Any of you go after winter channel catfish? I don't see any topics on here that relate to methods of catching them in cold water, how do they differ from lake to river? What type of baits do you use? What type of rigs (hooks-sinker rigs).....what reels and rods are best suited for winter channels? Do they relate to structure or do they school up in deep holes in the lakes and rivers? What water temp is best for cold water channels?.....Do they quit being active when it gets to cold? I Never fished for cold water catfish but have seen where they do bite during the cold water period, thought I would strike up a conversation about winter channel catfishing......hope you winter cat specialists chime in. :smile:

cattman we have started trying to target wintering cats but havnt had much luck yet. a guide over here catches them bigtime and i have learned alot from him. here's what he says. when looking for wintering cats: you need to find slow current (NOT no current)! downsize your baits if using cutbaits to smaller pieces. he switches from using m/h glowrods which i also use in the summer and love. he uses light to medium action ugly stik spinner combos which you can pick up at your local wally world for about 30 bucks. he drops his hook size from a 5/0 all the way down to a 1/0 or even as small as a 1 or 2 size kahl hook. circle hooks also work but we both like to set the hook so we use kahls. as for location this is the toughest part i think. look for deep holes typically off the main channel if your fishing a dredged river as there is to much current in the main channel (typically). the best possible areas have a bit of a back current. this is about all i know. the best bait for this time of year he feels is redworms with cut shad running a close second depending on the day. certain days shad will outfish the redworms. this is the only time of the year he uses anykind of worm. in the warmer months its strictly cut or live baits.

Just 3 replies lol......I guess not many fish for winter channels....

i find and depending were you are fishing at, for instance i live in minnesota so winter fishing for catfish you will have a high mortality rate in the fish do to the cold air freezing there gils doing damage to them. unless you use a fish shanty to fish in, even then it can hurt the fish for they are weak already from the cold water and having to fight you catching them they could die of stress.

               I agree with jerseycat9.....a good mess of channel cat fillets would be great lol.  ::

AAAAhhhhhh yes,chilly channel cats,My Favorite.Contrary to what people tell you or what you have been led to believe cats are very willing to bite in the winter.As a matter of fact when ice leaves a river the water temp will generally be 31-33 degrees.Finding schools of cats in wintering holes can be a daunting task but here are a few tips to look for.Holes that contain a backflow are dynamite especially if they have a direct drop in them and even better with some type of structure.Not big structure mind you but a couple of boulders a small log etc.What you will look for on your electronics is a bump or mass.Cats will group so tight sometimes they will literally show up as a rock on your finder.Cats like a lot less current at this time of year because they are in energy saving mode,cold blooded,cold water.They do not change location much unless high or low water moves them.I will downsize to a size 1 or 2 octopus hook and fish red worms immediately after ice out and slowly graduate to cut shad or to Murphy's cut bait as the water pushes into the upper 30's.Light wieghts.light rods,small hooks and the baits go without saying.A cat will eat baits of all sizes in the winter but a smaller softer offering requires less energy to digest so stick with that also when you find these wintering fish be prepared to catch a ton of fish.Be very careful here as wintered fish need our full respect because of the numbers that can be caught in an outing,we can really do some damage.It is fully reasonable to catch 150 nice channels in a afternoon here on the Rock River so imagine what several guys could do over a months time.I know I jumped around here but I hope I touched on a little bit of everything.Go Catfish.....................Catmatt...........

Thanks catmatt, good read...I hope I can find the channel cats in my local river sounds like some good fishing tips, again thanks. :smile:

twards the end of winter when the ice is thawind and shad are diend evreywere we follow the seagulls to were the shad are and catch em in pretty shallow water