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Big Blue Bonanza
07/25/2008 - By Richard Simms, Scenic City Fishing Charters, Inc. You put your back into it and the heavy rod takes on the shape of a horseshoe. When nothing seems to give, except the muscles in your back, you realize you are joined at the hip with one of the biggest fish that swims in the Tennessee River.
It is easy to be lulled into a state of oblivion... a warm sun, a blue sky, and waves slap hypnotically against the bow of the boat. Suddenly your rod tip twitches as a solid "thump" brings you back to reality like a slap in the face. The rod starts to bend slowly toward the water, steady and smooth. Experience has taught you well... there is no rush. As the tip touches the surface of the lake, you know it is time. You crank down on the reel and the sharp tip of the circle hook does its job well.
You put your back into it and the heavy rod takes on the shape of a horseshoe. When nothing seems to give, except maybe the muscles in your back, you realize you are joined at the hip with one of the biggest fish that swims in the great State of Tennessee.
Welcome to the world of trophy catfishing.
A CHANGE OF ATTITUDE
TWRA wildlife manager Greg Atchley says in his career it has been interesting to watch the evolution of catfishing.
"It has changed over the years, from a time when catfish were just above a carp, to now when it is actually a fish that people truly seek to try and catch. It is truly a trophy, just like a big deer or a big turkey."
"There was a time when I would have been ashamed to say 'I'm a catfisherman," Terry Rogers said. "That's not true anymore."
Rogers, from Chattanooga, is an admitted catfish convert. He says he started fishing seriously 43 years ago when he was ten years old. For about 41 of those 43 years he was a hardcore bass fisherman. That changed about two years ago.
"My son joined the Chattanooga Fishing (Internet) Forum and he talked me into joining," said Rogers. "I got on there and I started reading about people catching those big cats and decided I wanted to try it."
Call it fisherman's luck or great skill, but Rogers says on his very first serious trophy catfishing trip he landed a 61-pound monster blue catfish.
"That rod loaded up and I fought it 40 minutes," said Rogers. "That's what hooked me. Until then I had no idea you could catch fish that big in our waters."
MANAGING FOR MONSTERS
Those are the kinds of stories Bill Reeves likes to hear.
Reeves is the Chief of Fisheries Management for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.
In 2004, after some effort, Reeves and other TWRA biologists succeeded in passing a new regulation commonly call the "Trophy Cat" rule.
It was long before anyone kept records, but historical reports suggest that 150-pound, or even 200-pounder catfish once roamed Tennessee waters. Reeves wanted to help protect fish that could potentially reach those mammoth proportions.
Now, in Tennessee all anglers… sport fishermen or commercial fishermen… can only keep one catfish per day that is MORE than 34-inches long. The new rule took effect March 1, 2004.
There are three species in Tennessee. ... channel cats, blue cats and flatheads. The new regulation realistically applies only to blues and flatheads because channel cats rarely reach the 34-inch minimum anyway.
Reeves said TWRA surveys indicated the majority of anglers supported the new "Trophy Catfish" regulation. Doug Williams from Cleveland certainly does.
"If I want catfish to eat, I'm going after smaller fish anyway," said Williams. "It doesn't bother me to throw those big ones back."
Reeves says that it would take an average blue catfish eight-to-12 years to reach 34 inches (around 20 pounds). For most people that would be the fish of a lifetime. True hardcore cat fishermen however don’t get overly excited until they catch a fish in the 40-pound-plus range. A monster blue catfish like that can keep you weak-kneed and praying for relief for 20 or 30 minutes easy. That is assuming you've got the tackle to handle him. If not he will leave you a broken line flapping in the breeze wondering, "What was that?"
Phil King, a well-known catfish guide on Pickwick Lake says he believes there are times when fishermen don't even realize it was a fish.
"I honestly think a lot of people hook a big catfish and he just sits there," King said. "They just reach down and break their line because they think it's a rock. I believe that happens quite often."
WHERE TO
This is easy… either the Cumberland River, the Tennessee River or the might Mississippi. All are virtual "catfish factories."
The rod & reel Tennessee State Record blue (112 pounds) came from the Cumberland River in the area known as "Lock C." The state record flathead (85 lbs.) came from the Hiwassee River, which is actually an arm of the Chickamauga Lake on the Tennessee River. The state record flathead taken with commercial gear (92 lbs.) came from the Mississippi River while a massive 130-pound blue cat was taken by commercial fisherman on Fort Loudon Lake, on the Tennessee River.
