking. This could be as simple as preparing red beans and rice using summer sausage and quick cooking rice. Chicken quesadillas can be made easily using pre-cooked chicken. Pre-cooked chicken or beef saves time for dishes like chili or cowboy cornbread. You're really only limited by your own creativity here. You can make a variety of creations if you've packed dried onions, tomato paste, chicken or beef soup base, potatoes, butter and/or oil, bread crumbs/cracker crumbs, eggs, cheese, a few spices, salt and pepper. If you start with a basic combination of proteins and starchy foods bread, rice, and pasta, it's easy to round things out with you're favorite fresh veggies. Celery and carrot sticks are great you can munch on them or use in recipes. 

For float trips and longer camping trips remember that good things come in small packages:
When I want to pack really light, I have an MSR isobutane back-packing stove. It’s ultra-light, convenient, and packs very small. The fuel comes in sealed lightweight cans. It cooks great, I just love
it. It was well worth the $55 investment some years back. You can make a lot of dishes in a single pot like a small sauce pan or sauté pan. If you’re packing a coffee pot you can also use it to heat water for washing dishes. For drive-in camping spots, I bring a larger two burner propane camp stove.

As far as food items that pack small, you can make a decent pasta sauce with water, spices and a 6 oz. can of tomato paste. Also works for Chili. Red beans and rice made with summer sausage doesn’t require refrigeration. Firm cheeses like cheddar will last a day or so without refrigeration. Soft tortillas and pita bread pack very compact and travel well. Corn Meal, salt and pepper, and corn oil are all that’s needed for a quick fish fry. If you’re cooking, pre-measuring spices in plastic bags saves bringing them all. Finally, you can leave the boxes at home bring only contents and instructions if you need to save space.

 If you were looking for recipes, here's a few favorites:

Famous Skillet Breakfast
 
(you're only limited by your creativity with this one)
You'll need eggs, meat, potatoes (shredded or finely diced, fresh or frozen), and whatever else you
want to throw in there.

Thoroughly cook the potatoes in a pan, iron skillet, or dutch oven.
Add diced up cooked meat, maybe some diced onions. Cook a few minutes until the onions start to soften. Add scrambled egg mix, and top with shredded or sliced cheese.
Cover and heat until the eggs are cooked all the way through. Easy enough!













Red Beans and Rice
1 Can Red Beans well drained;
1/2 med onion diced,
2 green onions, 1 clove garlic (or 1/8 tsp garlic powder)
2 Tbsp Parsley, 1 rib celery, 1/6 cup ketchup,
1 cup water, 1/2 tsp hot Sauce, 1 bay leaf, 1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 lb smoked sausage cut-up and cooked with a few dashes of cayenne pepper

Sauté onions and garlic with sausage until onions just tender… add remaining ingredients except rice and simmer 30 min to 1 hour this is the gravy mix to serve over 3-4 servings of cooked rice… you can make vegetarian Red Beans and rice without the sausage and it's still great !
(don't sweat it if you don't have all the vegetables. Whatever you've got works, if you have the beans, spices, and ketchup).

Biscuits and Sausage Gravy

(we’ll assume you pre-baked biscuits of some type)
Making sausage gravy is quite easy...
Brown 1/2 package breakfast sausage. Chop up with a spatula while browning so it's crumbled...I usually drain most all the grease once the meat is cooked.
After sausage is cooked add 4-5 tablespoons flour to meat in pan and stir until coated.
Cover and cook over low heat for a few minutes. If mixture appears dry, that's okay. Just be sure to keep the heat low to avoid scorching.
After a few minutes you can add salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Maybe a few dashes of hot sauce or cayenne pepper. 
Add some milk (enough to just about cover meat), stir quickly and cover. Keep heat low and allow mix to simmer for several minutes until milk is absorbed by the flour and begins to thicken.
Keep over low heat and keep adding a little milk at a time until gravy is the desired consistency. This is a good time to check seasonings, once gravy has simmered for several minutes you're ready to serve.


Cowboy Cornbread
(simply amazing recipe)

2 boxes Jiffy corn bread mix; 1 can cream style corn; 3 eggs; 1 Cup milk
Combine mix, corn, eggs and milk..brown 1 lb ground beef, drain (breakfast sausage works too…or even canned chili)
Mix meat with grated cheddar cheese (1 cup ?);  add some hot pepper (to taste) and diced onion.
Pour half of batter into pan then sprinkle with meat mixture.
Pour remaining batter on top and bake at 350 degrees in a preheated oven until done
(40-50 minutes)
I’ve also cooked this one a dutch oven with coals on the top and bottom. This is another recipe you could prepare ahead of time at home and then heat and serve in camp.

