Summer is catfishing time

Catfisherman and guide at Truman Lake is Jeff Faulkenberry who spends a lot of time pulling in catfish. He has caught many blue cats over 30 pounds using cut shad. (Ken White)

Bob Walker, Raytown, Mo., is happy to see the Fourth of July arrive because that is when he starts getting serious about going after catfish in area lakes, ponds and streams.

On July 6 of last year, Walker landed a 46-pound blue catfish. And that was just the beginning of a lot of catfish hooked by this fisherman last year.

"I like to set lines baited with everything from minnows to cut shad," Walker said. "Missouri waters hold a lot of big cats and, although I think you can catch them all year long, I like to go after them in July by using trot lines.

"The largest catfish I caught was a flathead that weighed just over 52 pounds, but I have caught a lot of fish in the 30-pound range over the years."

Summer is catfish time for many anglers. Walker, like many area catfishermen, can recall how a bullhead might be the first fish they ever caught.

Jack Larson, Harrisonville, Mo., recalled how he used to bring home a lot of bullheads and yellow catfish he caught from a small stream near where he grew up.

"I couldn't wait until school was out so I could go catfishing," Larson said. "Several of my friends would dig a can of worms and head for the stream where we knew we might catch catfish. You don't forget those times. I have taken some big cats from the big lakes also, including a 37-pound cat from Table Rock."

Charlie Dawson, Independence, Mo., is another catfisherman who hits the lakes and streams around this time of year. One of his favorite streams to set lines is the Blackwater River south of Marshall, Mo.

"I used to have a camper near the river, but after getting flooded out several times, I just take it with me when I go fishing at Blackwater," Dawson says. "It was and still is a good catfishing stream. However it is one of those streams that has a big watershed and when it rains upstream, you had better be on guard because it can rise very fast. There have been times when I would set lines and before I could get very far I could see that a fish had already hit a line that I had just set. I have caught a lot of catfish during the month of July."

Dawson also fishes for catfish in area ponds and lakes and has found a bait that hooks a lot of channel cats, but he won't disclose all the ingredients it contains.

"I stumbled upon how to attract catfish with this bait and now," he said. "I catch more catfish than ever. I may try to market it later. Just last week I caught seven channels over five pounds each while fishing at dusk," he said.

"Catfish aren't ugly," said Brent Hutchinson, a catfisherman formerly of Oak Grove, Mo. He even published a magazine touting the virtues of the catfish.

More and more people are starting to find out that the catfish is a great fish in the midwest. They are fun to catch and are extra good on the dinner table.