A handful of patterns will work on just about any lake in the Carolinas when catfish move into shallow water. Here’s how to set them up.
Catching big catfish in skinny water is something a lot of anglers talk about, but few really embrace the concept. While a time and place for fishing all depths of water exists on lakes in the Carolinas, fishing skinny water right now can be highly productive with the right tactics.
Scott Peavy, 42, of Blythewood, S.C., guides for catfish on multiple lakes, including the Santee Cooper reservoirs, Marion and Moultrie, as well as several lakes on the Catawba River system. Peavy jokes that he was born with a cane pole in his right hand, so he’s literally fished these waters his entire life.
“It’s about having forage and the right physical conditions in shallow water to attract and hold catfish,” Peavy said. “Not all the catfish are going to be in shallow water, or any specific depth, at any one time. Fishing patterns are fluid, but finding huge catfish in very shallow water is a very consistent pattern for me from mid-March through April.
“And it’s not just on the lakes where I work as a fishing guide; most of the lakes I’ve fished have the same shallow-water connection, and the fish-catching principles are the same,” said Peavy (803-569-7917). “Not fishing shallow water at this time means missed opportunities for big fish in exciting, shallow-water situations.”
Peavy said multiple shallow-water patterns exist, and sheltered areas can be extremely productive.
Depressions
“I believe a lot of really big catfish have year-round home areas relating to shallow water,” Peavy said.
One of his favorite patterns is to fish depressions in the back of creeks or coves; these areas of slightly deeper water attract forage, and big cats set up long-term residence in these places.
“But the target area where I catch big fish is often very small, for example, maybe a 20- to 30-foot area in a 400-foot wide flat,” he said. “I’ll target something different on the bottom, such as an isolated depression or a small ditch coursing through the flat. Catfish are attracted to these areas, and they can be identified by fishermen to predict a cat’s travel route.”
Peavy fishes these areas from an anchored position; he said they can be productive throughout the day, but he prefers early and late in the day, and other times with low-light conditions.
“In low-light conditions, big catfish prowl these shallow flats more aggressively while searching for food,” he said. “I’ll set up and anchor as quietly as possible,and often, the wait is short. I’ve often got fish loaded up before I get all my rods out. But 30 to 40 minutes is plenty of time to fish this type of spot unless I’m catching fish.”
Shallow Points, Humps
Mid-lake points and humps are ideal hangouts for big fish, and Peavy said these shallow-water places are often overlooked by early spring anglers thinking only deep water is productive.
“Shallow-water humps and points that drop into much deeper water are ideal all-day long,” he said. “These places may be very shallow, 3 to 10 feet deep. Multiple sources of forage, including threadfin and gizzard shad, and the small fish that eat shad, such as perch, are attracted to humps and points. Some of these shallow areas are mussel beds, too, another great catfish attractor. It’s an ideal situation to attract big catfish to the shallow water to eat.”
Peavy said when fishing these areas, he’ll usually anchor in deeper water and cast baits back to the shallow, target area. If working a large hump, he may anchor on top of the hump and fan-cast baits to cover multiple areas and depths.
“I never assume the fish will be in any specific depth, and I’ll have baits in the 3-foot range all the way down to deeper water,” he said. “But often, the best bite will often be very shallow. The fish will let you know petty quick the best depth. I’ll give these spots 20 to 30 minutes, because if fish are present in these depths, they’re usually looking for food.”
Windy Shallows
A common situation in early spring is heavy winds piling up huge waves in shallow water. Peavy said it’s a prime situation on the huge Santee Cooper lakes, but it occurs on most lakes with the right wind.
“The ideal situation is when the wind is howling and blowing directly into shallow-water areas, and specifically, when it blowing onto shallow mussel beds,” Peavy said. “But it can be a shallow, offshore hump or along the shoreline. This creates some of the most exciting and productive fishing of the year.”
Peavy anchors in 8 to 10 feet of water and casts baits to ultra-skinny water, often only 2 feet deep down to depths of 5 to 6 feet.
“This is the ideal time to catch a super-sized cat in skinny water,” he said. “When you hook a 30- to 40-pound fish in that depth, they’re going to do some serious surface-wallowing because they’ve got nowhere else to go. And it’s a great opportunity to catch really big catfish.”
Peavy said it’s important to understand the capabilities of your boat and be safe in windy conditions. But if you have the boat to handle the wind, this situation creates exceptional trophy-catfish-catching potential.
Ditches, creeks on flats
Similar to fishing depressions in sheltered coves, this pattern can occur in the open-water portion of the lake. Peavy said deeper cuts will attract and hold catfish, but a secondary, unique feature will often create a place for catfish to congregate in a general area.
“It may be an outside bend or a deep hole in the ditch or creek where multiple catfish can congregate,” he said. “A straight stretch of deeper water may be good for travel, but not so much for fish to congregate, so I look for something unique that attracts and holds fish. But the deeper cut of water serves as a travel route for fish.
Moving Water
March and April are prime time for heavy rains in the Carolinas, and current has a strong tendency to attract catfish according to Peavy.
“Catfish and current go hand-in-hand; this is a year-round pattern, but one that’s common during spring,” he said. “Heavy rain creates current situations in the upper end of lakes as well as in large feeder creeks.”
Peavy said multiple situations exist for finding the best spots; these areas will usually be associated with eddies or something breaking the current flow.
“It may be a deep hole that has current flowing over it or an underwater point or hump that disrupts current flow,” he said. “A bridge crossing near the back of a creek is a good example. Anything that disrupts the current creates an opportunity for a catfish to chow down on forage.”
In this situation, Peavy anchors upcurrent from the target and work his baits to the target.
Summary
Peavy said all of these places can produce on any given day; he likes having several options, because on any lake, weather and water conditions often favor some patterns over the others.
“I keep an open mind about which type place to fish” he said. “By pinpointing my targets and fishing from anchored positions, I can present my baits to these fish up close and personal in skinny water.
“And these are the biting fish I’m hunting,” Peavy said. “And usually at this time of the year, I can catch them shallow all day.”
Go big for spring cats
Guide Scott Peavy said when targeting big catfish in the shallows in early spring, he’ll use big baits. His go-to choices include gizzard shad, white perch and herring.
“Certain times of the year, small baits can be very effective on big fish,” he said, “but in March and April, I’m going with a big chunk of fresh, cut bait, A lot of the fish are blue catfish, but in lakes where flatheads thrive, these fresh baits are lethal for flatheads, too.
“I love to fish the heads of gizzard shad and white perch for bait, but big chunks of the body portions work well. I’ll use an assortment to begin with to see if a specific cut of meat is preferable on that given day.”
Tackle is crucial to withstand the fury of a monster catfish hooked in shallow water.
“I prefer the 7½-foot, one-piece, Capt. Mack’s Mustard Rod in medium-heavy action with a fast tip, because it provides some flex for big fish to take the bait.” Peavy said. “I prefer big baits at this time of the year, and I ‘ll use 7/0 to 10/0 circle hooks.”
Peavy uses 30-pound main line with a 3-ounce sinker on a sliding weight above a 2- to 3-foot leader of 60-pound test. He prefers monofilament for both the main line and leader.
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