What's Luck Got to Do With It???

Do you believe in lucky poles, magic baits, or lucky hats? If so, this one might hit a little close to home!  Ask a good fisherman and they will often tell you that you make your own luck. In other words, luck is the result of preparation, planning, location, and timing. 

First let's deal with a few common superstitions:

Magic baits

 

Read about catfishing and you'll frequently see people that favor one bait over others. If there was ONE magic bait, would there be a thousand different prepared baits on the market for channel catfisherman? I don't think so! Not to mention how everyone has their own favored natural baits. Cats are attracted to specific baits based on scent/taste, vibration, etc; and cats can become conditioned to accept baits often fished in an area. However, most of the best catfishermen I know believe bait placement is a more important factor than bait selection.    

 Lucky pole

Okay, there might be a bit truth to this one; if you're more comfortable and have a better feel with a certain rod, it might work better for you. On a regular basis, I do see certain rods being hit a lot. Maybe it's because I like the rod so they're the first baits out. Whatever the reason, I can't totally rule this one out. 

The big ones come when there's no camera in the boat!

With the advent of cell phone cameras, there's really no excuse any more on this one. However, for years I've been a believer in always having a camera in the boat and still live by that rule. So this one has been a non-issue for me for years. Sometimes the camera strap accidentally gets in the picture or the flash goes off at the wrong time.

 

Lucky hats

Come on, let's get serious now. How does the fish know what hat you've got on? I have a confession to make on this one...I have two catfishing hats and I ALWAYS have one of them one. When I recently misplaced my favorite fishing hat, my old Procats hat, you would think I lost my wallet with all my credits cards. Actually, wallets and credit cards can be replaced. Fortunately, the missing hat turned up and all is right with my world again!

Hit came when I wasn't watching!

This one perplexes me. It does seem to happen a lot where a rod goes down and I'm tying a knot, checking my phone, snapping a few pictures, taking a whizz, whatever. But how do the fish know?!? Maybe I'm just tinkering around with stuff a lot some nights. Again, I can't rule this one out because sometimes I've joked around saying I'll start rigging another pole to get some action going and it's happened. Crazy.

Okay, enough about superstitions.

I do feel that as fishermen become more experienced, they naturally become less superstitious (hopefully). I do think it's somehow an integral part catfishing lore to talk about superstitions and good luck/bad luck. I also think the best catfisherman don't spend a lot of time worrying about luck and superstition. Other factors are much more relevant.  

Confidence 

Confidence is highly underrated. He who hesitates may miss the hook-up... a habit of successful fishermen is to remain focused when things get exciting. Become overexcited when the big fish finally hits your less likely to land the big fish. Human error inevitably raises its ugly head! When you keep your cool, stay focused, and confidently wait for the right time and set that hook assuredly and confidently - without hesitation - you increase your chances of landing that fish.   

Discipline 

Most of the best fishermen I've talked to about fishing for catfish, especially big catfish, reiterate the same message - you have to be prepared to NOT catch fish, in order to catch fish. This means knowing you will go out and spend some time when the fish either aren't home, or aren't cooperative. You may need to wait very patiently several minutes or more for the right time to set that hook, after the initial signal you received. Most importantly, discipline is sticking with your plan and not switching to worms or cheese bait because the flathead bite is slow fishing with bluegills. Or breaking out the oars to get to the next spot when you had engine trouble but still want to fish. You have to stick with the plan, because you don't know when that big cat is going for a take-down. If you switch to cheese bait because the flathead bite was slow, you'll never find out.

Discipline is having your gear organized and knowing where all the important stuff is in the boat at night. And having the right gear and tools in your catfish bag every time out. For those of us with a short attention span, waiting for that next hit definitely requires concentration and focus. Staying focused when the bite is slow can be a real challenge some nights and the ability to maintain concentration is often the difference between getting that next catfish in the boat and getting skunked. 

Experience

Experience really is the best teacher. The best way to learn it to be out on the water. Successful fisherman may talk about luck, but it's more likely they are successful because they've taken the time to search out prime fishing spots and learned how to present their offerings in the right place at the right time to catch fish. Most importantly, time on the water leads to success. Night after night every summer the better catfishermen are out there searching for the next big cat. One thing that's guaranteed - you won't catch fish sitting at home.

