Summertime, And The Catfishing Is Easy
Written: Aug 19 '01 (Updated Aug 19 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Channel catfishing is sport fishing; will put up a dogged fight.
Cons: Reputation as a trash fish; taste muddy if not prepared correctly, (see below).
The Bottom Line: Enjoyable day's fishing will provide you with feisty mid-weight catch, that offers sports fishing action and good eating.
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| kcfoxy's Full Review: Channel Catfish |
What, might you ask, is a Music, Books and Home & Garden Advisor doing tackling a barbed outdoorsy subject like fishing? Glad you asked. Having grown up in the San Joaquin River Delta area, I have learned the lore at my Daddy's knee of stalking the wild Channel Cat. Today's my birthday, and as a present to myself, and the Epinions Community I've decided to share on a totally different topic.
A Small Amount Of History
The Channel Catfish, cousin to the local White Catfish, hails from both Eastern and South Central United States.
Imported to California in the 1940s, the Channel Cat is a recent arrival, but is now found in rivers, lakes and reservoirs across the state. For record-sized fish, you would do best to visit the southern-most regions of our state, in San Diego County.
The Season Is The Reason
New York's own composer/musician George Gershwin, had it right in Summertime, when he wrote that fish are jumping and the living is easy. While cotton is too water-and-labor intensive to be a popular crop in Central California, the prime time for Channel Cats is July through September.
This is their breeding season, and they are frenzied, liable to bite at almost any dead bait you toss out.
I'll get into the various baits, hooks, line and rigs below, but the overall best luck you'll have with Channel Catfish in California will be between May 15 and October 15th. If visiting our state, it's also handy to know that Catfish season here on the mighty San Joaquin River, and in most other locales, is year 'round.
Timing Is Everything
Channel cats feed at night. This is the time to fish shallow, either right on the surface or just a few feet beneath. In sunny weather and the heat of the day, your Cat will be napping close to the muddy bottom, or resting just a few feet above. You'll have to tempt them with something disgusting, (stink bait or anchovies), during these lulls, and I'll share a local tip: fish early or late.
Highly Structured Fish
Here on the San Joaquin River, the largest inland seaport on the West Coast, channels are dredged to about 35 feet.
During the heat of summer, a few Cats will lie in these deep, cool holes, but the majority prefer structure. Points, sandbars, undercut banks and pilings make likely spots for Channel Cats. Underwater brush, discarded tires and worse, favorite finned haunts, are known to snag your line, so keep that in mind as you fish.
Best Bait Bets?
Channel catfish are scavengers, and in our muddy brown Delta waters, so similar to the much larger, but no less cloudy Mississippi, they hunt by smell rather than sight. As mentioned previously, Catfish prefer dead, and if possible, stinking bait.
Anchovies are legal here, and have their own group of fans, sometimes producing strikes where nothing else will work. Commercial liquid Stink Bait can be combined with cornmeal, sugar and other smelly ingredients, allowed to ferment and used as a chum during overcast days. Shiners, night crawlers and dough balls are other bait catfish crave, and the smart fisher person will check at local marinas such as the popular Hermann and Helen's Resort to see what they are biting on the day you decide to fish.
Hooks, Lines and Sinkers
Treble hooks and swivel connectors are recommended here, especially for Stink Bait aficionados. If you prefer single hooks, a 2 is adequate for the smaller fish. For the larger Cats, California Fish & Game Department recommends a 3/0. A variety of equipment is advised since the size of these fish vary widely. Some areas will yield the smaller 1 to 2 pound fish, while others give up the more typical 4 to 8 pounders. The record stands at around 56 pounds, but I know that wasn't caught in these murky waters.
A small sinker works best, in these mild river currents, (1 to 2 ounces egg type), especially during mid day hours. Place this just above your strong swivel connector, followed by an 18 inch leader, otherwise you will spook the fish, who is more wont to take a lazy nibble or two before really latching onto your hook.
A spinning rod is ideal, and the right size depends on where you are fishing. From a boat, a semi-flex 6 to 8 foot basic rod makes sense, whereas the less recommended shoreline riff raff spot will need an stiffer 10 to 12 foot surfcasting rod.
Clear or slightly green line needs to be first quality, as Channel Cats put up a nice fight. 12 to 16-pound test will meet your needs, for the smaller fish, though I'm always optimistic with a minimum 20-pound line myself. (A few locals swear by braided line for this smart and tricky fish). That Big Ole Lunker is out there somewhere and I might just be the one to nab him!
The heavier line will give you a nice edge in setting your hook, and helps to free your line from the aforementioned brush entanglements. Just remember to cast out, allowing the bait to sink and drift; moving it several feet every 3 to 5 minutes. If the fish are biting, your completely covered hook should yield a few tentative nibbles then the more decisive chomp. When you see bubbles, you've played out your tiring fish, and there are a few other things handy to have on hand.
