The Hungry Flathead Catfish!

People who go flathead catfish fishing, should understand the trail left by these ravenous cats. Here is some great information from catfish fishing expert Jim.

Flathead Catfishing And What You Should Know

Flathead catfish have a ravenous appetite making them the most unfavorable kind of catfish in the waters of United States. It can be a heavy fish and is furious, making them a frightening predator. This is one of the focuses of anglers because their average weight starts at 45 kg. Most of the time, they are used for fishing games, entertainment, and as food.

The rivers of Georgia suffer from the effects left by flatheads. They eat almost everything they see especially shad, crayfish, crabs, American eels and native catfish. Their presence can reduce the number of dwelling fish in the area where they live.

This type of catfish has a place in game fishing and is true entertainment. Their meat is highly enjoyed by many because of the way they eat. Flatheads have a very rich concentration that you would surely enjoy. You can also experience this kind of meat in fish with an omnivorous appetite. You should know that local fishery offices have data concerning safety levels of Flathead consumption. In Pennsylvania, only one meal a month is recommended. In some areas, studies are still in process.

To preserve the existence of native fish, some states recommend anglers to fish Flatheads. Electrofishing is also encouraged to lessen their existence underwater. In Delaware, once an angler catches a Flathead, they are advised not to bring it back in the water even they are too small.
Flatheads have distinct features. You can easily identify them once they are mixed with other species.

These are the physical features of flathead:
• Has a longer jaw, it passed through their upper jaw
• Heads are broad and flatten
• Tails are square and appears serrated
• Small eyes
• Immature flatheads' back has a darker brown color
• When it comes to their color shades, they usually come in light yellows

You can see them in various bodies of water including rivers, reservoirs, lakes, and large streams. They love to stay in vegetation especially at daytime. They also dwell under fallen logs and large rocks. You typically cannot see them in shallow areas of water; they love to wander around the deep parts. Since this type of fish prefers to do their activities at night, you should identity their dwelling place when there is light. Usually, immature ones stay in grimy areas.

When it comes to their eggs, male Flatheads take the responsibility in protecting them. They secure their nests against predators; they become extremely forceful when they suspect danger is lurking.

Jim Lower is a fishing expert. For more great information on fishing for flathead catfish [http://www.catfishingsecrets.org/flathead-catfishing], visit [http://www.catfishingsecrets.org]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Jim_Lower/992845

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6216506

click here for catfishing tips from many experts

Catfish Fishing Rigs The Carolina Rig

 In this article Justin gives some amazing catfishing tips on the Carolina rig!

The Carolina Rig for Catfish

The Carolina Rig might be of the most versatile rigs that has ever hit the fishing scene. For anyone that is new to fishing, take a look around at what most guys fish with. Not just for catfish, but for all types of fishing. You will see some form of the carolina rig being used to catch almost every type of fish alive. The rig is simply that good. This article is going to point you in the right direction on how to use the carolina rig and be successful while doing so.

The carolina rig is simply a weight that is separated from the hook by certain distance. The distance isn't important, just that the two are separated. Most people use a swivel and a leader line to create this distance while others use split shot. There are so many ways to setup a carolina rig that I could spend a whole article on it. That won't help you as much as this information.

The carolina rig excels in current and sparse cover. When it comes to catfishing, the carolina rig is perfect for suspended presentations. When I am trying to decide how much distance I want my hook to be from my weight, I focus on two things. How heavy is the cover and how fast is the current?
If the cover is really thick, you run the risk of your live bait swimming into the cover and getting tangled. If you get a big catfish to bite like this, you will struggle to pull him out of there. A short leader line will reduce the chances of this happen and will give you more control over the location of your bait.

The current will affect how well a catfish can grab the bait. In current, a carolina rig will have the bait swaying wildly in the water. A 2 foot leader will sway more wildly than a 6 inch leader. In heavy current a catfish will have trouble trying to catch that bait on longer leaders. To reduce this problem, we will down size the leader.