    Blazing a new trail

Another habit of successful fisherman is exploring new spots each time out, instead of only visiting their favorite "honey holes" over and over. The fishermen who aren't out there exploring new territory won't learning nearly as much about the body of water they're fishing as the guys who consistently search out and fish new spots (another confession, I don't do nearly enough of this myself). We've all been told over and over not to just keep going to the same spot you've caught fish before. As Denny Halgren says, "A spot has to prove itself to you over time." So while it is good to have a catalogue of "top shelf" spots in your mind, don't be afraid to explore and learn about new places. Even if you've found the best catfish habitat ever, just remember there was that first time you anchored there not knowing what would happen...   

So the next time you're feeling superstitious because you can't find your lucky hat, just forget about it. Luck is being in the right place, at the right time, with the right bait. That's all it is. 

A fond farewell to all the cats in the pond

This week marked the end of my fishing privileges at the pond where my mom lived for over 20 years. In that time, we had a LOT of fun rowing the boat around, watching turtles, catching bass, catching sunfish, and catching channel cats. 

I don't really have a lot of deep thoughts to share about all this, but it did seem appropriate to do a blog post this week and share some pictures and a little video. While I'll miss fishing at the pond, more than anything I'm just grateful for all the time spent during family trips down there. Nothing beats a nice home in a quiet setting away from all the noises of the city with a pond full of catfish.

I hear the new property owner has already been scoping things out in his kayak, which I think is pretty awesome. Sounds like the right people moved in!

 

 

 

 

a little video featuring one of the sloppiest hooksets you will ever see...

When Lights Are Low

 When asked about my favorite month for catfishing, I'm not sure I could really offer a concrete answer. As quickly as flathead season goes by, I've caught fish from May to October. That's nearly half the year! Looking at peak fishing times, there's just so many variables to consider - weather, water temperatures, river flow, etc. But, when it comes to the time of day, for me the choice is easy. I love those twilight hours that occur around sunrise and sunset! More often than not, I try to get launched so that I can anchor up on that first spot as close to sunrise or sunset as possible.  

 

In my Making the Day Successful entry, I quoted Tim Scott talking about how catfish go through different periods of activity throughout the day. There's absolutely something to this, how many times have you been fishing and you're out maybe 4-5 hours...but most of the activity occurred within a 60-90 minute window? It's precisely because of experiences like this that old axiom that luck is "being in the right place, with the right bait at the right time" holds true. It's certainly been well documented that catfish activity increases during the low light hours. In the next sections, we'll look at some of the possible reasons for this.


How many times have you been for a drive at sunset or around dusk and seen deer out wandering around along the road or in a cornfield? There's something about those twilight hours, a lot of different animal and fish species seem to be more active. For sight-feeding fish, there's a flurry of activity where they are feeding while they can still see their prey. I also think it's entirely possible that the activity of other species during those twilight hours presents an opportunity that catfish are taking advantage of. Catfish species are very adept at feeding in low light conditions giving them the upper hand in low light situations. For an ambush predator like the flathead catfish, the lower light is an opportunity to roam for food undetected. In low light hours, the flathead has a distinct advantage because it locates prey using other senses like detecting vibration using their lateral line. Channel catfish are going to locate prey using scent as well, which also works day or night.  

Is the night time the right time? Whether you're Ray Charles, or a catfisherman, absolutely!
So, there's a spot that I like to fish fish and a couple times I'm sitting there and at some house along the river the guy is out in his backyard with Ray Charles and other soul music classics just blasting away on the stereo. I don't know who this guy is, but his taste in music is impeccable! Back to the topic, I went with a different focus here because there's been so much written about catfishing at night. And catfishing at night absolutely works, don't get me wrong. For me, if I'm going night fishing which is what I do most of the time, I just try to get out for some of of that twilight action. That way you cover both periods of activity.



Fishing in the morning, I like to get out as early as possible. If you can get the boat launched before sunrise, you'll often have the entire river to yourself. Just to enjoy the calm and peaceful experience of watching rods in the early morning light with some hot coffee is a reward in itself. And when things are going right, hooking up with a few catfish along the way. 

 

Undoubtedly, I've had some great times fishing during daylight hours. Even mid-day, when the water is deep enough to mitigate light penetration, you can get flathead action. And channel cats, well they feed anytime of day. Fishing with more daylight actually offers a number of advantages - navigation is easier, knot tying for sure, you can see where you are casting better, trying to find things in the boat is easier...early or late in the catfish season, there may be some advantages as well. 














