Cold water catfish strategies

3 proven tactics for catfish in the cold

Cooling water temperatures in November create a chain reaction of forage congregating into large, tight clusters. And predatory species focus on this fall-forage feast.

Catfish are high-end predators, and fishing for them transitions from steady late-summer action to outstanding fishing in the fall. Blue catfish specifically get into active feeding modes, including trophy-sized fish. 

Different techniques are productive on numerous lakes and rivers in North and South Carolina. Specific tactics vary based on the waters fished, weather conditions and forage. But three proven tactics for this season, and into next year, include fishing from an anchored setup, drift fishing and vertical fishing. 

Anchor down  

Trophy catfish guide Paul Blackwell said fishing conditions this month play perfectly into his preferred style of fishing. 

“I’m primarily an anchor-setup catfisherman, and fall and winter fishing is ideal for that,” Blackwell said. “It’s a great time to catch trophy blue cats, but patience is the key. I’ll search for fish using electronics, and I’m willing to invest adequate time doing so because the payback is often great. When I find them, I’ll anchor up and give the big cats time to bite.”

Blackwell (864-202-3095) has fished throughout North and South Carolina and guides for trophy catfish on the Santee Cooper lakes. He said fishing from an anchored setup is extremely effective on many other lakes too.  

“An anchored setup has proven to be my best opportunity to consistently hook trophy catfish from November through the cold months,” Blackwell said. “Catfish cluster in large numbers and sizes on specific targets. These include humps, points and along ditches that course through the shallower flats.

“I don’t get locked into specific depths because frontal systems may push catfish deeper, or into the mid-depths, with severe weather conditions,” he said. “But with the right weather conditions, they can be shallow, even during the late fall and winter.”

Blackwell said when catfish get shallow, he’ll set up in, or adjacent to, a ditch for several hours if he has confidence that big fish are in the vicinity.

“A good example was when I set up on a ditch that cut through a shallow flat in the dead of winter at Santee Cooper,” he said. “I had to wait several hours to catch them, but forage was plentiful. And when the fish turned on, we caught five catfish over 50 pounds in 45 minutes. This is the exception in terms of multiple big fish, but it illustrates what can happen when fishermen are patient when anchored in the right place. And it begins with identifying an area that has forage and an area where multiple big fish were graphed.”

Blackwell said it’s also crucial to give catfish what they want in terms of presentation. And one setup doesn’t fit every situation during the winter. He’ll move deeper based on weather or water conditions. 

“But fishing from an anchored setup has proven to be highly effective during this time of year,” he said.

Drift Fishing 

Rodger Taylor is a fulltime catfishing guide working all of Lake Wylie, lying in both North and South Carolina, as well as frequently fishing Lake Wateree in South Carolina. Taylor employs multiple tactics throughout the year. And during the fall he’ll anchor fish when appropriate, but will also drift fish. 

“One thing about my drift fishing is that in some ways it is similar to anchor fishing because I still identify specific targets to fish,” he said. “It’s not a random type of fishing. Catfish can be found in areas too large to effectively fish from a single anchored setup. And when that occurs, it’s more effective to drift.”

Taylor said one advantage drifting provides is covering more water faster, while still fishing effectively.

“I put as much effort into fishing a specific target when drift fishing as I do when fishing from an anchored position,” he said. “I let the fish and forage depth and location dictate the best tactic in a given situation.”

Taylor (803-517-7828) employs his electronics to help him find forage and catfish. But he also tracks his drifts via GPS. Each time a fish is hooked, he marks the site where the boat was located and he’ll use that data to determine a pattern.

“If the fish are all coming at 22 to 25 feet of water, I’ll focus on that depth,” he said. “If every time I drift over a channel ledge, or across a point, and we hook fish, I’ll focus on those type targets. Consistently successful drift fishing is a highly specific method of catfishing.”

Taylor said if a specific drift is on target and he catches multiple fish, by using his GPS track, he’ll re-drift the same area. Taylor uses his electric motor most of the time to ensure his drift pattern is exactly what he wants.