In my opinion, when you have super heavy cover or a strong current, a leader of 6 inches is your best option. When you have sparse and medium current, I prefer 1 foot to 1 and a half feet. And for little to no current or cover, I will use a long 2-3 foot leader.
If you follow these suggestions, you will find yourself catching more catfish and getting hung less. That means a lot less frustration and a lot more fun. Next time, I will be talking about using a carolina rig to break one of my own rules for flathead catfish. I hope that you come back for that one cause it'll be an eye opening technique.

Cat fishing is a great way to enjoy your free time and catch large fish. If you are interested in learning more about Big Catfish, you can visit http://www.HowToCatfishToday.com.
Thank You,
Justin Mott

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Justin_A_Mott/1396655

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7405122

Research and practice are essential in any endevour especially catfishing, check out our three catfish fishing techniques articles

How To Catch Big Channel Catfish With Moving Lures,

 Really interesting article from Dan explaining his channel catfish fishing exploits and how he dicovered how to catch big channel catfish.

Channel Catfish Stories - The 20 Pounders Love To Attack Moving Lures

The catfish is a fish of legends and stories. What follows are three stories of some monster channel cats and what lures they attacked. Lures, that is- nothing dead. In my time fishing for other fish, I have caught channel catfish on the oddest lures(for cat fishing that is). I will only write of the largest here. Once I was fishing for musky, with an 8 inch long floating creek chub with a steel lip. I let the bait float on the surface a bit, before retrieving on each cast. I threw out the lure on one cast, let it sit, and bam woosh swoosh, a "musky" had my lure in its mouth. This fish went absolutely nuts; it started tearing off line like nothing I'd ever seen before, I was thrilled. This fish was really using the river to its advantage, and headed straight down river at an amazing clip.

Luckily, I had my reel filled with 125 yards of high quality line, because this fish needed to be stopped. I put the breaks on him, and started pulling his head out of the current. Well, he didn't like this, and moved into the slower water, but just sat there for a good minute, I could not do much pulling against the current. I had to walk to shore to pull him straight towards me. And he was resisting as much as he could, but the line was too strong for him. I slowly pulled the beast towards me, and was met with a gray face of whiskers. Turns out, the "musky", was a giant 26lb channel cat. I was a bit mad at first, but then I figured it's a fish, it had the nerve to attack this huge lure, so he's a pretty worthy adversary. And he's pretty darn huge, may have even broken some state records, who knows, I released him or her, to fight again. And getting those trebles out of his mouth was quite a surgery to remember.

Another time, I was using a big risto rap crank bait to fish for musky again. Cast out the risto rap, reel it about ten cranks, and the rod nearly rips out of my hand. I have a "musky", this great, I was thinking-yet again. This was in a river with a bank composed of huge boulders, not a good place for an epic battle. The fish goes ballistic, and starts heading down river and stripping line like a maniac. I start jumping from rock to rock, like a possessed fisherman, almost killing myself about 20 times, and after a 15 minute battle I get to see the head of a huge 21lb channel cat. Again, a little mad at first, but then I think, we'll this fish is a great fish, it's easier to catch than a musky, it's just as strong, if not stronger, and its big.

Then a few years later the mother of all channel cats attacked the tiniest of lures. I was fishing for walleye one night, with a ¼ oz jig head and a white scentless 3" curly tail plastic grub. Yes 3" inches. It was pitch black outside, and the walleye were on a feeding frenzy. I got a few nice 20 inchers, and was pretty pleased. I throw out into the middle of the river, where no walleye were, but just as an experimental cast. Reel in the grub, and it stops, line starts peeling of the reel. I was using some stout 15 lb test line that night, and was pretty panicked as soon as I hooked this mystery fish. I think I have just hooked the world record walleye, this thing is huge, and it is moving across the river at the speed of light. I think for a second, and quickly realize that this is no walleye. It's gotta be a musky or pike, and it's a giant, not a 20lber, or a 30lber, this thing is 40lbs, maybe more.