Considering all the factors, maybe the best measure of all this is success. Overall, I've just been more successful fishing in lower light situations and have taken bigger fish at night than during the daytime, at least the places I'm fishing. It's also nice when you can get away from that daytime traffic and enjoy the river "after-hours" when it's quieter out there. Which also happens to be a great time to catfish. And for taking pictures. Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?!?

Paying it forward

It seems like most catfish anglers I know had a friend, relative, or other fishing mentor that fueled their interest in catfish to the point where catfish became their primary sport fish. It's only natural when you consider how many anglers get their start fishing for bass, panfish, etc. Indeed, targeting. bass and panfish can be very fun and rewarding. Plus, it's important to keep those bait collection skills sharp! Anyways, I feel indebted to all of my fishing buddies over the years. Because they're the ones who showed me the ropes. Where to fish. Where not to fish. When to fish. And why.


 
In the last several years, I've spent a lot of time fishing alone in the boat. With a small vessel to fish from, flying solo does have advantages. It's a little easier moving from spot-to-spot. You get dibs on ALL the pick-ups. In fact, many of my most successful trips were jaunts where I headed out by myself with a bucket of baits.

Reflecting on my experiences, I'm trying to make more of an effort now to drag a friend along for the ride. Or, at least meet up on the river. To pay it forward. It's always a good time with friends. Because, even if the fish aren't biting, it's never a bad day out on the river...

...And, it's fun to share a boat with a friend!

The Launch Sequence

I lead a busy life, sometimes it's just crazy. Especially during the summertime, because that's when work tends to be very hectic. And trying to fit in family vacation before the fall marching season begins...in August. Guess that's just what it's like having a big family and a lot of interests. In midst of all that, you wouldn't think there's any time left for fishing. Well, not a lot.

Somehow, I make time. Summer is my favorite time of the year. Especially those long days in late June and early July. And those long Memorial and Labor Day weekends. So I'll earmark a few "fishing
dates" on the calendar, maybe schedule a Friday or two off. Of course advance planning is no guarantee, then there's summer weather which is always less than predictable.

It all starts with the forecast. When I'm looking ahead to a fishing trip, I'll start watching the 5 or 10 day  forecast on weather.com. If things are looking good, great! The last couple days I'll switch to the hourly, especially if there's a chance of rain. The hourly forecast is surprisingly accurate once you're within a 24 hours or so. I don't worry too much about scattered, isolated, or less than 50% chance. I have rain gear and I've gotten wet before. Lightning, that's another story. Safety first, always.

Once I'm past the point of no return, the final countdown begins. Time to charge batteries, make sure the boat's ready, take care of any last minute trailer repairs, etc. If I'm checking out someplace new, I might look at a few maps or satellite images. It's a little different each time, but charging the battery is key. My 12v battery powers my aerator, trolling motor, and sonar unit. All important devices. Almost ready!

Before I head out there are a bunch of things I round up at the last minute. Some of the items in my catfish bag and/or boat include bug spray, sunglasses, hat, sunscreen, cameras, phone, terminal tackle, rods, gas, fire extinguisher
...you know stuff. Essential stuff. This is a good time to make sure the navigation and trailer lights are working. Nothing more frustrating that getting ready to hit the road and something needs to be fixed with the trailer lights.









I'll get some water in the cooler, maybe a beer or two, sometimes coffee, and I'm off. What's left?
Right. Bait. A quick stop at the bait shop for some suckers, or maybe a tributary creek or even right off shore at the launch, and I've got baits. There's always the cast net too, at least during daylight hours.








All that's left at the launch is loading gear in the boat. And making sure the drain plug is in before dropping the boat in the water. The car gets parked. The motor's fired up...and you're off!!! In search of summer catfish.

I'll run a ways up or down the river, scope out a promising spot, and then anchor up. A hook is baited, then cast...and splashdown.
The first bait is out and anything is possible...
I love catfishing!!!

Making the day successful

Making the day successful

If you’re busy like me, you don’t have endless hours to spend fishing. Between work and family time, I have to get out when I can. So when it’s time to catfish, make the most out of your time on the water. Through fishing smarter and using better time management, you can maximize your catch throughout the day and have more fun fishing trips.    

