Catfish on the prowl

Try these lakes for springtime cats

Big catfish go on the prowl in Carolina lakes during April, seeking forage in ever-warming water. This provides excellent catfishing throughout the Carolinas. While almost any lake with a population of Mr. Whiskers will be productive, some lakes are prime choices for fantastic spring catfishing. 

And while these waters produce an excellent quantity of catfish, they’re also prime for trophy cats.

Badin Lake

Badin Lake in North Carolina is a productive catfishing lake, but many anglers are surprised at just how good it is in April. 

While fishing on a warm April morning, Brandon Miller from Gold Hill, NC dropped anchor on a high spot in the back of a cove adjacent to deeper water. Assisting him was his catfishing tournament partner and daughter, 12-year-old Abby Miller. With seamless teamwork, they soon had multiple rods rigged, baited, and placed in rod holders.

“Now we wait and watch rod tips,” the elder Miller said.

The wait was short. Eagle-eyed Abby spotted an active rod tip and slipped by her dad, stationing herself in the pole position for the upcoming hookset. Within moments, the rig nosedived as a fat, blue catfish took the bait and hard-charged toward deep water. Abby cranked down on the circle hook rig and loaded into the first of many hefty Badin Lake blues CPRed (catch, photograph, and release) that day.

The most surprising part was that the Millers caught catfish in four patterns that morning.

“That’s springtime catfishing for you,” Miller said. “The cats are on the prowl, and multiple patterns produce excellent catches.”

By the time they called it a fun-filled, catfish-catching trip early that afternoon, they’d fished humps, shallow points near deep water, and deep holes in the tailwaters below the Tuckertown Dam. In short order, every spot produced blue catfish, usually multiple fish.  

“During April, we catch blue catfish in various places on Badin Lake,” Miller said. “Typically, we’ll fish a place, and if the fish are present, we’ll have several hookups quickly,” he said. “But when the action slows, we’ll make a move.”

Miller said the diversity of productive catfish targets in Badin Lake is one reason he enjoys fishing the lake. 

Miller said if he finds catfish shallow on a hump, odds are good they’ll be shallow off points as well. 

“If we move up the lake toward the Tuckertown Dam, we’ll catch catfish moving up the current and by fishing deep holes,” he said. 

Miller said gizzard shad and white perch are favored bait options since they’re natural forage in the lake. 

He casts rigs around the boat into multiple water depths to sort out the pattern, but he also uses a large float rig to suspend baits off the bottom.

“Blues will often be moving around in the mid-depths of the water column, and a big, 3-inch float rig allows us to target those fish,” he said. “It’s an overlooked tactic that produces big catfish.” 

Fishing Creek

Fishing Creek on the Catawba River chain in South Carolina is a small impoundment with a large catfish population. The lake is home to big blue catfish, which often reach trophy weights and are active during the spring. However, excellent action for big flatheads occurs here during April and May.

Fishing Creek lies downstream of Lake Wylie. This remote Catawba River impoundment has good launching access. It’s a small lake, but the channel ledges, coves, and points offer a diversity of underwater targets for anglers. Blue, flathead, and channel catfish are all caught in good numbers, with blues and flatheads reaching trophy proportions.

Capt. Jason Wolfe, out of Fort Lawn, SC, guides on lakes Wylie, Wateree, and Fishing Creek, as well as Santee. He calls Fishing Creek “Flathead Central.”

He believes flathead fishing on lakes Wylie and Fishing Creek ranks among the best in South Carolina.

Wolfe (803-487-3690) said drift fishing the main lake is a prime tactic during March and April, but by later in the spring, he’ll begin to fish from anchored setups more frequently. He prefers fresh-cut gizzard shad or perch for big blue catfish, and he’ll hook big flatheads along with quality blues.

“The fishing for flatheads perks up during April at Fishing Creek,” he said. “Flatheads are cover seekers and like to snug up to tree laydowns, around stumps and sunken logs. We catch big flatheads and blues in good numbers and excellent sizes far up the river away from the main body of the small lake.”

Lake Murray

Capt. William Attaway has guided on Lake Murray for years and said catfishing is an often-overlooked fishery.

“The catfish bite is excellent year-round. But I love the spring for big fish and large numbers of fish,” he said. 

“By April, I’m fishing far up the lake, near the forks of the Saluda and Little rivers, and often beyond that.”

Attaway said the upper end of the lake is prime because forage moves up the lake, and the catfish follow. 

“During April and May, the upper sector of the lake provides outstanding catfishing,” he said. “The blues grow big, and I’ve caught them over 60 pounds at Lake Murray. And I know of verified 70-pounders from the lake. 

Attaway (803-924-0857; Slick Willies Guide Service) said the lake is chock full of blues in the 15- to 25-pound class, and 30-pound fish are reasonable expectations during the spring.

“Channel catfish also provide excellent fishing, and April is a prime time for fat channel catfish,” he said. “I believe the channel catfish fishery at Lake Murray ranks at the top for South Carolina lakes. The fish we catch on average weigh in the 5- to 8-pound class. And double digit-sized channel catfish are reasonable expectations. A 15-pound channel catfish provides an awesome fight. Channel catfish seem stronger than similar-sized blues or flatheads.”

“Flathead catfish action is productive, but they’re less reliable than the blue and channel catfish,” he said. “They’re not as plentiful as a few years ago, but we still catch big flatheads.” 

Attaway said drift fishing in the 7- to 20-foot range is an excellent technique for April catfish. 

“I’ll fish creeks and backwaters off the main river channel as the fish move shallower,” he said. “During pre-spawn, I will be in the upper end of Lake Murray. 

Attaway said gizzard shad and white perch are his favorite baits for April catfishing.

Lake Gaston

Lake Gaston in North Carolina is a prime April target for blue catfish, and catfish experts like Zakk Royce have a well-defined game plan for catching these trophy blues.

Royce is qualified as a trophy catfish expert, having set the North Carolina state record twice on consecutive days. He’s landed multiple triple-digit catfish from Lake Gaston. 

“I pay strict attention to details year-round. But during spring, as the water warms, patterns change quickly, and it’s crucial during April,” he said. 

Royce (Blues Brothers Guide Service 919-724-2474) said targeting big blues begins with time on the water.

“Fishermen serious about catching a big blue should fish now, because spring is a prime time for monster catfish,” Royce said. “Movement patterns of big catfish are triggered by forage movement, current, or water conditions.”

Royce said having the right bait is crucial, and forage natural to Lake Gaston is his primary bait of choice. White perch and gizzard shad are his two go-to options on Lake Gaston. 

“I vary bait size when searching for the pattern of the day,” he said. “Big blues don’t shy away from big baits, but sometimes smaller baits trigger bites, so I use both. I target channel ledges, points, humps, creek and river junctions, and flats in the back of coves this time of year.”

Royce said presentation is crucial to success, and he primarily drifts at 0.4 to 0.6 miles per hour during spring. 

Royce’s game plan for targeting and catching monster blues involves paying attention to details, and for Royce, everything is an important detail.