Hot Summer Catfish

Editors Note: Chad is a Saginaw resident and has fished our area lakes all his life. A few years ago he began concentrating on catfish exclusively. In April, Chad started the Texas Catfishing Resource as an educational and informational Internet site for the many catfish anglers of Texas (www.whiskerkitty.com). This is Chad's first column for the Times-Record and certainly not his last.

By Chad D. Ferguson

Well the dog days of summer are here and when the heat sets in, many people pack their fishing rods away for next spring, but don't move so quickly. The catfish is the second most popular species of fish in Texas, and for good reason. Catfish are abundant in almost all Texas waters, they are easy to catch, and it does not require a lot of expensive equipment to get started. Eagle Mountain Lake and Lake Worth are both excellent fisheries that have been producing nice catches of catfish for many years.

Summertime Catfishing is best in the evening, late night or early morning. During the dog days of summer, when the temperatures are topping the charts, the water in the lakes is depleted of oxygen, which causes the fish to become inactive. As the temperature cools these fish begin their nightly search for dinner. With a little planning and preparation you can land a full basket of these great tasting fish.

One of the best means for increasing your success in catching catfish is to practice chumming. Chumming is a method in which you throw soured grain into shallow water to place a scent trail and food source in the water prior to fishing. When the water is warm like it is now, this scent trail will travel great distances in the water, and will call catfish in from hundreds of yards away, giving you a better concentration of fish in the area you are fishing.

The first thing you should do is purchase some Milo at your local feed store. Any feed store will have Milo and while many will sell only fifty pound bags, many will sell Milo by the pound. Take a empty plastic 5 gallon bucket and fill it about three fourths of the way full with the Milo. Next fill the bucket with water about two inches above the Milo. Once you have done this, you will need to place a lid on the grain, but do not "seal" the lid onto the bucket.

For the next few days, you should keep an eye on the Milo and you may need to add water on occasion. The goal is to always keep the water level one to two inches above the top of the grain. In about a week, the grain will begin to smell really foul, and that is when you know it is ready.

The day before your fishing trip, take the grain to the location you will be fishing and throw about two or three coffee cans full of grain across the water in a "broadcasting" pattern (like you would spread fertilizer). The goal; is to get the grain spread out over a wide area to make the fish "scavenge" for the food and work for it a little.

Now comes the fun part, the day of your fishing, throw out one or two coffee cans full of grain, and get ready for some fun. If you have picked the right spot, you will be in for several hours of Catfishing fun.

The best baits to use during this hot weather when you are fishing "chummed" holes are prepared "stink baits". Presenting these baits on the bottom in your "chummed" area will assist you in your summertime Catfishing.

For more information on Catfishing in Texas, and to get local fishing reports, visit the Texas Catfishing Resource on the Internet at www.whiskerkitty.com.