First of all, a vital element in fishing smarter is flexibility. You need to “listen to the fish”, as Tim Scott likes to say. You should adapt your fishing tactics to the activity level of the fish, and the specific fishing situation that day. Catfish aren’t always in a feeding mode, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t catch-able. When the bite gets tough, and it will, tailor your approach to that day’s conditions. Paying close attention to the details will also help you improve your trips. Another vital factor in all this is time management. Spend less time on unproductive spots, put more baits in front of more fish, and you’re getting bit!   

Opening moves  

Before I get out for a day or night of fishing, I like to have some form of game plan. I often visit the same stretch of river, so I’ll have a few primary spots in mind and a few back-up ones too. On many trips, I try to fish a new spot or two, but this depends on how the day is going. Having a strategy is good, but don’t get dogmatically locked-in to it. River conditions may dictate heading to a different launch point, or boat traffic may limit which spots you can visit. An important part of strategy is being willing to make adjustments “on the fly.” An idea to try early in the season, is hitting the river for a scouting trip. Looking for new spots to try in the summer, watching the depth-finder for submerged cover and drop-offs, finding new deadfalls, “de-winterizing” the motor, these scouting trips are a great way to get revved up for the upcoming fishing season. Plus, it can help you spend more time with baits in the water when it counts.

While we’re on the subject of changing conditions, an important element of catfishing is that fish go

through distinct periods of different activity levels throughout the day. As Tim Scott explains, "Fishing pre-spawn we might get 15 bites in one spot, and when they're active you might catch every one of them. When they're not active, for example if the water level drops a bit, you may start missing them. Fish may start short biting and you're baits are come with little scrapes or the guts eaten out.” This is a great time to downsize your bait and hook to convince those less active fish to fully commit to the bait, making for an improved hook-up rate. A factor that can affect catfish behavior is a slight change in water level during your day. Fishing larger rivers, if the output from a dam is slightly reduced the catfish often become less aggressive. Conversely, a small increase may cause cats to become more active. Stable, steady water levels are preferred as catfish often settle into predictable locations. Fish located in shallower water are often actively seeking out food. Fish that are tight to cover can often be tentative or inactive. Bait placement in this situation becomes key, since fish may not want to leave their hangouts to chase baits.  

Time management

Catfish guide Tim Scott offers some guidance on making the best use of fishing time; “First, I’ll

expect the expected. Then, I’ll look for the unexpected.” Especially when targeting flatheads, he prefers to target cover areas first. Only after the cover areas aren’t producing will Tim fish areas such as ledges, basins, and deep water “roller coaster” spots (also referred to as humps or “saddles”). These areas can be good for prespawn fish, but once you get to summer period larger channel cats and flatheads are going to relate to some type of cover.

Another suggestion is to fish your best spots first, and then look to new areas or alternative plans. Matt Jones believes it’s important to get on those first fish, and get your hands dirty. The more action you get early, the better your confidence and timing will be throughout the day. You’ll also fish your spots better and more thoroughly. Tim Scott agrees, and suggests getting fish on those first few anchors tells him everything. Fish location, attitude, and activity level. On the flip side, those days where it takes several anchors to get on the fish, you’re still trying to figure out the location and mood of the fish.

Anglers are frequently confronted with the deciding when to move; should I stay, or should I go? Running and gunning, getting bit early and often is great when fish are active. No doubt about it. But, there are situations where you may want to spend more time on spots. Some structures like multiple bridge pilings in deep water just take longer to thoroughly fish. If you’re rushed, and you didn’t cover all of the area you may have missed out on some great action. If you’re fishing a spot that’s proven time after time to hold the biggest fish in the area, there a risk-reward proposition involved. Investing a lot of time in one area when the fish are in a negative mood, could lead to the dreaded skunk. But, that’s a risk you should be willing to take occasionally when you’re targeting big fish, or learning how to fish a new spot.

Time savers

An obvious suggestion, but a good one none the less, is to be sure your tackle and boat are organized before you hit the water. Especially if you’re fishing at night. Another good practice for many anglers is to pre-tie hooks and swivels if you’re fishing Carolina rigs. This way, when you break off your rig, you can quickly re-tie and get your baits back in the water. But, don’t be afraid leave that bait out there. You may get hung-up on some debris, but often a fish will find you’re bait and “presto” – you’re no longer snagged.  

