Catfishing out of a canoe for Big Cats

Catfishing out of one of my canoes is a passion of mine. It doesn't get any better than fighting a big cat right beside you in a canoe. Here is how i do it.

Choose a river noted for big cats.
Have the right bait.
Have the right tackle.
and the most important is patience.

Once I choose a river I then look for section that has a lot of bends. I don't like straight sections. I then usually try to arrive at the put in at lunch or early mid day. I do this to catch bait. The bait I usually want is live bream which we catch on crickets using ultralite  gear. These are put in a minnow bucket which hangs over the side. If i move to a new spot with my outboard(on square stern) or my trolling motor(on OT 158) I put the minnow bucket in a bucket in the canoe until I get to the new spot. Once I have as many as I think I need, I start fishing one of my holes I have picked out. Now, a hole to me is a spot so it can actually be a flat near an actual hole. I usually fish deep holes in the day and flats at night. My rig consist of a Carolina rig with usually a 2oz weight and a short leader. My main line is usually 30-40lb test and my leader is usually 10 lb
test smaller. My hook is usually a 4/0 -9/0. I either anchor or use a blakemore brushgripper to grab an over-hanging limb. I would rather do that than drop and anchor so as not to spook the fish. I then hook the bream in the tail. Sometimes I use cut bream soaked in garlic juice. Usually it doesn't take long for a hit.
















This Neuse flathead above was caught on a live bream....


This Contentnea Creek Flathead was also caught on a live bream. Usually they don't bite in midday but this fish was caught early in the year so the fish were more active in the "heat of the day".

















This Blue was caught at aprox 2 am. I was using cut bream soaked in garlic juice. I only had 2 hits that evening , 1 an 11 lb gar and this my PB 46lb blue. I was by myself in this picture so that's why I defiantly have my life jacket on. I am standing in my OT 158 with my right leg on the gunwale! A jonboat passing by stopped to see if i was catching anything just as I had got this beast in the canoe! If it wasn't for him I would have a crappy picture of the fish probably laying on the bottom of the canoe....















Here is my son with his best flathead and his best blue. They were caught 2 years apart, and both were caught on live bream. He did all the catching I just netted them.
This is a 30 lb blue.















Here is his 21 lb flattie. He beat this in 2010 with one 22 lbs then a 34 lber..see below















The best part of him landing this flattie was when I netted it,  he screamed  "thats what I'm talking about"
This kinda fishing is one of my favorites to do and you don't have to have a big boat. Mack

Here is a fish you may also catch while catfishing.  Bait stealers but good fights if you hook one.

Added: he has since beat his personal best cat with a 34 lb flattie caught in Aug  of '10

Here are pics of my usual rigs....First is my main go to rig.  Sinker with short leader. You do not want more than 8 in of leader and usually 4 - 6 inches as a bream will wrap you around a stik if it is close. You can go heavier on the sinker but I would not go lighter. Reel is an Abu 7000 loaded with 40 lb line and the rod is
an American Spirit 7' Nite Stik. This rod has a mixture of red and white in it and the tip glows.   This is a great rod and inexpensive rod too. They are very hard to find and actually tougher than Ugly stiks. I also have an Abu 6500 on a 7 ' white ugly Stik. A white rod is easier to see at night so I have started going from darker rods to lighter colored rods.  It is very hard to see a black rod at night. Some of my other reels are Shimano bantam 50's , Abu 5600c and some daiwa Millionaires. Just make sure it can handle 30 lb line and you will be fine.

Below is a pic of my slip rig. I use this occasionally and at night i glue or tape mini lite stiks to it. The rod is a 7' Ugly Stik Tiger Rod and the reel is a Shimano 6500 Baitrunner loaded with 30 lb test line. Sometimes I put a longer rod on this reel but usually the 7' er is best in the canoe. I also have the 4500 and 3500 baitrunners and they can be used also but the 3500 is limited to channel cat outings though I did catch an 18 lb blue cat out of the Dan River on the 3500 Baitrunner with 14lb line. I had meant to take the extra spool with 17 lb line but forgot it , and actually the 14 lb line did ok getting the 18lb blue in. Usually with the 3500 Baitrunner i use a 6ft ugly Stik and it works great in a canoe. I can also put that reel on a 7 ft or 8 ft Ugly Stiks that I have if I am bank fishing or carp fishing.

No matter what reel and rod combo I use , my leader is usually 10 lbs lighter than my main line.

There are some decent pictures of these rods in my article done in August 20010 Titled Neuse River Cats, Shellcrackers and Shooting stars

Here are the size of the lite stiks....

Good luck, Mack

    #catfish

#monstercatfish