Catfish Fishing In Southern California

Beautiful Southern California:

Here is where you will find lakes, streams, ponds, rivers and aqueducts that are amazingly full of some of the best catfish fishing spots in North America. We Californian’s love sport fishing, fishing for catfish, bass and trout just to name a few popular fish, as an enjoyable leisure past time. I personally go fishing most of the time just to unwind. Catfish fishing is something that can be done by beginners or the most avid anglers.

There are all kinds of anglers in the world today that fish for different types of fish and have fishing tips, secrets and fishing tactics that some will share with you and some that will not share their most guarded fishing secrets with you. I am one of those fishermen that love to share my thoughts on fishing with anyone who wants to know. Lake Catfish fishing is my favorite type of fishing because it can require some skill and a little luck at the same time. That is why I like it so much, and finding old whiskers has to be one of the biggest challenges for all anglers.

While this adventure starts with Southern California lakes all of the catfish fishing tips and catfish fishing tactics that you will learn here today may be used in just about any lake that catfish maybe in. First let’s talk about catfish fishing season. Catfish like most other fish have a time in the year that is best for fishing which you can contact most lakes information center or visit their website and perform a search for catfish fishing season. I prefer visiting their website because it will usually contain useful information to make your trip more rewarding. So let’s began with your rod and reel. You will need a rod about 6ft. to 7ft. in length. Your reel can be a spinner or conventional what ever you prefer. Now think about what size catfish you might catch, this is important because your line should be (2) times stronger than the weight of the fish. Example: if you were to catch a 10 lb catfish, you will need to be using at least (20) lb test line.

Catfish Fishing Tips and Tactics

Now folks pay close attention! The catfish fishing tips and tactics that you receive here have been time tested with excellent results and at best are very simple to use.
First you have to use some draw bait to lure the catfish to your location. Try salmon eggs sprinkled with garlic or whole kernel corn fresh frozen sprayed or soaked in tuna oil, just toss about a handful around the area that you are going to fish, this is called chumming. Wait about (5) minutes then you are ready to start catfish fishing. Well I’ll bet that most of you angler’s out there have heard that catfish fishing should be done at early morning or late evening.
The truth is Catfish feed when they are hungry no matter what time of day or night it is.Catfish like to feed close to the bottom. So try to get your rig in that zone about 1ft. to 2ft. from the bottom. Of course it’s always good to know the depth of the water you’re in but if you don’t, just cast your weighted rig into the water, wait for it to stop moving, reel in your line 1ft. to 2ft. that should do it. Once you have your baited hook in the zone it becomes a waiting game. This works well with all catfish species like Channel catfish, Flathead catfish, Blue catfish and Retail catfish.

What to do when you get your first bite? Be patient, catfish fishing requires being patient let the fish swallow the bait, you have time on your side. So many times have I watched people jerk the rods baited hook right out of the fish’s mouth, unbelievable! After the second nibble the fish should swallow the baited hook, then giving your rod a light tug upward this will set the hook in the mouth of the fish. Start reeling your line in if the fish starts to fight allow some slack in your line so that the fish will swim around to tire itself out so you can reel it up to the surface. Also you might want to fish close to reeds or shore line rocks. Catfish are more prone to be in shaded or reedy areas because of its nature and natural habitat.

Once you have your catfish in hand get your camera out and take some pictures.

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My next catfish fishing article will continue with tips, secrets and tactics to catch the big catfish and the right size catfish bait you will need to do it! Click here for next article: How to catch big catfish

So until your next visit; Carson’s Catfish Fishing Tip of the Day!

(Just Have Fun Catfish Fishing)

Spot Light Catfish Fishing Article of the Month

Catfish Fishing Tips

How to catch big catfish

Hello Catfish Fisherman:

This article is a collection of catfish fishing tips that can be used while fishing the rivers or lakes to help you catch more and bigger catfish. Some of the catfish fishing tips and tactic’s that you will read will be very general fishing basic’s, but when you use a combination of these catfishing tips you are bound succeed in your quest to catch Mr. Whiskers.