Mexican Restaurant Salsa
1 15 oz can diced tomatoes, 1/8 tsp oregano, 1 thick onion slice
1 Tbsp vinegar, 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, 1/4 tsp Salt fresh cilantro

Sear onion on both sides in hot, dry skillet. The lower heat and cook until soft.
Blister jalapeno in hot skillet on all sides and set aside to cool.
After cooling, dice pepper and onion ( I remove most of pepper seeds and center "spine") and add fresh cilantro.
Drain canned tomatoes, put in blender and add remaining ingredients whirl quickly (a few seconds) until just mixed. (depending on size one small pepper makes for mild to medium while 2-3 small peppers adds a little burn) keeps up to a week in refrigerator.

Tip for handling Hot Peppers…you can freeze in sandwich bags for several months. I freeze them whole from my garden. Frozen peppers don’t need to be pre-cooked, I just dice them and add right in. I've kept peppers for up to a few years in my freezer

There you have it, my tips, suggestions, and recommendations for camp cooking. Is anyone else getting hungry right about now?!?
(here's a short video mixing up some of the salsa recipe)

Flathead Focus - Tips from master angler Denny Halgren

 Fellowship of the Flathead

On a hot and sunny summer day, three companions set out on a quest for flatheads. The fearless leader for our adventure would be catfish guide Denny Halgren. We met Denny at the boat launch, ready for a relaxing afternoon of catfishing. Little did I know that the experience we shared that day would forever change the way I thought about big catfish behavior.

A few times throughout the afternoon, Denny would go over to one of the rods. He picks the rod up, and alertly waits- like a cat ready to pounce. Where we didn’t notice any “cues”, Denny knew a fish was there. It would be Peter's turn this time. Denny picked up on something with one of the baits, and Pete is waiting for Denny to hand him the rod to set the hook. Denny says , "I can't even feel the sinker on here…" He pulls in some line. "Still don't feel it…" Denny reels in a little more. Still feeling no tension, he starts reeling again. Then, stopping on a dime  he tells Peter "You've got a fish on here…" He hands Pete the rod. Pete takes it, and sets the hook on a nice flathead. That fish had carefully moved forward with the sinker and the bait- without being detected.

Like many anglers, I believed what I had been told - that little cats lightly tap at baits, but big cats grab it and run with it. Anyone who has fished for actively feeding channel cats has had fish that grabbed their baits and headed south in a hurry, reinforcing this myth. The truth is that while some big catfish will swiftly and aggressively move away with your bait, big catfish (especially flatheads) often perplex anglers with the gentleness and subtlety with which they handle the bait. In this article, we will examine the cues displayed by these "gentle giants", and how to interpret and react to them.

I’ve fished with Denny Halgren only a few times, but he’s certainly made an impression upon me and my fishing style. First of all, Denny has more experience fishing flatheads than anyone one else I know. Decades of time on the water. Having been at it for so long, he’s really been able to perfect his craft tailoring his approach and presentation based upon observations made over the years. His fishing style is well rooted in the basics: precisely place a lively offering in front of a flathead in his hang-out and wait for the fun to begin!

Gearing up   

Denny likes to use a 100% graphite heavy/medium-heavy bait-casting rod, because of the extra sensitivity that graphite rods provide. As he explained “the graphite provides a better signal you can feel in your hands, and that can allow you to detect bites that you are unable to detect with a glass rod.” Of course, many successful catfish anglers out there also use fiberglass or composite rods. If your set-up is comfortable and works for you, there’s no reason to run out and replace your existing rods with graphite ones. Denny prefers to use monofilament (20#) over braided "superlines", due to the additional abrasion resistance of the thicker mono. If you choose braided line, I recommended going with at least 80# which is the same diameter as 20# mono. Denny prefers a basic sliding sinker rig where the weight is held above the hook by a split-shot sinker. Less knots to tie or more importantly break. The split shot allows you to adjust leader length. You could also rig with a swivel in place of the split-shot, with a piece of plastic tubing or a sinker-bumper below the weight to protect the knot. Denny swears by Tru-Turn hooks, although many anglers use Kahle, wide-gap, and circle hooks too.