You want everything in a convenient spot so you don’t waste time searching for gear in the dark. If I want to get a real early start, I hook-up my trailer and have everything ready the night before an early morning trip.

 Flathead Focus:eliminating unproductive water

Another way to make your trips more successful is by eliminating the less productive areas, and focusing your attention where more fish are. Sounds easy enough, but where to begin? One suggestion is to avoid long featureless river sections. This is especially true when targeting summer flatheads. As an ambush predator, flatheads relate heavily to cover and areas near cover. Procats staff member Matt Jones also feels cover is also important to flatheads because of their territorial nature. He advocates targeting cover areas regardless of the time of day, and suggests “Don’t be afraid to get in the cover; cast as close as you can.”

In fact, Radio tagging studies conducted by Iowa DNR lend support to theories about flathead territoriality. As Greg Gelwicks from Iowa DNR explains, “During mid-summer, the fish really associated with big drift piles.” Another trend he observed was that summertime flatheads tend to have a specific home range or territory - they generally settle in to a specific river section and stay throughout the summer. Anyone who has spent time fishing for flats may have observed these characteristics, but it’s cool to see how science reinforces what we’re seeing on the water fishing.

In general, if there’s a river stretch that has more structural elements like rip-rap, neck downs, drop offs, and such it should support a larger population of all gamefish. The same goes for cover; the more good cover you can find, the more gamefish will utilize it. But, is all cover the same? Definitely not. I’ve found “the older the better” to be a good rule for me when it comes to evaluating wood cover. Wood which extends across current, and into deeper water can be very good. Matt Jones feels submerged cover and cover well anchored to the bottom seems to provide better flathead hangouts, possibly because these are better areas to set-up and ambush prey.  

One last thought on flatheads and cover… if you’re fishing good cover near deep water, and you’re

not getting bit, it doesn’t mean there’s no fish there. The fish could be inactive, or not interested in feeding enough to move to a bait. Often, if you keep moving your bait around your cover until it hits the right spot, you can trigger a strike based on that territorial nature we discussed earlier. Whether it’s anger or a defense mechanism, if a live bait gets too close it’s lunch.

 

Spot specific approach 

If you’re spending a lot of time in one area, keep moving those baits a foot or so every ten or fifteen minutes, especially if you’re targeting fish away from cover. Your bait can just sit a long time a few feet from an inactive fish, but if you keep poking and prodding the depths with your baits and hit the strike zone, you’ll often trigger an aggressive strike because of the territorial nature of the fish.  

The myth of peak fishing hours

In the past, catfishing articles often referred to peak fishing times. Fish early morning, and at night.  

We’ve all heard this a million times. And, sure, we’ve all experienced good luck fishing nighttime or early morning. These are good times to be on the water. Less boat traffic and pesky PWCs generating wakes to bump you out of position. But are there truly predictable hours of peak activity? I say just get out and fish when you can. Or, to borrow Catmatt’s tagline, “Go Catfish!” If it’s mid-day when you can go, GO! In my opinion, time of day is an overrated factor when it comes to fishing success. Whether you’re targeting blue, channel, or flathead cats, current, depth, cover, bait placement, and bait quality are all more important that the time of day. In fact, many flathead anglers, including myself, do just about as well day or night. The bottom line here is by limiting the times you hit the water you could be missing out on a good daytime bite, especially in the spring and fall.

Avoiding the crowds

Another factor facing many of us is boat traffic. Like other suburban anglers, many of my main fishing spots have a lot of boat traffic, especially on the weekends. Because of this, my two favorite times to strike out are just before daylight break, and around dusk. I’ll launch in the dark if I need to. But what makes these times work for me is the fact that there’s almost nobody else out on the river. Without speedboats and personal watercraft stirring things up, it’s just easier to fish and hold anchor.

Time to go!!!

At the end of the day, most of us feel that any time out on the river is time well spent. Maybe the biggest thing that I do the maximize activity is to predominantly fish during the most active months of the year, especially for flatheads. Generally, I'll start catfishing as early as April (depending on water temperatures) and concentrate my activities during the months of May through September. Traditionally, you can expect the most action during those months. Enough talk, who's ready to go catfish?!?

Another article I wrote for Procats eMag, don't know if it was ever published because it was a bit of a work in progress. Think it was around 2007 I was working on this one. 

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