Catfish fishing for channel catfish:

Catfish fishing for channel catfish using catfishing tips. Channel catfish are the tugboats of the catfish world. When water temperatures warm, baitfish move up to spawn and the big catfish follow them. Baitfish is by far the best bait to use to catch channel catfish. For example, gizzard shad, threadfin shad, skipjack or blue-back herring. Some areas like most of the lake out here the anglers use live bluegills which are fairly easy to catch.

Catfish fishing tip:

Catfish feed during the day and at night, so you have to find the area where the catfish like to feed, which are places that have a flat with a drop. Some lakes have islands, dams, tree lines with broke off limbs in the water which are sometimes hollowed out. These are the areas you want to fish first. If you are catfish fishing from a boat, anchor along the edge of the flat and put your baited rig on the shallow side of the drop and the deep side. When your bait hits the bottom, pay out 4 feet of line, then lock the reel and put the rod in a holder and leave it alone. This extra line lets the catfish pick up the bait without detecting anything. He’ll hook himself. Now that’s good catfishing.

Catfish fishing tip:

Tackle seems to be the big question when it comes to catfish fishing. I would like to share with you what has worked well for me.

Rod Shakespeare 7ft. medium to heavy catfish ugly stick.

Reel Pflueger trion 66 bait casting.

Line 30 pound Shakespeare Cajun advantage red line.

Tackle Z-ounce egg sinker, barrel swivel, 18 inch leader (same as main line), 4/0 eagle claw red circle hook.

Bait Head portion of a 6 to 8 inch gizzard shad or bluegill hook through the bottom jaw and up through the nose.

Catfish fishing tips for blue catfish:

Catfish fishing for blue catfish using catfishing tips. For fishing in any river that blue catfish habitat in, anchor upstream and drop a baited rig with the head portion of a 1 pound skipjack cut behind the pectoral fins,( one of the pair of fins that are situated one on each side of the fish just behind the gills) and hook through the lips. Place your reel in free spool, and then you begin lifting dropping the bait so that it walks down stream with the current, often up to 200 yards or more. Usually a good blue catfish hits hard, you’ll feel the blue catfish grab, then pull and pull. Now is when you have to lock your reel and bow to the fish and when your line tightens up, let him have it. That means set your hook and bring Mr. Whiskers on in for a boat ride to the skinning table.

Catfish fishing tips for flathead catfish:

Rod Shakespeare 8 ft catfish ugly stick.

Reel Abu Garcia ambassadeur 6500C3.

Line 65 pound power pro braid.

Tackle 4 oz bank sinker, Berkley McMahan swivel, 60 pound Berkley big game mono leader, 10/0 mustard demo circle hook.

Bait you need a 6 inch bluegill or 7 to 10 inch shad hooked behind the dorsal fin.

Catfish fishing tips for flathead catfish:

Catfishing for flatheads, you should wait for the sun to hit the horizon to target 30 plus pound flathead catfish. Catfishing just before and after sunset is prime time and your catfish fishing can stay good until midnight when river catfish fishing. I usually focus on rocks, deep holes and submerged tree trunks. If fishing in lakes, look for timber along bends or at the points, sometimes even the boat docks. Feed big flathead catfish live bait and don’t skimp on the portions. I like about a 6 inch perch (bluegill), but a 7 to 10 inch gizzard shad is just as good. The tactic couldn’t be simpler. Just anchor your boat, and then cast out several baits down stream if your catfishing rivers put your rods in holders and wait for the action to start. In fact if you wait a little longer you’ll see your rods bob and bend, but don’t pick them up until it’s doubled over and the line is peeling off the reel. The longer you wait the more time you give the circle hook to get the job done. Well the big bait is what the big catfish go for; this is the true secret to catching the big one. Good luck and thanks for visiting.