The best time to go catfishing is during the spawning season and early spring when they are hungry because of the long winter. However, like other freshwater fish, you can get bites all-round the year if you know how to go about this.
When Catfish Start Biting and Won’t Bite?
Anglers have studied catfish patterns and behavior in their areas. They leverage this knowledge to get more bites and land catfish all through the year. From this perspective, it is also possible to land more catfish just before the winter; this is a time when they fish sense the weather getting cold and try to eat as much as they can before going into hibernation.
What does water temperature have to do with catfish biting?
Catfish are more active in warmer weather; this means the water at that time will be warm and comfortable for the fish. You may observe that fishing in cold water is different when compared to your experience in rivers or lakes with warmer water. The number of bites on your lures will be significantly different. You may need to apply some creative fishing techniques to get more bites in cold water or wait till the water gets warmer.
So here are a few things you can do to attract catfish and get more bites regardless of the season or time.
Use live baits
The statistics show that live baits remarkably can significantly attract catfish when compared to artificial lures. If you are at a point where there are no bites, even when you have confirmed the presence of catfish in the river, it may be time to try using some live bait. If it works, you should continue using the live bait until you discover another type of lures the catfish are biting.
Use a fish finder
In winter, catfish tend to form large schools because of the cold water. This means if you can locate these schools of catfish by using a fish finder, you can land more fish. The fish finders can be used to estimate depth and other features in the depths of the river. This information can help you use sinkers to get your lure to the exact level that will attract the catfish to your lure.
Find out when catfish are most active in your region
Catfish are known to be active during the day and at night; however, you will observe that they are more active at a particular time. This behavior can be peculiar to your region for many reasons. If you are not getting bites, you can try fishing when they are most active. For example, if you discover anglers are landing more catfish at night, it is possible the catfish are most active at that time, so you will have to change your fishing schedule accordingly.
Trolling catfish
If you realize that you are not getting bites when you set your rigs in position, it may be best to try trolling the catfish. Some catfish species will be attracted to lures moving in the water, first attempt to troll the catfish with your lure slowly, if this works, you have found a catfish behavior in your region that can help you land more fish.
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