Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2020 - 13

and bass is not where I expected
catfish. When the strike occurred,
it was vicious. The rod reacted, and
I knew I had a nice fish. Seeing the
catfish on the end of the lure had
me puzzled. I looked to see if the
Channel Catfish was foul hooked,
but it was clearly in the mouth. This
was just one of three catfish caught
on artificial lures that day alone.
As the months passed, I started
to experiment with crankbaits and
spinnerbaits for catfish. I discovered
that the first shallow ledges or
riffles above a known catfish hole
is almost a sure thing for Channel
Catfish. Oddly, this species that
seems to be at home in deep, slow
moving pools is well-adapted to
handle current that could possibly
cause salmon to pause. Catfish are
A Channel Catfish caught with a tube jig.
indeed a top predator.
Slowly, I started seeing Channel
and exciting ways to introduce other anglers to the power
Catfish in a much different light. My lack of understanding
the type of water these predators can manage and its ability this tough, fighting gamefish.
Soon, I was catching catfish regularly in riffles and
to chase down prey was indeed an eye opener. If catfish
runs with tube jigs, swimbaits, creature baits, and other
could be targeted on artificial lures, I could open up a new
soft plastic lures. Much like bass and Walleyes,
these catfish were ambushing lures in much faster
current that I would have thought possible. The
key was finding the first rock or ledge area with
significant current above a deep pool. In rivers like
the Susquehanna River or Delaware River, deep may
only be 6- to 10-feet, and the rocks in the current are
often in less than 4 feet of water, where crankbaits,
spinnerbaits, and tube jigs are effective.
Making use of its sense of smell is never a bad option.
The same scent attractants that work for bass and
Walleye also work well on Channel Catfish. Crayfish
and minnow scents seem to work best for me. Another
great option is saltwater lures that are packaged with
scent already in the lures. One of my favorites is a
4-inch minnow in a smelt flavor. It can be used to swim
aggressively or slowly jigged along the bottom. These
lures are more durable than soft plastics made strictly
from plastisol, and that is an added bonus.
Catching catfish on lures works extremely well in
heavily stained water. It is no secret that catfish have
a sense of smell far greater than any other gamefish.
Catfish can pick up sound and vibration better than bass
and Walleye, too. Due to its bone structure, catfish can
sense vibration in a much greater frequency than other
species, which is likely why blade and crankbaits work
so well. On top of their keen sense of smell and hearing,
catfish can see quite well. A catfish's night vision is only
rivaled by Walleyes. Highly tuned senses make the catfish
An angler fishing for catfish.
one of the most well-rounded predators in the river.
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Pennsylvania Angler & Boater - July/August 2020

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