Clicker reels, anyone?

During one conversation, I asked Denny if he ever used a clicker. "Never." He responded. "The clicker told me absolutely nothing. I've got to know what that rod is telling me. Anything can make a clicker go off : a piece of wood, anything. The rod tip had to tell me, or the line had to tell me what was happening." Of course I knew that he didn't use a clicker, but I just had to ask. Most of my own reels have clickers or are bait-feeder type spinning reels, however I keep them “locked-in” the vast majority of the time also.

Baits

Like many of us, Denny typically uses 5-7" bluegill or sunfish for bait. You could just as easily use goldfish, bullheads, suckers, or other small fish. The key is to have healthy baits that are lively and active. Importantly, Denny does not advocate the use of jumbo sized baits. By using giant baits, you're limiting yourself from catching certain fish. This is because in order for a flathead to capture larger baits, they have to be eaten head first or tail first. However, smaller baits will still trigger an aggressive response when they enter a big flathead's domain. If the bait strays to within his strike zone, chances are great a flathead will still grab that bait. And that flathead is more likely to capture a smaller bait on the first try. Denny has learned he can get more action with the smaller baits, and still catch the biggest flatheads in the river.

Setting up on a spot

"Don't fish too close, you'll scare the fish" is a cliché we've all heard many times. When I talked with Denny about anchoring distance, he got right to the point "Being too close to the cover is not a problem. Don't worry about spooking the fish. At times, I could be right on top of a snag and it doesn't make much difference." Denny explained that there are definite advantages to being close-up to the fish; "When you have less line in the water, you're going to have a much faster reaction." When you have a shorter amount of line out, you get a better feel. There's less stretch, and when that fish hits you really feel it. Often, your reaction is quicker and more decisive because of these factors. It’s also easier to place baits more precisely at close range. Having said all that, there are instances where leaving a little more room to cast allows for a better spread of baits. Over time, you learn to “fish the spot” and tailor your approach to the situation.

We also discussed anchoring in general; Denny prefers to anchor in line with the current to fish out of the back of the boat. He does not like to anchor a boat sideways; if he needs to work a wider piece of cover or structure, he will reposition the boat. Just move over and re-anchor. Sure, if you’re trying to spread rods to cover a wider area, it helps to anchor a little further away. The real key, especially when targeting flatheads, is to be positioned so you can precisely place your bait in the specific area where you feel the fish are located. On the other hand, I will occasionally anchor sideways in light current. Especially on a breezy day, the current helps to minimize drifting.

Territoriality  

Denny is a firm believer in a theory about flathead behavior we’ll refer to as territorial aggression. Large flathead catfish typically relate to cover, especially large pieces of wood or rock in deeper water. Many years ago, Denny noticed an important trend based where the bait was in relation to the cover. "If I had the bait closer in to the wood, the fish were more aggressive", he recalls. "If the fish was semi-aggressive and came out of the wood to get the bait, that's when you got your light biting fish. The more I would put the bait closer to the wood, or go right inside of it, I eliminated all light bites." Denny attributes this to the fish defending its territory; trying to move the bait out. Before, he figured flatheads picked up the bait because they were feeding fish. As he continued, "Now I probably would assume just the opposite. That's why the hits were so light. The further they got away from their territory, the less aggressive they got to remove that intruder."  This becomes really key during daylight hours, since these are the times when you’re targeting the fish in their home space.

Flathead bite

I asked Denny when he first recognized the light biting tendencies of flathead catfish. As he explains, "Probably about 30 years ago, I started to notice how light flathead could tend to bite. In the beginning it was pretty general." Eventually, he began to notice that the light biting fish during the day were more apt to be bigger fish than little fish. These light biting fish can occasionally capture your bait, and sit there avoiding detection. As Denny explained once, "If you're sitting by the campfire eating a bucket of chicken, with your rod locked into a rod holder…you're gonna catch fish. But, you might not have caught the two fish that come up, sucked your bait in, and sat there…then spit it back out and swam off, because they were inactive. That's how subtle and inactive these fish can be." Another recurring theme with Denny is that there's no substitute for experience. Each day on the water and each time a fish picks up a bait, it’s a unique situation. Denny keeps a fresh perspective, without being "locked-in" to a set of canned responses. The way he reacts in a specific situation is based on instinct and experience.

