During night fishing you have to be patient because catfish will need more time to see your bait. From the end of the spring and beginning of summer, until midsummer, catfish spawn season occurs. Fishing during spawn season is less successful. Fish behavior is different, and to be honest, they should be left alone during spawn. That is the only way we can have healthy and long-lasting population of fish. Some anglers say it is possible to fish for catfish during daytime in summer too.
In order to be successful, you should have access to deep water and shade sunken trees are the best for that. Catfish will be hidden there and if you present your bait, catfish could bite. They will be less active but hungry. In order to be able to approach a perfect spot for some daytime action, you should have a boat. AND one more tip - if you are looking for a good summertime bait, you have to try with hotdogs or shrimps as catfish bait!
Early fall is similar to late summer. Night fishing, from sunset to sunrise is usually very successful. After that period, similar as in spring, transition starts to occur. Temperatures change fast and fish behavior is unpredictable. At that time you will have hard time fishing, but you could try any time of day. As weather stabilizes and temperatures start to drop, fishing time shifts. Similar to winter, you will have more luck during daytime. As temperatures lowers even more, usually in very late fall, the best chance you will have from late morning until sunset, when temperatures are highest.
Fishing for catfish during fall can be really good. The best part of the fall is after transition period, before very low temperatures. At that time weather and temperatures are stable and catfish feed aggressively, some species of catfish more than others. The reason for that is preparation for winter. They eat as much as they can in order to be fat and healthy to survive less active and food poor time of the year that follows. As days become shorter and winter approaches, you will have just a few good hours in a day to catch a catfish.
Catfish will be located in the deep waters in the mud and cover because those locations are warmest. That behavior is in a way similar to daytime hiding in summer. Deepest water changes temperature slowly, there is no big fluctuations during day. Upper layers of water can cool down or warm up quickly.
That is the reason catfish will stay in the deep. They will come to shore only during warmest times of the day, which is from midday until before sunset. That is a very short period for you to try to catch it. It would be good to have a boat in order to come closer to their hiding places to increase your chances. Fishing at night will give you bad results and it should be avoided. Some species of catfish are also more active than others in winter time so, you need to know what to search for.
Absence of natural food will make them interested in your bait. If you can consider weather changes and try fishing during rain or snow because it will make them more active. Catfish react to temperature. If a given year is different than usual, adapt to those conditions. Morning and evening we can consider during late spring, summer and early fall, because in those seasons we fish from before sunset until couple of hours after sunrise.
Anglers agree that this period is the best, but is it better in the evening, or in the morning? Some anglers say that evening time is slightly better. Catfish will rest during hot days and as sunset approaches, they will start feeding. Some think that they are hungrier at evening time. Also, in the morning, as temperatures start to rise, their activity will start slowing down.
That behavior also follows the pray behavior. Other small fish will also rest during days and become active at night. When comparing day and night , we are comparing different seasons too.
In winter, days are better, especially afternoon. In summer, as we already mentioned, most fish during the night, when catfish comes closer to shore, out of its deep hiding places. If they are hiding it is not easy to find them. If you are fishing on smaller water surfaces full of catfish, once you find them, there will probably be a lot of them.
That is the only advantage of daytime fishing for catfish. Nighttime is much better for various reasons. All catfish species have certain similarities and act in a predictable way. Flats, bars, points, shorelines and weedy areas are common spots to catch prowling cats at night. It doesn't take much tackle to catch catfish. The following's a basic kit for small to average-sized fish. A slip-sinker rig's a popular set-up given that catfish are often located near bottom. It's made by threading a sinker on the mainline, then a bead.
Next, the mainline is tied to one end of a swivel. On the swivel's other end is a 1 to 2 foot monofilament leader, followed by the hook. The rig can be left on bottom or hovered above the floor when drifting an area. A float rig's another option. Simply add a float above the weight on a slip-sinker rig.
Use this rig to drift bait slowly through wood-rich catfish lairs or over weed without snagging on bottom or in cover. Drifting a float also helps cover water from the bank. For years it was believed that flathead catfish could only be caught at night. While there is no debating that fishing at night for flathead can be great, they can be caught during the day also.
Fact: There are a variety of products being sold online that target catfish anglers that are various types of lights. Most of these secretive lights are nothing more than a ploy to catch fishermen and have little to do with actually attracting catfish.
Night fishing with lights in or shining on the water is a pretty common practice for many species of fish. The lights draw in bugs and bait fish which in turns can draw in fish. My experience has been that catfish prefer to be away from lights at night. Just because fish are in a certain pattern or depth never means all the fish will be in that pattern or depth. If you ignore the daylight hours and brave the heat you might be surprised at what you find, and what you catch. Even in the brutal Texas summer, I prefer fishing for catfish during the day.
Catching cats during the day with my Summer Channel Catfish Techniques and the Secret Catfish Rig the day is one of my many preferred ways to fish in the heat of the summer.
Chad Ferguson is a pro catfish guide with over fifteen years experience fishing professionally for catfish, outdoor writer, photographer and noted authority on catfish fishing. Get more exclusive catfish fishing tips here by email , make sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel and follow me on Instagram and Twitter.
Even the simple task of making up a new catfish rig takes longer.
0コメント