Fishing techniques vary tremendously on your location and the exact species of fish you want to catch. Fish in the northern states will react differently than fish in the southern. The normal patterns that catfish follow will vary on the temperature and location. Some species can be caught all year around and some are harder to catch during certain seasons. Bait selection is a major factor as well.
In the southern states catfishing for all species really heats up in March or April. Flathead catfish become much more active. Channel cats can be caught while spawning and blue cats are still in predictable locations.
When the water starts to warm Flathead catfish start to search for food. Flathead catfish almost exclusively bite on live bait. Fishing live perch around deeper holes with a lot of structure is a good place to start. The Flathead catfish will be leaving these hole at night to search for food. Live crayfish or even Bullhead catfish if they are legal to use in your area are great baits to try as well. At this part of the year, the Flathead catfish will still be in deeper waters. November through February Flathead catfish turn off and are much harder to catch.
The Blue catfish is a very predictable species. The best time to catch a monster Blue catfish is starting in October. As the water cools the Blue catfish will find deep holes and channels in the water. Shad die by the thousands as the water cools and this is known as Shad Kill. During this season the Blue catfish will eat shad as they fall into the deep holes. Drift fishing cut shad across main lake channels is an excellent way to catch Blue catfish. Many veteran catfisherman will tell you fall and winter are the best Blue catfish seasons. Blue catfish do not slow down during the winter like Flathead catfish do. In fact Blue catfish might be more active during the winter than in the summer. Most common baits used to catch Blue catfish is shad or other live or cut baits.
Channel catfish are best caught during the warmer months. Starting March or April the Channel catfish will begin to spawn. This offers a wonderful fishing trip if you know the right spot. Rocks around the dam or a retaining wall absorb heat from the sun. The causes the water to warm up a few degrees higher than the rest of the lake. These are the locations a Channel catfish will pick to lay their eggs at. When the lake hits a temperature around 70 degrees you should head to the rocks for Channel catfish action. Using liver, hot dogs, worms, blood bait, or dough baits are your best choices. Connect a bobber on your line and let 2-3 feet of line below with your weight and hook. Cast to where your bait is just slightly above the rocks. If you do not have a bite after 1 minute you should re-cast to another spot along the rocks.
