It is possible to catch catfish all year round even in winter. The water temperature will cause changes in the pattern of catfish in your region; however, you can still land as many catfish as you want if you know the right tips. I will be writing about some essential tips and other information to help you catch more catfish during the winter.
Catfish Winter Fishing
The cold water may reduce the frequency of bites you feel on your lures for catfish but don’t give up yet. Catfish still bite in the cold water, and you can have a better experience with some practice. The fish need to eat, and your bait will always be attractive to catfish even if the cold water makes them hibernate for longer hours during the day or night.
It would help if you were patient; this approach will pay off when you find some areas where catfish have been hiding during the cold winter. Here are some tips to help you land more catfish during winter;
Find a regular spot
Every year the catfish patterns are seemingly repetitive during the winter. This means you should return to the fishing spot you caught more catfish last winter. There will probably be some catfish at that spot the next winter.
Use a fish finder
The fish finders are small innovative equipment that can detect the presence of catfish or possible hiding places beneath the water. You can find brush piles, rocks, and weeds in the river bed. These areas provide hiding places for catfish during winter. This equipment makes it easier to locate catfish so you should leverage the fish finders and other sonar devices to find more catfish.
Find parts of the river with low current underwater
During winter, catfish need a place to hide, and high current can be disruptive because it brings more cold water and the fish will need to struggle against the current to retain its position. If you find parts of the river with low currents, focus on places where there are rocks or holes that are perfect hiding places for catfish.
Set multiple rigs
You are searching for catfish, without a fish finder, you can find parts of the river with low current underwater and set multiple rods. There are higher chances that one of your rods will catch a fish. You can also set rods in different locations or plan with other anglers to spread out across different fishing spots in search of catfish.
Overall, your patience while catfishing during the winter will eventually pay off if you apply these tips. It should also be noted that catfish will be reluctant to go chasing after bait in the cold water so you shouldn’t troll the catfish. Instead, try to set your line as still as possible to enable the catfish to swim towards the bait and take bites.
You can also use bobbers to detect bites and set your hook quickly when you discover some catfish are biting your bait. Catfish move in schools too so mark areas you catch some of them on a GPS because there are probably more catfish in that area.
Related:
