Quality catfish are biting at Fishing Creek

Fishing Creek catfish are biting, even in cold weather

The catfish are biting at Fishing Creek Reservoir, and that’s true no matter the air or water temperature. Capt. Jason Wolfe of Wolfe’s Guide Service catches his share even on the coldest days of the month. Cut bait is the key to catching them. And even though the bites don’t always come easy, they come steady enough. And these aren’t throwback fish. Most every fish this time of year will be a quality keeper.

“You could catch a whole lot of catfish here if you just wanted one-pounders. But when fishing for fish from 5 to 50 pounds, you have to fish differently, and you have to be patient. When targeting bigger fish, you will get fewer bites, but those bites will all be quality fish,” said Wolfe (803-487-3690), who lives just a few miles from Fishing Creek in Fort Lawn.

Be patient, but don’t waste time

“This lake is full of sunken debris like logjams. The catfish love to get behind those logjams to get out of the current. You want to anchor above those debris fields, cast your baits upcurrent of them, put your rods in the rodholder, and just wait,” he said.

But don’t wait too long. Wolfe likes to set his timer to anywhere from 10 to 20 minutes, depending on how active the fish have been that day. If he gets a good bite or catches a decent fish, he’ll extend the timer. But if it’s not happening, he’ll move on.

“You can try a few places that are very similar in terms of water depth and current flow. If none of those produce good results, then switch something up. Try a different depth, or fish in the mouth of an incoming creek. These fish are going to bite throughout the day, but where they bite can change each day, or even during the same day. As long as you’re willing to keep looking, you’ll get on them at some point,” he said.

Wolfe was using cut shad Monday, but he said the type of cut bait isn’t that important. But, he said, you want the bait to be as fresh as possible.

For 2021, Wolfe is awarding $1000 to the angler who catches the biggest catfish while fishing with him. The current leader is Donnie Lynch of Darlington, S.C. He caught a 42.8-pounder on the Wateree River on Jan. 24.