Catch More Channel Catfish When the bluegill and shellcracker bite begins to wane, never fear because the channel catfish are making their way to the same areas to spawn and gorge on bluegill fry and eggs. Understanding the channel catfish and its behavior will help you catch more of them when that time arrives. My favorite way to target these little monsters is with the same setup I use for bluegill fishing. I move right to channel catfishing the shallows with an ultralight or light rod with a 6-pound test line, a small, fixed bobber and my Hairy Cricket Jig. The jig body is mohair yarn and I tie the Hairy Cricket with a yarn body to help absorb and hold scent longer. I have used Nightcrawler scent gel and it works great when you don’t want…show more content… Always look around for this big chunk of rock to cast near those bluegill beds. Here is a few bits of information about channel catfish behavior and why they are in the shallows all day long. Channel Catfish Spawning Behavior There are 3 stages of the channel catfish spawn, pre-spawn, spawn, and post-spawn. The great thing about locating these areas is that not all channel cats spawn at the same time and you will be fishing for fish at all stages of the spawn, therefore you can catch these concentrated catfish longer throughout the spawn as new waves of fish move up, sometimes daily. Channel cats are vigorous feeders during both the pre-spawn period and the post-spawn period. By locating areas with enough spawning area for lots of catfish, you can catch them for several weeks as new fish replenish the area as they look for a place to spawn. Large shallow bays are magnets for channel catfish and one with varying cover from rock and gravel to bushes and laydown trees is the best for shallow water fishing for channel catfish. During the spawn channel, catfish are more focused on laying eggs and tending to the bed than…show more content… The great thing about locating a large spawning bay is you have all three phases of the spawn happening over several weeks, as not all the catfish will spawn at the same time. This is mother nature’s way of making sure there are staggered spawns, just in case something drastic happens to one of them. You can catch a lot of channel catfish well before the target water temperature of 70-75 degrees is reached. If you fish for bluegills, you can find these catfish with them during the staging phase. Bluegills will stage outside their spawning area for a week or more. This is usually the first pronounce depth change, leaving the shallows toward deeper water. Using a slip bobber is a great way to fish this deeper water, usually 8-10 feet. A nightcrawler is a great bait for these staging channel cats and remember the catfish will move up with the bluegills but there will still be some in that deeper water staging themselves as the bluegills spawn a little earlier than catfish. If your focus is the channel catfish, then stay in this area, even after the bluegills are