After 30 minutes of letting this monster have line, reeling, back reeling, reeling, he was finally tiring, and I was able to pull on him. I have never had so much adrenaline in my body as on this night, it was insane. It was a Moby Dick moment. He was still flying back out into the river when he was touching or seeing bottom. This thing was invincible. I got anxious, and really started horsing him, I had seen the line in action, and was confident it was extremely strong. I just wanted to see what is was, I didn't think I was ever going to land this thing. So I start to really lay into him, not giving him an inch of back reel or drag, and he starts to submit. I pull this pike/musky/mystery world record walleye, into the shore, and to my amazement there is a channel cat that is easily over 40 inches and the fattest thing I have seen in my life. I released the beast and had no scale or tape measurer that night, which may have been for the better. After these experiences, I no longer think, oh great, it's a catfish. I think, yes, this has got to be a channel cat, and hold on for a great fight.

Getting ready to tie into some hogs this spring. Check out these amazing catfish baits [http://www.squi doo.com/thecatfishfishing] and watch some crazy catfish videos [http://www.squi doo.com/thecatfishfishing] of guys noodling for catfish.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Scott_R/176419

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/1118050

Check out my three part catfish fishing techniques articles here

Catfish Ice Fishing Tips

Ever asked the question, can you ice fish for catfish? Well the answer is YES and lets let Dan reveal some great catfish ice fishing tips, so you can go catching catfish through the ice!

 Fishing for Catfish Under The Ice

Whenever we think about fishing for catfish, most of us get these mental images of warm, sunny weather, bare feet, cane poles, and a generally summery outlook on things. So, when we start talking about icefishing, no one ever mentions catfish as a possible quarry.

However, factually, lots of catfish are taken through the ice each year, and some species, especially Blue Catfish and Channel Catfish, are actually fairly eager biters in the cold water. So, the issue, really is one of first deciding to get yourself outside, and do some icefishing, and then, of setting up your rig to do the job.

There appear to be two "schools" of icefishing thought (pardon the pun), where cats are concerned. The original, old-school, lazy one, is that of finding a nice, comfy-looking spot that at least appears to be a likely hookup point for a decent fish, drilling a hole in the ice, and sitting next to your fire tub, or in your "fish house" (tent on the ice), and enjoying the outing, as much as the catching of any fish that might happen by. The second way of seeing things, is that each outing is a competition for a record volume catch, and as such, the fish must be militarily tracked down, cornered and exposed, and then taken by the bucketload.

For sure, a scientific and tactically-planned approach to your outing will probably yield the most fish. However, this viewpoint also requires the most equipment, as its proponents work among perhaps two dozen holes in the ice, and track the fish from spot to spot with sonar fish finders, while racing to the next hole on snowmobiles, and attempting to "head off" the fish at each hole as they move.
While the top producers in this "sport" can bag over forty fish an hour, there is still something to be said for skill and patience, in selecting your spot, baiting up, and playing on a level field, without a pile of electronics and machines to remove all hope for the catfish. After all, the sport of fishing includes both finding the fish, and the actual fight, once you set your hook. It just takes more nerve and determination, on the ice.

Regardless of your approach, you'll need the usual sturdy gear for cats - a strong rod with a decent spinning or star-drag reel, good braided or monofilament line, proper terminal rigging, and some nice, stinky bait. If you want to use a more conventional icefishing rig, a flag float or tip-rig will work OK, but remember the size of the fish you are after - these kitties are going to be a tough fight, and handling them without a rod is even tougher.

As far as bait goes, smell is even more important in cold water, than in the warm months, as the scent doesn't spread as fast, or present as strongly in the water, so the more potent the bait, the better. Small dead fish are still an excellent choice, especially for Blue cats. Puncturing the bait, or dipping it in some stinky adjunct, may be another possible improvement, to really get the scent going. Some anglers feel that the color of the bait is of importance in icefishing for cats, due to the reduced spread of scent in the cold, but in deep water, it's quite dark, and catfish are known to have weak eyesight, so the importance of this factor is open for discussion.

In nature, cats eat fairly dull-colored, smelly food, so, give 'em what they want. With smelly, natural bait, the only other issue is where to fish it, assuming the fish will take it, if they find it.