“Occasionally, we’ll have a wind from an ideal direction and speed. And of course that’s a good option when it occurs,” he said. “Even then I may use the electric motor to fine-tune my drift pattern.”

Taylor’s drift rig is essentially the “Santee Rig” consisting of a  sliding ‘rope-weight’ to keep the rig on the bottom. 

“Depending on the wind, depth, and size of bait fished, I can change the sinker weight so I’ll stay in contact with the bottom, but not drag into it,” Taylor said. “I typically drift 0.5 to 0.7 miles per hour. And slower can be better in post-frontal conditions. But I’ve encountered windy days when it took multiple sea anchors to slow the boat, and we still caught fish.” 

Taylor uses 20-pound test main line with a 30- to 36-inch leader of 40-pound test line attached to a barrel swivel, with the rope slip sinker above. On the leader below the swivel is a 2-inch cork float about 6 to 8 inches above a 6/0 circle hook. The float keeps the bait slightly off the bottom, just about eyeball level for a big catfish. 

Vertical Fishing 

Capt. Jon Mercer, a full-time professional guide for catfish and striper at the Santee Cooper lakes, said many anglers overlook a productive tactic for late-season catfishing.

Mercer has fished multiple lakes for catfish and has learned that vertical fishing is an excellent tactic for November and beyond.

“I’ll anchor or drift fish during the fall because catfish get into patterns where one technique is more effective,” he said. “But a third, often overlooked, pattern is to vertically fish directly over the catfish.”

Mercer (910-734-3845) said with catfish, the vertical fishing pattern develops based on forage.

“On any lake with blue catfish, fish will gather in big numbers around large clusters of forage,” he said.

“The type of forage can vary on the lake being fished,” he said. “For example, on Santee Cooper, during the late fall and early winter, it’s often threadfin shad. And that’s a common forage for many lakes. But it may be gizzard shad, and even schools of small, white perch.”

Mercer said typically the forage will be in deep water, or suspended over deep water.

He employs electronics to search potential areas for the massive concentrations of forage with multiple big fish marks under, and around, the bait.

“I’ll position the boat directly over the target and I’ll fish at the depth catfish are marked,” he said. “Even if most fish are marked higher in the water column, big catfish often hug the bottom. I’ll drop a couple of rigs to the bottom, engage the reel and crank it three turns so the bait’s just off the bottom. That’s a tactic for hooking a trophy catfish this time of year.”

Mercer said anglers with electric motors with a ‘spot-lock’ feature have an advantage for this type of fishing, but using regular anchors works fine.

An advantage of ‘spot-lock’ is although these forage schools move slowly, they’re usually moving. And the catfish will stick with the food, not the location,” he said. “As the fish move out from under my boat, I can maneuver the boat to get back over the school of fish,” Mercer said.

The vertical bite is usually fast-paced because the fish are in a feeding mood. 

Cut bait or live bait will work, but one key is using bait that’s the same approximate size as the forage the catfish are eating.

“If the forage is a big school of threadfin shad, then that’s an ideal bait size,” he said. “But small chunks of gizzard shad or commercially purchased blueback herring are universally good baits too.”

Mercer said he’ll use his normal 8-foot catfish rigs, and he positions a 2-ounce egg sinker above a 3-foot leader with an 8/0 circle hook, and he sets it in a rod holder to fish a specific depth.”

Mercer said this type of fishing can produce a box of blues in a hurry when you get on actively feeding fish.

“And because of the time of year and the fact big, blue catfish feed heavily in late fall and winter, it’s also prime time to hook trophy catfish,” he said. 

Patience in all tactics

Various tactics work well on catfish throughout the fall, but fishing from anchored setups, drift fishing and fishing down lines vertically, directly above concentrations of catfish, are all highly effective. And one constant remains true no matter which technique you’re using.

Patience is the key, especially this time of year. When anchored down, it’s easy to see patience at work. But when drifting, or fishing straight down, anglers on the move also need to be patient. 

Catfish can turn on the feedbag at a moment’s notice this month. So even though an angler may be following a tactic that doesn’t produce right away, as long as they find the right ingredients that give them confidence in the locations they are either sitting or easing through, they shouldn’t get discouraged.