Catfish angling heats up during summer months

The goal of any cat fisherman is to bring in a catfish like the monster pictured above.

Photo courtesy of Missouri Department of Conservation

A lot of area catfish anglers are happy to see the Fourth of July come and go. No matter how they fish, jugging, trot line, stream or lake, day or night, cat fishermen are ready to get serious about their sport.

Jack Baker is one of those anglers that does it all. He recalls that his first fish was a bullhead from a small stream near his home.

“That is where it started,” noted Baker, “but since that day I have fished for catfish around the state, in ponds, streams and lakes. I have caught them by using trot and limb lines, jugged for them, (and) fished with a rod and reel from the bank or boat.

“Baker continued: “July is my favorite month to catch cats, usually by using trot or limb lines and jugging. (In July) I do a lot of night fishing; last year on July 7, I caught a 46 pound blue cat on Truman Lake which was the start of a lot of catfish I caught in 2016.”

Several years ago I met a man who told me about a recent jugging trip to Truman Lake. Fred Atkins said, “First off, I headed for a bait shop where I bought some worms, then I drove over to the Lake where I knew I could catch some bluegill and sunfish.

Atkins added: “After catching a big bunch of four to five inch baitfish, I headed back to a favorite cat fishing spot on Truman. I know that long before Truman Lake was a reality, monster catfish roamed the Osage River and they moved into the reservoir as well as staying in the river.”

Dennis Hymer, of Strafford, with a pair of channel catfish caught by rod and reel on Stockton Lake.

Photo by Ken White | Special to the Daily Mail

With his tolling motor at low speed, he baited and tossed jugs in no certain pattern. It didn’t take long before one of the jugs to start moving away then stood on end. Like in the movie “Jaws” the jug disappeared. When it finally popped up, the race was on.

The jugger said, “I grabbed a long net trapping the jug against the boat. I knew from experience that the fish was a big cat. After fighting to get the monster in the boat, I had to take a break before looking for the other jugs. The big flathead catfish weighed just under 48 pounds.

That was just the first fish of the trip. He also took another flathead and several channel cat.

A young angler reels in a channel catfish.

Photo courtesy of the Missouri Department of Conservation

Here are some tips for anyone who might want to try jugging for catfish. For jugs, try to find heavy duty gallon jugs. Use the most inexpensive 50 pound test monofilament line you can find; use good quality 4/0 or 5/0 hooks. Cut the line into five foot lengths; tie one end to the jug handle. Next, tie on a 3/8 ounce sinker about eight inches above the hook and you are all set to go jugging.

Fisherman who jug also have fun catching bait.

“When I need some small perch for bait, I take my young grandson with me,” said Atkins. “We use light line and small hooks baited with worms to catch those little fighters.”

Try to keep the bait alive especially for Flatheads as they prefer live bait. When fishing check the bait often and replace dead bait. Its best to hook sunfish just behind the dorsal fin trying not to hit the backbone.

Put your name and address on the jugs and don’t leave them unattended. A good flashlight and long handled net are handy things to have along.

Charles Dawson is another catfish angler who hits the streams for catfish around this time of the year. He recalled how he and two friends hit the Blackwater River where he sets lines to catch catfish.

Dawson said, “It was a very good catfish stream and we caught lots of fish. I remember one late afternoon just after a rain we set out lines and before we got very far downstream, fish were hitting some of the lines we had just set out.

“We didn’t get very far before we had all the fish we wanted as the stream began to rise. Lucky for us that we caught the fish fast because the river came up in a short time and we would have had a hard time fighting the current.” If you are looking for a fun and adventurous new experience, try some jugging this summer.”

Channel cats are plentiful in Corp of Engineer lakes and the smaller catfish are excellent eating. If you should catch a bragging catfish you might compare it to some of the state record catfish before you brag to much.

The largest blue cat caught by rod and reel weighed 130 pounds. It was caught July 20, 2010 from the Missouri River. The record flathead catfish caught on rod and reel weighed 77 pounds back in 2003 on Montrose Lake.

The rod and reel record channel catfish was taken in 1976 from Lake Jacomo, it weighed 34 pounds, 10 ounces. The record blue cat taken by trotline, weighed 117 pounds on July 25, 1964 from the Osage River. A 99 pound flathead catfish was caught on a bank line on July 23, 2010 from the Missouri River and, a 29 pound, 10 ounce channel catfish was caught on a bank line on July 23, 1974 from a farm pond.

It shows that Missouri waters hold some big catfish and July is a good time to go after them.