For the record, in 2005 I helped another angler land a catfish in the Chickamauga Dam tailwaters that I knew from personal experience weighed at least 100-pounds. Later he told me he weighed it on a friend's deer scale and it weighed 116 pounds. With surprise I said, "That would have been a new state record."
The older gentleman exclaimed with some disgust, "aww… I don't give a (expletive deleted) about that kind of stuff."
Three years ago a commercial angler took a well-documented 120-pound beastly blue from Chickamauga Lake, within the city limits of Chattanooga.
"There was a 125-pounder caught 43 miles from (Pickwick Dam) in 1998," exclaimed King. "So there is certainly world record potential in this river."
TARP REVELATIONS
A more revealing glimpse at the best catfishing might come from the "Tennessee Angler Recognition Program (TARP)." TWRA provides special recognition for applicants who catch "trophy fish." For a blue catfish to qualify it must be at least 34-inches long. As of November 2, 2007 there have been a total of 274 successful applicants for a Blue Catfish TARP Certificate.
Of those 274, more than half of them, 147 to be exact, have come from Chickamauga Lake.
We must add a "qualifier" however. Of those 147 Chickamauga blue cat TARP's, 117 have been taken by one man… Eric Maurer from Cleveland. Maurer is a retiree who moved here from Wisconsin and has become a self-admitted "blue catfishing, TARP-seeking addict."
"I got down here and started trying to catch bass," said Maurer. "But I kept seeing people fishing out in the middle of the river and I wondered "what in the world are they doing out there."
It was four years ago when Maurer caught his first "trophy TARP cat" that weighed 23 pounds. He says he has never looked back. Maurer holds more TARP certificates than anyone in the state… not to mention a line-class world record from the International Game Fish Association for a monster 84-pound blue cat. There is no need to convince Maurer that Chickamauga Lake is an incredible catfish fishery.
Following Chickamauga Lake on the TARP list is:
-- Watts Bar - 55 (42 by two anglers … Keith Wilson (23) and Mac Gasque (19))
-- Ft. Loudon - 27
-- Nickajack - 15
-- Kentucky/Barkley - 12
-- Mississippi River - 7
The largest recorded blue cat on the TARP list is a 61-inch fish taken by Wayne England on Nickajack Lake.
FINE-TUNING
Catfishermen love two things, beside catfish.
1) Current - Catfish are traditionally far more active and aggressive when there is good current. It might be because it washes more food downstream, or concentrates bait in particular spots. Or who knows… they might be just like a dog that likes to stick his head out the window driving down the highway… the wind (or current) just feels good. Whatever the reasons, you can generally count on better catfishing when you're nearest TVA or Corp of Engineers Dam is generating heavily. You can check generation schedules by calling 800-238-2264 or by visiting: www.tva.gov/river/lakeinfo/
2) Catfish like breaks in the current - I always say that catfish are very much like trout. They like to concentrate behind rocks or ledges, beneath riffles, or anywhere they can sit an "ambush" food as it washes downstream. The only difference is that trout do that in 2 feet of water while catfish do the same thing in 50 feet of water. A good depth finder is essential for serious trophy catfishing. On any of the rivers named, follow the main river channel and seek out holes or humps… anywhere that the normally flat river channel bottom changes depth in a hurry or contains significant structure.
While you might hear of occasional big cats being taken up in creeks or on flats, the overwhelming majority of trophy catfish are caught in the main Tennessee or Cumberland River channels.
HOW TO - THE BAIT
So, how do you catch a trophy catfish?
In most cases, before you can catch big fish you've got to catch little fish.
The favorite bait of most trophy catfishermen is "cut bait," which is any kind of other fish cut up into big, usually "fist-sized" chunks.
River herring, more commonly known as skipjack or Tennessee tarpon, is the favorite of most trophy cat anglers. These hard-fighters commonly gather in the fast water beneath TVA and Corps of Engineers dams. Skipjack can weigh up to 2 pounds or more and love to jump… hence the name Tennessee tarpon. Anglers most often fish for them with tiny white crappie jigs, or a very effective lure designed primarily for saltwater called a Sabiki Rig.
Catfish anglers often spend more hours catching bait than they spend catfishing. Fresh-caught bait is best, but skipjack freeze well and will certainly catch big cats once thawed and cut into huge chunks.
Big gizzard shad, threadfin shad or bluegill also make great catfish bait. My personal-best catfish (60 lbs.) was actually caught on a crappie filet.
