Cold Water Channel Cats

As the water temps continue to drop into the 40s here in Ohio, doesn't mean that the catfishing has come to an end. There is still plenty of fishing to be done just have to know were to look.
When the water temps start to drop is when I start changing my techniques, first of all you have to know where to find the fish. I start by finding the wintering holes. A wintering hole doesn't have to be the deepest water in the stretch but with the most suitable conditions. Most of the places I find have little to no current and or a good current break. You find the right hole and the fish will be stacked up.
Next thing I think that is important is downsizing baits. During this time I usually will use a piece of cut bait not much bigger than a quarter. The best baits I've had success with is small chunks of Shad, Sucker or even Chubs. A lot of guys also have much luck with cut Minnows and Nightcrawler. I also will drop my hook size to the bait. I will run a size 5/0 to 6/0 hook, J style. I also like circle hooks but a lot of times at this time of year the fish are a little more sluggish and don't load the rod up enough for the hook to work properly.
Another thing I do is lighten my gear. I will use a light to med light action rod and say 10 pound line. At times the bite is so soft that with heavier gear you might not even feel the bite. Alot of times I will use my bass tackle the colder the water gets.
The last thing is patience! You might have to hit quite a few holes before you find the right one, but when you do find the right one, it can make for some non stop channel cat action.......Smooth

Tough year on the river

With another year almost in the books it has to be said that this was the worst year I've ever experienced! The spring was filled with high water and terrible weather. My first flathead didn't come till may 16th and it came from a local lake. I never broke the teens personally but put a few guys on there personal bests and accompanied a few others on decent fish. To me seeing a few of my buddies catch PBs made for a good year regardless of my results. Only thing I can say is that I did learn a few things this year! 1st off is that I can't rely on old spots for success, after all the high water alot of my honey holes have changed and didn't give up many good fish. 2nd my favorite go to bait (northern hognosed suckers) were scarce in my stretch of the river. This coming up spring I need to start over and scout a lot of new areas. I hit a few tourneys this year and did pretty well. I'm gonna give the tournaments a more serious try next year and even hit a handful of the Cabelas King Kat Tourneys.
At the beginning of the year I started a new catfishing forum with a good friend of mine and it's taken off quite nicely, better than I expected actually and it's continuing to grow with great positive members and have some great sponsors! I have alot going on starting the first of the year. I'm starting a catfish research project with a private company and going to continue growing my website and better my fishing skills and knowledge.