| Blues
for the Blues
By: Doug Knabe (Catfish
Hunter)
LUBBOCK, TX - It's wintertime. Temperatures are in the 30's (Farenheit).
There have been several snows and, lately, a hard freeze that is
driving the fish deep. All of your favorite ponds to fish are frozen
over with a layer of ice too thick for your lure to break through,
but way to thin to walk on. It's been a few months since you last
saw something with whiskers except for your pets. You go stir crazy.
Many days are spent just re-arranging your tackle box, re-spooling
reels, going to the store to stock up on tackle, and maybe even
playing a fishing video game while quietly cursing that you don't
get to feel the fish pull back.
Eventually, though, your tackle box is arranged so perfectly that
even Martha Stewart would be proud. Your reels are full to the brim
with brand new line, and you search each one of them for a reason
to re-spool it again. You've resorted to the famed loser's lunch:
bologna on hand, because you spent too much on tackle that you will
never use, and if you do use it, you have enough to last 10 years.
The video game just isn't as much fun anymore because you've figured
out the pattern at which the location of the big ones changes. All
forms of fishing related entertainment known to you have been exhausted,
and there's three months of winter left. Some people don't worry
about this too much, since they devote wintertime to deer hunting,
but what happens if you fill your tags on opening weekend? Now you're
back in the same position as everyone else. What do you do?
 Well,
I suggest you bundle up nice andwarm, grab the heavy tackle, and
hit the lake. No, I am NOT insane. No matter what kind of stories
you have heard about me fishing in nearly every weather, from snow
storms, to dust storms, to sweltering heat, I am not insane. Well...
maybe a little bit. The first question you need to answer is this:
what color is generally associated with sadness or cold? Now stick
catfish on the end of that and you have some quality winter fishing.
Blues. Not just any blues - big blues.
If you really want a monster blue catfish (the size that would
make your bass rod go limp like a severely outmatched gun in a cartoon),
you have to get into the cold. Believe it or not, the best time
to hunt 'em down is the middle of winter. Gather some large shad
or other oily bait fish and hit the deep water on the lake.
Get to the deepest holes or humps in deep water by using your outboard,
then switch over to the trolling motor when you hit the general
area. Use your depth finder to locate these holes and humps and
watch for large schools of shad or large fish. Better yet, obtain
a good topographic map of the lake you are fishing and use it to
locate the general area of the deep holes. It really helps to know
how to spot hidden fish. Blues sometimes hug the bottom tighter
than that annoying aunt who dumps a half-gallon of spit on your
cheek when she gives you that inevitable goodbye hug and kiss. Some
sort of topographic structure helps as well, such as a drop off
or a hump, as these areas often attract shad, which in turn attract
blues.
When you find either of these, drop anchor and drop down several
lines (check your fishing regulations) to different depths. I will
discuss tackle later on. Once you catch one, set all your others
to around that depth, still varying a bit. Regular catfishing tackle
can be used, but make sure you have good line and good tackle. Heavy
is best. Set the rods in good rod holders around the boat, and tight
line 'em (set the drag tight). Clickers can be used, but there is
a distinct advantage to tight-lining. Remember how bass and crappie
don't bite very aggressively during winter, and catfish often are
a bit sluggish as well? Forget all that. Big blues will chomp down
and move off like a freight train, often setting the hook if you're
tightlining.
I've heard that the best boat rig for this (particularly in extremely
cold weather) is a pontoon boat. Put up the top and some walls,
then crank up a little heater. Put bells on the rods if you don't
use clickers, but don't set the hook on the first little strike.
This may be hard for those used to bass fishing. They will often
sample the bait first, and if they like it they'll suck the whole
thing in and take off. Another advantage to tightlining is that
it makes it much easier to determine whether you have a fish versus
a snag.
Blues have been known to school up during the cold weather. They'll
move through a deep hole like vacuum cleaners, sucking in anything
they feel like eating. This means that it could take a little while
to get a bite. Just be patient, especially if you see big ones on
the depth finder. They're constantly moving around in the hole,
and they will find your bait eventually, so you may have to wait
them out for a while, but stay within reason. With a bit of patience,
along with some toughness and a wee bit of luck, you'll be rewarded.
And then the fun begins.
So, what kind of tackle should be used? DEFINITELY not your run-of-the-mill
bass tackle. Conventional catfishing tackle could be used, depending
on what your definition of that is. I would recommend something
pretty stout. Keep in mind that you'll be in a boat, so a long rod
isn't really necessary. A short rod will let you put more pressure
on the fish and will be easier to handle when you get the cat to
the surface. My personal favorite would have to be a Penn 209 Levelwind
spooled with 30 lb. test Berkley Big Game on a 6' Penn Long Beach
rod. This rod is extremely stout and I even received a comment from
a friend that it's the type they usually use on the party boats
that go out after tuna and snapper. This is serious tackle here.