If you're just starting to target flatheads, you can learn much by holding one of the rods in your hands. As Denny explains "Almost my entire life, I've fished hands-on with a fishing rod. If I was fishing two rods from the bank, one was in my hands at all times. That's just how intent I was to take that hit. Sometimes the hit would come in the rod that I was watching, sometimes it would come in the hand. If the rod was in my hand, then I didn't have to do anything but watch the other rod. If a bite came on the rod that wasn't in my hand, it was either the line itself, or the tip of the rod that told me the fish was there. If it was in my hand, it was just the feel. I never looked at the rod that was in my hand." According to Denny "The more you've got a rod in your hand, the better your chances are of catching fish. And catching more fish. Because, there are a lot of fish that will hit baits that will not go ahead and continue to eat them because of the resistance of the rod. If they turn and feel that resistance, they'll spit a bait. And you'll experience that with the rod in your hand." "If you don't get involved with the hands-on, and you just put your rod in a rod holder you're going to miss a lot of fish."

The primary way Denny detects bites is the rod tip. There's no substitute for experience here, so the best thing you can do is get out and fish. The classic aggressive flathead bite is a strong thump, followed by the fish steadily swimming away (at which point you experience a “holstered” rod loading up in the holder). But it doesn’t always work that way. Sometimes you may just see a general lightening and then tightening of your line. You may feel a little "tick" like a walleye tick, and the rod tip not move. You might feel or see a light "pop", where the rod tip gently bounces. You could get this light pop, and the line could slightly tighten. If you're using a glass/composite rod, you might not notice a light pick-up initially. Or, you're holding the rod, and all of the sudden it just starts to load up a bit (without any pop.) Often, a more aggressive fish will pop the bait, and then start to load up the rod. These are a few of the cues that can tell you a flathead has picked up a bait. Essentially, you're noticing something that was not caused by the bait flutter or the current. "The bluegill, green sunfish, bullhead (whatever you're using for bait), cannot do what a flathead can do.", says Denny. Once this happens, you need to be prepared to take action.

The Load-Up

Aggressive hits where the fish pops the bait and the rod loads up are great. Once you know the fish has the bait and is swimming away you go for a hook-set. Often, I like to employ the same technique that guys fishing with circle hooks use… when the fish starts loading up the rod, I’ll let it go down pretty good. With the rod still in the holder, at that point I start burning the reel. When the fish is on solid, I take the rod and apply strong and steady pressure to ensure the hook point is buried. If you’re experiencing timing issues with the traditional hook-set, burning the reel in the holder is a great technique. One caveat – if you’re fishing tight to heavy cover a traditional sweep hook-set will help steer the fish away from cover and can avoid snags. Still, I use the above technique most of the time I'm catfishing.

Free Spooling

Once you've detected a less aggressive flathead bite, it's time assess the situation. You want to put your rod in a high position, to get the best feel of what's going on. Keeping very light tension, you let the fish move away and gently engage your spool while letting the rod tip follow him down. If the rod makes it down to horizontal, set the hook. This is a simplified explanation of what Denny does. The length of time from when you detect the bite to when you can set the hook can vary greatly. It could happen in one minute or ten, depending on the fish. Sometimes, it pays to put the rod back into the holder and wait for the next move.

To get the rod in a higher position, you do what Denny calls "free spooling" the rod up. This is an important step. It gives you a much clearer picture of what is happening at the other end of your line, and it also helps prevent the fish from detecting you. "If your rod is at a low position, you're not going to get as clear a signal as when your rod tip is up", according to Denny. He also relates, "A fish that can pull on an elevated rod isn't going to feel any resistance. A fish that's got a rod pointed at him- he's going to start stretching that line, because there is no give." To free-spool the rod up, you put your reel in free spool, and very gently raise the rod while the line is coming off. You want to keep a steady, but very light tension so that you don't lose your connection to the fish. In the high position, your rod should be between the ten or eleven o'clock position (45-60 degrees.) Denny doesn't always re-engage the spool at that time. "I want the fish to be able to move, if he'll move. He may not. But if he does move, I don't want him to feel any resistance whatsoever." he explains. "Now if he aggressively decides to move, and he starts, you can click that reel in and follow him down. As soon as the rod levels and you think the line is just starting to tighten you set the hook." Since flatheads will frequently drop or spit a bait based on feeling tension, if you've followed the fish down and your rod is parallel you're generally going to immediately hook-set. As Denny explains, "If you stop when you get that rod parallel to the water, where you're pointing right at the fish… that fish is pulling away from you in a direct line. He recognizes you a lot more than you recognize him." At the low position, you will have lost that sense of what the fish was doing. You've lost the feel.  

