backwater cats (the fish this time)

hey all,

just a quick question to all you catfish fanatics out there. when you start fishing the backwater in the spring for cats, what do you look for. is the key to find some deep holes and fish those?? or are shallow areas fine too??

how about types of back waters?? more of a winding channel with some current or big weedy areas??

what about bait types?

i’ve never really fished catfish in the mississippi backwaters before but am looking to try it this spring. i know the backwaters around wabasha and kellogg pretty well because all the duck hunting i’ve done down there. but not fishing wise. if anyone would be willing to share any of the more productive areas for spring backwater cattin’ that would be great. not any secret spots or nothing, just general areas would be fine. p.m. me if you don’t want it out there for everyone to see.

Some current is definitely preferred, at least for forktails. I wouldn’t concern myself too much with finding ‘deep’ water, only that there is adequate water nearby for the cats to lurk when they’re not strapping on the feedbag.

Truth be told, I usually fish spring cats where I can find winterkilled shad. Shallow is the name of the game during those times, and one foot of water is not too little. When the water comes up in the spring, I run into rock coves and cuts where they can escape heavy current.

During the summer is easiest – find the biggest nastiest snag on the river and throw something smelly at it.

My best backwater luck comes from large flat areas ,an acre or 2. current comming in in a couple of different places. Lots of eater size flats there.

hey gianni,

what if i don’t know when , where, or even if there is a shad kill. how would i find that out?

if there isn’t some kind of large bait fish kill what should i try?

Jake, you will “know” when there is a shad kill!!

Yes he will know as I about lost my cookies yesterday at the coralville resivore I have never smelled anything that could come close to that! Sure did not make fishing walleye very pleasant and they did not co opererate either!

is the smell so bad that i could smell it 45-50 miles away from the river? thats how far it would need to travel for me to be able and smell any dead shad.

Warm water with food, the cats will be there. Find a slackwater area with nearby current, behind a point, in a bay, etc, and anchor on the current edge. If you’re from Minnesota, finding fish will be a longer process, because you can only have one line in the water. I usually toss one onto the shelf out of the current, then drift one down along the break.

Cut bait is best in the spring. Crawlers will work, but there will be a lot of incidentals and undesirables raining on your catfish parade (carp, suckers, etc). Big B has told me that a fish eye on the hook above the crawler will keep the rough fish at bay, but I have not had a chance to try it yet.

thanks gianni, that’s some good info that will get me started.

i’ve got a pretty good little stream right next to my house that will produce all the little chubs i desire. will these work for cut bait?

Work good, last long time. I would think if they’re small enough, you could use them live or leave them whole & fish them dead.

I remember during the GTG last year, we ran down the back channel to the head of Pepin. Where the back channel comes in, there was a pretty big, shallow bay on the Wisconsin side. If I were looking for spring cats, the current break between the back channel and the bay looked like a pretty good place to start, although one of the pool 4 regulars could probably tip you off to a better locale.

we use to use chicken liver and fish an area that had dead 4 feet of water right next to some good current that had about 15 feet of water and we use to get into these fish pretty good, catch some good 20 lb fish there. From shore it was an easy place to get too.

Hey Jake…
Email me and maybe we can get together for the cats…I only started fishing for them last year on the river but did well..visit my homepage for proof . Have you tried for them yet? [email protected]