In Tennessee it is legal to use game fish for bait provided it is caught legally. Many catfish anglers use a cast net to capture shad, a non-game species, which is legal. However bluegill or other game fish caught in a cast net cannot be kept. Catch game fish on a hook and line however and there is no problem using them for bait.
HOW TO - TECHNIQUES
The majority of serious trophy catfishermen carry lots of "patience pills." Their preferred method is to locate a likely holding area for big fish, drop anchor, use big gear to put big baits on the bottom and then sit back and wait. It isn't unusual for some big cat anglers to "camp out" on a single spot for four, six, or even eight hours just waiting on one "big bite."
It doesn't mean smaller bites won't happen as well, however true trophy catfishermen intentionally use great big baits to "ward off" bites from those pesky 5, 10 and 20 pound catfish. However small baits will not always ward off big fish. The 120-pound blue cat taken by a trotliner on Chickamauga Lake mentioned earlier bit a thumbnail-sized piece of hotdog.
Some anglers prefer to drift fish… easing along either with the current, or with a trolling motor more or less "searching" fish rather than waiting on the cats to come to them.
In my experience, anchored anglers traditionally catch more big fish while the "drifters" catch more numbers. However each method has the potential to bring reverse results under the right circumstances.
HOW TO - TACKLE
There is no doubt that a skilled angler can catch big fish on small tackle. However serious trophy catfish anglers do not make a habit of it.
Phil King is a well-known catfish guide on Pickwick Lake. There is even a "signature" Cabelas rod named after him although several manufacturers now make special "catfish" rods. Most are 6-to-8 feet long with heavy action… meaning lots of "broomstick-style" backbone to handle fish that are bigger than many fish you'll catch in the ocean.
King prefers casting reels loaded with heavy braided line (80 lb. and up) because it's so much more sensitive than monofilament. Some people don't like to "cast" casting reels because of backlashes. However in most catfishing there is little casting involved. You are most often dropping a line straight down vertical fishing or simply casting a line out and letting it sit.
King says he uses a 60-pound test monofilament leader because, "if I hook a big one I want to be able to get him in." He also believes in wide gap Daiichi circle hooks.
"I have a 90 to 97 percent catch ratio," he says.
Using a 3-way swivel he'll drop a lead leader on lighter line separate from the hook (so it will break free if he hangs up). He adjusts the length of the lead leader depending upon the current.
"I'll use a shorter lead leader in heavier current because fish hold tighter to bottom," he told me. "When there's less current the fish won't hold so tight so I'll use a leader up to two or three feet long."
He says a 2-ounce weight is good to start with, but will adjust the amount of weight, up to a 6-ounce sinker, depending upon the depth and current.
King was one of the first fishing guides to seriously capitalize on the catfish market. However at least eight or nine guides across the state now guide for catfish,
MANFACTURERS AND RETAILERS RESPOND
Those guides, and anglers like Terry Rogers and Eric Maurer are just two examples of why Jeff Williams has gone into business. Williams recently created Team Catfish, a new marketing scheme exclusively for catfishermen.
"The catfish market is really growing," said Williams. "There are more catfish tournament trails, more specialized equipment."
Rogers and Maurer see manufacturers and retailers responding as well.
"Yes, local fishing displays used to have a few trotlines and not much more," said Maurer. "Now they're carrying special catfish hooks, rods, reels and there are so many more products being made especially for catfishermen."
"Nobody can deny that catfishing is growing," added Rogers.
According to the most recent survey by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agency, there are about 8 million dedicated catfishermen in the United States compared to about 10.5 dedicated bass anglers. Nationwide catfishing ranks fourth. In the Southeast however, catfishing now ranks second only to bass angling.
Maurer laughs when he talks about sending big catfish pictures to his old buddies up in Wisconsin.
"They're just absolutely amazed at what we've got in our backyard," he said, and he is glad to see retailers and manufacturers going after the catfish markets.
"That's a good thing," he said. "I think the interest and knowledge about catfishing is bringing it into the sport fishing category and that will certainly help the fishery."
Which also means more and more anglers like Rogers won't be ashamed to say, "I'm a catfisherman."
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Author's Bio: Richard Simms is a former TWRA Wildlife Officer and Photographer. He is now a professional journalist and fishing guide. His specialty is… what else… catfish. You can learn more, and check out the Photo Galleries at: www.ScenicCityFishing.com
