early season cat tactics

Whats the best method to be chasing cats with this time of year?

bait and presenttaion?

Are you talking lakes or rivers?
I don’t fish lakes much, but on rivers this time of year, I think you would have to find a good wintering hole, warm water discharge, or dam tailwater and drop a small piece of cutbait on their nose.

im talkiing river, this is in the mississippi forum right?

It is a Mississippi River sub forum but please feel free to talk rivers and lakes,[please specify which], as some of us guys, especially me, have ALOT to learn.

Thanks, Bill

ps. That does bring up a good question though as when I think of fishing cats I guess I think of rivers and even though I plan to try catching a few on Lake Zumbro, the lake is really just a deeper wider part of the Zumbro River so really its just a river. But learning about both lakes and rivers would be helpfull to alot of people. Thanks.

when the current is really ripping good in spring high water they can be tough to find but it is good to try an area that is below the dam a ways and has a major current break. Dead shad is the bait of choice this time of year. I am referring to channel cats as the flatties are still sleeping. I get a kick of it sometimes as the walleye guys think I am on eyes and fish all around me.

The answer to your question about what is the best bait and presentation method for chasing cats at this time of year is a tough one. I’m not sure there is a quick and easy answer. I always pull out a my In-Fisherman Catfish books about this time of year to try to define exactly where we are on the seasonal calendar and then use that information to try to develop some tactics and techniques. I recommend the In-Fisherman Critical Concepts Book 1 – Catfish Fundamentals as one of the bibles of catfishing.

This is a tough time of year for most of us catfisherman. We want to get out on the water after a long winter but we are still iced in and when we can find open water the cold water is not conducive to good cat fishing. There are some specific river spots that have a cooperative early season channel cat bite but they are the exception rather than the rule.

Today it is the 14th of March and much of the upper Mississippi, St Croix River, and Minnesota River still have areas of ice with water in the 32 to 34 degree range. In the last week we had a jump in water temperature at the Hastings Dam to 39 degrees and then a winter storm immediately brought the temp back to 32 degrees. Using the 10 In-Fisherman Calendar Periods as a frame of reference – I would place us at a transition period between the Winter Frozen Water Period and the Spring Coldwater Period. The general fish mood could probably be classified as negative to neutral.

I think it is still a little too early to be chasing cats in your normal summer haunts. If I was fishing today, I would expect to find fish in rivers in deep holes or pockets away from the main current flow. In small rivers, a holding hole might be 6 feet deep or less. In bigger rivers, holes may be 20 to 40 feet deep. I would try to find holes with a good forage base nearby, shad or other bait fish. I would fish cut bait and I would be very patient – it might be a matter of timing. I’m not sure the fish are going to be feeding through the whole day.

Depending on the weather, within the next 3 weeks to a month the channels should start feeding. A water temperature of 45 degrees should get them going and when it hits the upper 50 degree range we should have a consistent bite. I went back 3 years in my Fishing Journal and I found I consistently started catching channels on the St Croix on or about 6 May. I know you want to cat fish today and go ahead and fish but be patient, it is still pretty early for a good cat bite.

As FisherDave has shown me is a couple of fatheads on a #2 hook and rip one in half or cut shiner. Nightcrawler can be a very productive spring time bait also. There’s always something that will want a crawler, might not be a cat but it’s a fish.