wild guide: nocturnal cats
time feed. This puts the best bite in late
July and most of August for the waters
I fish. This works well for folks like me
who have a disposition towards the cooler
temperatures that midsummer nights have
to offer. Having said that there can be a
solid bite in June and September.
Now, the next thing I key around is
anecdotal, but I find it’s carried weight
throughout the years. I love to planning
to fish during a full moon. I’ve read plenty
of stories over the years that back this up,
and while there’s no solid conclusion or
evidence to as why fishing is better, there
certainly does seem to be more activity.
This means planning night time catfish
fishing trips is easy. I simply book circling
the full moons in both July and August and
plan from there.
Channel cats can be found throughout
most of the rivers they inhabit. Having said
that there certainly does seem to be higher
numbers in locations with fast water that
drops into deeper holes. Fishing below
dams is always a safe bet, but can be busy
even at night. However, any stretch of
river can be productive if you learn what
to watch for. Look for visible diversity in
the river, sharp turns, sand bars that fall
away into a deep hole, small tributary
streams, or even offshoots from the main
river. Lately I’ve taken to doing a daytime
float down stream in my kayak to scout
out potential locations. I prefer the quieter
and secluded area’s that allow me to light a
fire (if conditions are wet enough to do so
safely) and even camp out.
One final thought on location; All too
often I see folks bomb their offerings as far
and they can into the river. My advice is to
go to the river during the day and watch
where all the bait fish congregate. You’ll
see most of them in large schools close to
shore. So logic would dictate that this is
where you’ll find most predatory fish, not
just catfish, and that’s exactly where you’ll
want to park your bait. You’ll also find
those offerings will sit on the bottom much
better and won’t have the tendency to drift
down the river as they do with long casts.
The rigs I use for catching catfish is
pretty basic, and in no way reinventing.
For most, the use of a medium/heavy rod
spooled with line that matches the fish and
conditions you’re fishing would work. I fish
the smaller rivers here in Manitoba, so for
me the monster rigs and heavy lines aren’t
necessary like in the larger rivers. A simple
Lindy rig with a one ounce flat weight and
a 02 sized hook will work wonders. Circle
hooks are great, there’s a far lower chance
of gut hooking a fish, which is important for
catch and release fishing. Bait is the topic
that seems to get the most interest, and
debate. To put it simply, I don’t have one
type that’s a stand alone favourite. What
works one trip doesn’t work the next. So
I’ll go prepared. I’ll buy chicken liver and
wrap it in pantyhose to help keep it on the
hook. Night crawlers and frozen minnows
do work. Another favourite of
mine is fresh cut bait.
Catching
a
sucker, goldeye or mooneye just before
dark makes for some great bait. There’s
no special way to cut the bait. I’ll just slice
off a piece and put it on the hook. Some
type of strike alarm is handy, be it bells or
a line alarm. Finally, a robust rod holder
is essential. Catfish strike hard, often
doubling a rod over in a flash.
Now, this is the comfort part of the story.
Night time bugs in the summer can literally
drive a person mad. Lighting a fire helps
alleviate them to a degree, but the game
changer is the use of a Thermacell. This
allows me to not have to use bug spray. I’ll
set up a Thermacell right in the cup holder
of a folding lawn chair and park myself in
it. Go out and try one if you haven’t, you’ll
never be afraid of the mosquito’s again.
Another little piece of gear that I’ve come
to embrace for night time fishing is a small
LED video camera light. They’re light in
weight and energy efficient. This will shed
light to help watch rods and deal with
landed fish. You can find them online at
a steal of a price. I’ve also set up lighting
using LED bulbs in a lamp, a 12 volt battery
and an inverter. Again, the LED bulbs are
very efficient and shed quite a bit of light.
A small head lamp rounds out the lighting
that I use. From there what you bring will
make things as comfortable as you want.
Blankets, sleeping bags, pillows, tents and
so on will go a long way to ensuring one can
spend as much time fishing as possible.
Much of what I wrote here isn’t
revolutionary or new. But applying what
you know about fishing cats and doing it
at night will really up ones catch rate and
simple enjoyment.
Check out a little night time catfishing in this
clip I shot last year with a couple of good
friends.
Wild Guide
. Summer 2017
28