Dan Eggertsen is a fishing researcher and enthusiast who is committed to providing the best catfish fishing information possible. Get more information on icefishing for catfish here: http://www.askcatfishfishing.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Daniel_Eggertsen/2693

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/795458

http://catfishfishingtips.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/how-to-ice-fish-for-catfish.html

Catfish Fishing Tips And Techniques

Here Dan gives some basic but strong catfish fishing tips, that everybody should know about catfishing. Dan covers catfish river fishing and much more in this article that is stuffed full of catfish tips and techniques!

Catfish Tips and Techniques - Must Know Tips For Every Angler

Catfishing is great fun, and you can do it almost anywhere. Once you get used to it, you'll be amazed how many you can take home, and how many big suckers you get. Here are some basic tips everybody should know about catfishing to get more bites.

- Timing is everything. Go out and fish in the early mornings and evenings. That's when catfish are looking for food, like you're bait. At those times, they come into the shallows where they're easier to catch. You can always catch cats at any time of the day, but it takes lots more skill.
- Go where the cats are. If you are fishing in a stream, look for a deep spot. Catfish tend to hang out along the bottom and look for food there. If you are fishing near a river, try casting your line right around where the river spills into the creek. This is where you'll find lots of those river cats looking for food.

- Catching cats in a river. The best place to catch catfish in a river is just upstream from some kind of obstruction, like rocks or log jams. This is an area where they'll be creeping around on the bottom looking for food, moving more slowly, and it's more likely that they'll find your lure. If you're going to fish on the open river, you can catch cats this way too, but it's better if there's been a recent rain.
- Use live baits. Catfish prefer live baits, and especially stuff that is stinky. They have serious noses on them, and they love smelly stuff like shrimp, guts, other fish, bits of tuna, hot dogs, etc.
- Switch up your bait. Just like human beings, catfish get sick of eating the same old thing all the time. If you rotate your bait every now and then and experiment with new things, you'll get lots more bites. They aren't picky eaters, they'll eat just about anything.

- The right hook. In general, if you want to catch bigger fish, you should use bigger hooks. For catfish, the best hooks to use are 3/0 or 4/0. A little experimenting will give you a better idea for yourself. Compared with other kinds of fish, it's pretty easy to catch catfish with smaller hooks, so I would go small to begin with. You'll catch some big fish with small hooks, but if the hooks are too big, you won't get any of the little ones.

- Chumming. This is a technique that will definitely get you more bites. Chum is little balls of prepared fish food that you can either buy at a shop or make yourself. All you do is throw the chum into the water and then fish like you regularly do. The chum will attract the cats and you can sit back and reel them in. It takes a bit of trial and error, because some spots are better for chumming than others.

Dan Eggertsen is a fishing researcher and enthusiast who is committed to providing the best saltwater fishing information possible. Get more information on catfish tips and techniques here: http://www.askcatfishfishing.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Daniel_Eggertsen/2693

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/853677

Grab some more catfishing tips here

Blue Catfish Fishing Tips

Robert dishes out some great blue catfish fishing tips in this article, several blue catfish fishing techniques, where they lay and the best way to catch blue catfish!

Blue Catfish -Learn Some Tips and Info to Help You Catch More 

Blue Catfish are as their name implies are chalky blue-grey colored over the main area of their body, and their bellies or underside areas are usually cream to white colored. They are one of the most tastiest of the catfish species, and are a prized fish to catch for many fishermen.

Blue Catfish can grow to be quite huge, in fact they have been caught weighing over 100 pounds, and they can live over a quarter of a century. Depending upon where you live, and water temperature, blue catfish spawn in either late spring to almost the middle months of summer.

The best baits for Blue Catfish are cut fish bait, with one of the best cut fish baits being bluegills and sunfish. Some people say they have good luck using nightcrawlers, grasshoppers and crayfish, but cut fish bait seems to be the best bait by far. If you don't have bluegills or sunfish, suckers and most other fish will work, but maybe not as good as the bluegills or sunfish.

Cut your fish bait into strips or chunks, the bloodier and fresher they are, the better they seem to work. Like other catfish species, Blues seem to bite and feed better at night, or during very cloudy daytime conditions.