This combo is available at some Wal-Mart stores for about $70.00,
not a bad price considering the reel usually costs a little over
$50 on it's own. Any heavy, stout, rod is good but I wouldn't recommend
a graphite rod. Fiberglass or something made of the new E-Glass
is best. I wouldn't go any longer than 7'6", and only go that
long with a spinning reel. Other reels can be used. The Ambassador
6500, 7000, or larger, is a good reel. They can take a beating and
will last a long time if you maintain them properly. A variety of
other Penn reels can be used, but keep in mind that you'll be fishing
fairly deep water. Smaller reels usually can't hold line as heavy,
or as much, as the larger reels can. As far as spinning reels go,
I can't really give any sound recommendations as I don't use them
much. They can be used, but they have their advantages and disadvantages.
I would say any reel made by a reliable manufacturer and capable
of holding a decent amount of heavy line would be suitable.
As far as terminal tackle goes, a lot of it depends on personal
preference. Since you'll be fishing straight down, weight shape
doesn't make much of a difference. You do want to use something
fairly heavy though (no less than 2 oz.) to be able to get the bait
down to where it needs to be. If fishing a lake with current, a
heavier weight may be needed. There are several hooks that are great
for the job. Bait holders are great, as well as the Kahle style
hook. Circle hooks can also be used, and can aid in the cat hooking
itself when it takes the bait. I would recommend using no less than
a 5/0 heavy wire hook in any of these styles.
 A
variety of terminal rigs can be used, but there are two which work
best. A three-way rig is a great rig for this situation. Use 18"
leaders for both the hook and the weight. Also suitable is the slip
rig. Use an egg sinker or other sliding sinker in a good weight,
a bead to cushion the connection, a large barrel swivel in at least
a 2/0 size, an 18-24" leader, and a hook as recommended above.
As far as bait goes, shad is probably the best you can get in this
situation. Any oily bait fish will work though. The most important
part of catching big blues is having fresh bait. Don't go out a
week before and catch your shad unless you can keep it alive until
you get on the lake. The meat will get mushy and will not be as
attractive to a big blue. Live shad can be used, but it's hard to
keep them alive on the hook for long. Smaller shad can be used whole
or simply cut in large chunks. Larger shad can also be used whole,
but I would recommend using parts of them. Scale the bait, and fillet
it out into 1" chunks. Thread several of these onto the hook.
Make sure before throwing out that there are no scales clinging
to the hook point and that the point is exposed. Failure to do this
could result in a missed fish, or not hooking the fish well. Many
people wait their whole life to catch an elusive monster blue. How
bad would it be to finally hook that dream and have it come unhooked
at the boat?
 Here
are a few additional tips. As always, CHECK THE LINE FOR ABRASIONS
OR WEAK SPOTS, especially after catching a fish. Blues have
rough teeth that can quickly rough up your line. Make sure your
knots are tied well (wet your knot before cinching it). There is
nothing worse than losing a fish because your knot comes untied.
Don't go out undertackled. Going after large fish with light tackle
can be fun. When it comes to catfish however, it's not a light-hearted
affair. Unless you're very experienced with tackeling large, powerful
fish on light tackle, I wouldn't recommend trying it. If you're
worried about your boat getting all messy... just stay home, don't
even bother going out, big blue catching is a messy affair.
As always, safety is most important of all. Dress warm, preferably
in layers. Be sure of your footing in the boat. Falling into the
cold water could be life threatening. Wear a life preserver - you
tire more quickly in cold water than you do in warm water. Pay attention
to the weather. If it starts getting icy, take caution. Trying to
load a boat on an icy ramp can be a bad experience. Windy weather
can be bad as well. Large lakes can get some relatively large swells
and waves built up, especially when out in open water. A swamped
boat is not something you want, especially in the middle of winter.
A lot of people love to sip on some good whiskey or rum in cold
weather. It's a big no-no in a boat. Stay sober and keep your wits
about you. And don't think the game warden won't be out in the middle
of winter chasing down fishermen. There will be other people out
there besides you, and the wardens will patrol the lake.
Possibly the hardest thing about fishing for giant blues is the
urge to keep the fish. I wouldn't recommend it. These fish have
been swimming for a long time, and they most likely still have many
years left to become a record-breaking fish. Also, big blues generally
don't taste nearly as good as a nice mess of crappie or smaller
blues and channel cats. Not many blues make it to trophy size. So
when you catch them, take a few pictures, maybe with something to
show their relative size, weigh them, and release them back into
the water to fuel the desires of other fishermen and future generations.
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