Attention To Details
Besides a nasty pair of whiskers, Channel Catfish have razored fins that can do you some serious damage. Wear gloves and haul in your still wriggling prize with a hand held net, to prevent getting finned. Of course you have your ice chest all ready to go. A decent filleting knife is advised to have, and I carry a couple jugs of fresh water. One for the fisher folk and another to rinse my Piscean bounty.
Remember to take a hat, and use sunscreen with a minimum SPF 15 at least an hour before you go out in the blazing Delta sun. I dress in layers, since the temperature will drop about 30 to 40 degrees, as the evening breezes come up the Carquinez Straights from the Pacific beyond.
Cook's Secrets & Kcfoxy Recipes
Yes, catfish have a bad reputation. First, as a trash fish, that appeal to what's been stereotyped as a lazy, shiftless clientele. Secondly, as a nasty tasting, (muddy or musty are common adjectives for the river variety; add algae to the lake and reservoir type), poor eating species.
I've got the sore arms to prove that Channel Catfish are sports fish, and as more and more people come to find the fight, and flavor of these scrumptious finned ones, the bad rep is slowly fading.
A new friend, Catfish Ed, maintains an excellent website at www.catfished.com. Besides giving the best advice on Catfishing in his neck of the woods, Clear Lake, CA, Ed's got savvy advice on the proper filleting/preparation of this critter for cooking:
The key is to remove the belly section and the dark red meat, (coagulated blood), from the fillets.
(I've noticed this myself with mahi mahi. That meat is sweet and firm fleshed, unless you get a wedge of that dark red, (it looks gray cooked) stuff toward the bottom of the fillet. Now that stuff's just plain nasty, and doesn't have the same texture as the otherwise delicious flesh).
Catfish Ed's got a wonderful handful of recipes at his site, and not long ago I sent him a new one for Pan Cats With Beer, and a basic one for the traditional side dish, Hush Puppies, that you can doctor up any way you see fit. Of course, Ed has yet to break me of my old time habit of soaking these catfish fillets in salted milk or buttermilk, to mellow their flavor!
Another great resource would have to be Ralph L. Young's helpful pamphlet, The Catfish Manual And Cookbook, available free for the asking from The Resource Agency, California Department Of Fish & Game, with includes 23 Recipes.
My Introduction To Catfishing
At the tender age of 6, a wonderful Children's Amusement Park, called Pixie Woods opened in my hometown of Stockton, Ca. Located adjacent to Louis Park, and Dad's Point, a notoriously successful catfishing spot on the San Joaquin River, a small slough of the same waters, flowed through the park.
Besides the Mushroom Theater, Seal Pool, a retired Fire Truck, Giant Slide, (yes, pretty low tech by today's standards) and Captain's Boat Ride, there was my favorite, The Old Catfishin' Hole. I can't remember what chunks of smelly bait were used, but I did know we managed to catch our share of the small fish using just bamboo poles and simple hooks on 1 or 2 pound test.
My next Catfish memories come at about age 13. My Dad had purchased a nifty little 17' Chris Craft, and we set out for an early day of fishing. I remember driving us onto a sandbar, as Brasil '66's choice cut, Mas Que Nada reverberated over the Delta from my funky little 8 Track.
My Dad wasn't as upset about the sandbar, (the incoming tide soon had us back in action), as he was about the music:
Catfish are like blind fish. They have a wonderful sense of smell and very sensitive hearing. Now, we're going into that little cut over there, and I don't want any talking above a whisper...and I mean a whisper.
I don't know a thing about your Daddy, but when mine spoke, we listened. Especially when he used that deceptively calm and gentle Clint Eastwood kind of voice. Decked out in a baseball cap and a golf shirt, with a cigarette dangling out of his lips, all he lacked was a squint and a poncho to complete the picture.
Yes, silence is golden when fishing for Channel Catfish. His words must have given me the edge that day, for I was lucky enough to catch 3 decent-sized fish, while most members of our party went home sun-burned and empty handed. Father's daughter and resident tomboy that I was, my perceived willingness to cut bait and gut fish earned me a rare invitation back again, to hunt the wily, feisty Delta Channel Cats.
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended Line/Rod Weight: 13 Wt And Up
Recommended Lure/Bait/Fly: Dead And Smelly Baits: Shiners, Anchovies And Stink Bait Work Best
Region Where Found: San Joaquin River Delta of North-Central CA
Recommend Guide, Outfitter or Boat: No Special Recommendation Here
Flavor: Pretty good
Recommended Tackle: Spinning
Recommended Line/Leader Weight: 2 To 50 Lb Test
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kcfoxy
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Member: Casey Stewart
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