Blue Catfish live in lakes and rivers, but mostly rivers. In lake they tend to stay in the middle or deepest areas, and in rivers they prefer to deep channels that have strong, but non turbulent current. They like hanging below bridge piers and dams, or around large debris like fallen trees and huge boulders in the deep areas.

You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter or on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.

Robert W. Benjamin has been an avid fishermen for years, in fact in 2010 he went on almost 50 different fishing trips, to local ponds, lakes and rivers. Robert enjoys catching everything from panfish such as crappies and bluegill, to bullheads, catfish, eels, pickerel, walleye and numerous other fish. If you want to increase your chances of catching more of your favorite fish, visit the website below:
Fishing Stringer
http://www.fishingstringer.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Robert_Benjamin/16002

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/5510655

Flathead Catfishing

Researching catfish fishing includes discovering all the catfish, here Ronald explains about the flathead catfish.

What Is So Special About Flathead Catfishing?

Out of 2500 catfish species around 30 different breeds are found in the waters of United States alone, Flathead catfish being one of them. Mostly bottom dwellers of slow moving waters, Flatheads have gained the title of the most popular game and food fish. They are found abundantly in the Mississippi river and its smaller tributaries. Over the years the Flatheads have been introduced across the nation in smaller lakes and bigger impoundments. Submerged rocks and logs offer a safe haven to these shy creatures in shallow and deep waters, making the perfect spots for flathead catfishing.

The most distinguishing feature of a Flathead catfish is its long and flat head, therefore the name Flathead. The eyes of a Flathead are oval and the lower jaw is much bigger than the upper jaw. The coloring of the Flatheads is mottled brown and yellow which lends it invisibility in murky waters. An average Flathead catfish is around forty to fifty pounds but is strong enough to give any angler a tough fight. A fully grown Flathead can weigh up to 100 pounds.

Flatheads on hatching, experience a growth spurt. At only fifteen to nineteen inches they gain sexual maturity albeit, their body weight and size keeps increasing throughout their life time. Flatheads enjoy a life span of twenty five years. These 'Cats' possess a voracious appetite and would devour anything that they can bite into, fish being widely preferable over all else. Bream, Perch and Sunfish are delicacies that would drag a Flat out of its hiding even in the brighter hours.
When Flatheads were propagated in Georgian Rivers, these vicious predators wiped out most of the redbreast population. Introducing Flats in smaller bodies of water in which they are non native always proves disastrous for the smaller fish breeds. Catfish are generally nocturnal predators but the Flatheads exhibit no such tendencies. They hunt during the day as well the night and tend to do it by sight. Anglers who practice fishing in the dark hours use light to attract the Flatheads, which wade in closer to the angler's boats in pursuit of bait.

Locating catfish isn't difficult if you know where to look. River bends which are partially covered and have shadowy depths are a good place to start. Flatheads like to take cover from the exposed surroundings by hiding in rocks, logjams and tree stumps found under water.
When cat fishing on a river, the outside bends are rejected in favor of the inside bends by the anglers because of the difference in the flow. Finding the right spots the fishers cast under the edges, wait for the weight to settle, and for the big one to come along.

When fishing in lakes and reservoirs, a seasoned angler goes straight for darker and secluded areas where under water brush piles form the perfect abodes for Flatheads. In lakes and reservoirs, creek channels also hold possibilities. The Flatheads cross these channels to get to the shallows and hunt for food. Anglers who are aware of these habits set up their rigs around these areas for catching the crafty Flathead.

Seasoned anglers advise going after the Flatheads in the earliest part of the day. Early evenings or after dark hours during the summer months are also recommended. Although, Flatheads hunt during the day and night, they are just a bit weary when the sun is up. Bait has to be offered to them from the least possible distance because a Flathead wouldn't step up to take it. Remember to use a good steady weight which will keep the bait on the river bottom, right where the Flathead is.

Ron Sharp is a catfishing expert. For great information on Flathead catfishing, visit flathead catfishing [http://www.catfishingcatch.com/flathead-catfishing/]

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Ronald_Sharp/1015286

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/6175169