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I'm relatively new to the catfishing scene. I have caught cats. One time in particular we did really well on big cats. The trouble is I don't know enough about when to be fishing specific depths. when to fish shallow and when to fish deep, or at least deep relative to the the location.
When are the cats shallow and when are they deeper (when as in season/month)?
Can I get some help on this one? I'd like to stand a small chance at the North South battle if I get a chance to get out and fish for them.
Thanks in advance.
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[cool][#0000FF]Cats are fun...and a lot more of a challenge than most people know enough to admit. Like teenage humans they seem driven by about three main motivators...food, sex and personal comfort...not necessarily in that order and often in different orders at different seasons.
You didn't mention any specific water. The main channel cat waters in Utah are Utah Lake, Willard Bay and the Bear River...and Cutler. While all of these are essentially "lower elevation" waters, they vary widely in terms of depths, flows, food resources, competition from other cats and other species, etc.
Throughout the year the cats are greatly affected by water temperatures and weather conditions. The shallower the waters in which they hang out, the more they are turned on or off by fluctuations.
During cooler months, look for the cats wherever there are slightly warmer temperatures...caused by warmer water inflows or by additional sun warming in protected waters. A few degrees difference can make a lot of difference to a warmth-oriented cat. You can sometimes find big cats in only a couple of feet of water in the cold waters of early spring.
Once spring temps warm the water to over 60 degrees, the cats move shallower to spawn. Males look for protected holes in rocks or brush and lay claim to them for several weeks. They coax in the females to lay eggs...a few from each female. The male stays with the eggs and newborn until they disperse into the open lake...if the male hasn't eaten them all first.
When water temps are above 65 the cats will spawn. They they often remain in shoreline rocks and brush...if the water levels are high enough...to dine on all of the young of other spawning species, as well as their own. During that time you can often do well casting lures in close...or soaking a bait a couple of feet below a bobber.
The cats will remain around the shoreline as long as the water temps stay warm, the food holds out and the water levels stay at least about 3' deep. If the water drops and/or high winds create big waves the cats will move out into deeper water...but will move back in when things settle down.
About Labor Day each year there is a cooling period that starts water temps dropping. This usually triggers a fall feeding period for almost all species. Cats are especially active...as water temps drop from above 70 to below 60. As they go lower, the cats usually pull away from the shoreline areas and set up feeding in deeper water. In Utah Lake that will usually be about 5-7 feet. In Willard it may be 12 to 15 feet. You usually have to look for them.
By late October, the water temps have dropped to 55 degrees...or less. That's when fishing slower...in deeper water...will catch more cats than fishing fast and shallow. Look for 8 feet or more in Utah Lake. And at least 15 to 20 feet at Willard.
There will be exceptions. During a prolonged warm period in the fall you might find cats aggressively foraging in fairly shallow water. I sometimes catch some of my best cats of the year in late fall by fishing in only 4-5 feet of water at Utah Lake. And I have had banner days on Willard...for cats...while casting small jigs for crappies in less than 10 feet of water in October and November.
Some of the biggest cats of the year can be caught during daylight hours in spring and fall. In the summer the biggest fish tend to be more nocturnal and night fishing will score more bigguns. But the big fish also come in shallow to forage at night so it is good to know where they will be feeding and set up with a night-glow bobber.
Does that help?
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Umm ya what he said.
Nice follow up TD Enough said
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Yeah, TD is full of the right info, but even at I was chuckling at the first 1/3 of his post because (absolutely no offence, TD) he was basically telling you sort.of rhetorical things, much of which I guess from your post you already know. That makes picking his post apart for the stuff that will help you think your way through even more important.
The moral there is that there just ain't any specifics. One thing I have learned, alot from guys like TD, is that CONDITIONS matter, probably most, as you basically say in your post. I look for warming trends in spring for all warmwater species. The shallows at UL will be dismal today, due to the snow/cold/wind we just had, but the sun is high enough, that if we got three warm days of warm sunny weather, I'd head right to shallow water in the afternoon. Onshore winds undo me a lot, because the water rolls over and the cold water gets pushed up against the shore.
Long winded, sorry. One tip I can actually give you is that at UL I like the wind at my back, and when I jump the gun on the bluegill getting up in the rushes close to shore, I usually do catch a few catfish.
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Thanks TubeDude! I was hoping you would reply. I live in Cache Valley so I'd be mostly fishing Cutler and the Bear. From what you have said, I have probably been fishing too deep most of the time in the summer.
You are a wealth of information.
Thanks again.
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[#0000FF]I fished the upper and lower Bear River a lot more in earlier years. But I would not classify myself as an expert on those waters. There are some CV boys up there who seem to have it semi-figured out and they are not bashful about posting or offering advice. I am guessing they will also chime in now that you have narrowed down your scope of operations.
Deep? Shallow? Wherever? I just go by the axiom that "You cain't ketch 'em where they ain't." So on any given trip you need to factor in all of the motivators and demotivators...water flow, temp, clarity, etc. And the time of year is important too. Knowing the patterns that change throughout the year will give you a good head start on doping out the pattern for any given trip.
Good luck. Catch a bunch and post a report.
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current/flow!! is big when it comes to the river. Current affects cats a lot! Especially the larger cats! It takes a lot of effort for them to stay in current with out some sort of break (rocks, logs, structure). I never fish right in the channel unless i know theres decent structure. I find they will gladly leave the channel for a meal. Always be aware of flow direction cuz thats the direction your baits scent is traveling.
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