Hook-set mechanics

Denny advocates a powerful two handed hook-set straight up, going from horizontal to a twelve o'clock position in a long powerful sweep. Put your thumb on that spool to avoid slipping any drag. As far as the motion, Denny explains "You don't want to sweep sideways, and you don't want to sweep it 45 degrees. You want the rod pointed directly at the fish as you start, so that you set the hook with both arms coming straight at your body and up over your head." A full 90 degree sweep, where the rod stops right above your head means you've delivered a powerful hook-set. As you go past this point, your set won't be as strong. To avoid slippage, it’s good to thumb or palm the spool (depending on whether you’re using a baitcast or spinning reel). The sweep accomplishes two things, burying the hook point and steering the fish away from cover.

Timing Is of the Essence

As far as when to set the hook, Denny relies upon instinct. He explains, "It's a snap-judgement decision that has to be made right then and there." It becomes drawing upon your gut feeling based on "How aggressive was the hit? How did it come?  Where did it come? When did it come? If it's inside the wood, you're going to hit him a lot quicker. If it's outside the wood, and it's just a little "tick"…you just have to have experienced this so many times that subconsciously, if you're going to let him run, you're going to let him run a foot. If he stops, we'll click it in and pop him on the second time he starts to move. When he starts to really load that rod up, you know, immediately pop him. Each fish is different, there is no set pattern." It's important to keep your bait location in mind. If you're fishing a piece of structure that only one bait can cover, then your other rods are targeting perimeter type fish which may be less aggressive. In general, if the fish is more aggressive you don't have to allow as much time. Also, a flathead might not capture your bait the first time. As Denny relates "Sometimes, the rods will just start loading up. If the hit hasn't been picked up, and the rod just starts to load up the chances are this is a moving fish.

You've always got a baitfish that's trying to escape, no matter what. So, it's not always a sure thing that this bait is going to be captured even if this is a highly aggressive fish that's feeding. When he makes a stab at that bait, he may only get half of that bait and continue to load that rod up. You have to assess that situation as to whether the fish captured the bait, and how quick to react. A lot of times when these baits are caught, they’re not swallowed. They'll move off three, four, or five foot. And then stop. And then you'll get that hit. That hit will come in your hand, and all he's doing is swallowing that bait. When that tick comes after something like that, then you can go ahead and set the hook. Because you know you don't have to allow him to go again. You have to assume that the second time he was able to get the full swallow on him." It is also possible you could be on your way down and the fish may just stop. And nothing happens, although you feel he's still there. You may have to wait for the fish to move again. If you were only part of the way down, it is possible to "spool" back up to the higher position again. Just remember, once your rod gets level you're going to automatically set the hook. Otherwise, you're going to lose the feel of the fish. Without hesitation, set the hook once your rod gets flat: even if the fish is moving inches at a time.

Fighting Flatheads

While each battle is unique, it’s important to employ sound fundamental fish fighting techniques to ensure success. The drag on your reels should be set to allow a bit of slipping under heavy pressure to avoid break-offs. Keep the rod tip high and maintain consistent pressure on the fish. Steer the fish away from cover, your motor, the anchor. Many anglers will reel in the other rods when they get a big fish on to avoid getting tangled up. Once you have the fish next to the boat, you must make a judgement call as to when to grab the fish and bring them on-board. I’ll hold the rod in one hand and reach for the lower jaw with my other. Don’t grab the line, that’s a good way to get broken off by a big flathead. If the fish is too “green”, play it a bit more to ensure you can get a good grab. My strategy is to get the fish in the boat as soon as I can, so once I think I can get a good grip I’ll go for it. Watch for the hook and grab the fish by the lower jaw and don’t let go! Confidence is the key here. When it takes too long to get the fish into the boat, they’re likely to bolt and then you have to start the process all over. Once you’ve boated the fish, take pictures, get measurements, and release them as soon as you can to avoid stress. Many anglers will even splash a little water on the fish in the boat to keep them hydrated and comfortable while getting pictures and measurements.

 Editor’s notes:

  This article covers information from conversations I had  over the course of a few years with flathead master Denny Halgren. Much of this content was included in a few articles that appeared at Procats.com. Denny definitely has developed his own approach and techniques over the years. Most importantly, he sticks with what has worked for him, which is a good rule for all of us to follow.