Fishing for Catfish: Channels, Flatheads and Blues

I don't specifically target catfish while fishing, but they are often a by-product of my carp fishing quest along with small and big mouth buffalo. 

More people certainly fish for catfish than carp. It's perfectly understandable too. Catfish are generally considered more edible than carp. They do sell catfish in some of the most popular chain restaurants in the country. I have never heard of a restaurant selling carp.

I'm not a catfish expert, but I do know that catfish will bite traditional carp baits like corn and boilies. Observing some of the catfish specimen specialist fishermen locally, I've noticed that most use night crawlers, shiners, minnows, and cut bait. Good ole nightcrawlers seem to bring in most of the fish, but I have not tested effectiveness for any of those baits personally. Maybe I should.

We have an acquaintance locally that we sometimes share our catfish catches with. Recently, my friend delivered 25 pounds of channel and flatheads to him. He is an elderly man that we met while fishing. After getting to know him, we learned that he relies on catfish for a primary food source in spring, summer and fall. Catching catfish for him takes on a special meaning. The difference between catching and not catching equates to food or no food on some days. It really puts things in perspective. 

Catch and release works for me, but I do like catfish. It's one of my favorite things to eat when we visit Cracker Barrel. I prefer farm raised to fish exposed to some of the harsh chemicals residing at the bottom of our local rivers in the sediment where Mr. Whiskers gets many of his food sources. I've been told that the chemical build up in the smaller fish is much less than in these larger 9 and 10 pounders in these photos, but then again, as you can tell from my physique I am not dependent on catfish for lunch and dinner.

If someone reading this post has more expertise catching catfish than I do and want to share an article here, I'd be happy to link back to your website and/or YouTube videos.

At the current time, I couldn't begin to tell you difference between a channel, flathead, bull head or blue catfish, but my understanding is that blues are highly sought after by catfish specimen anglers. 

Maybe I'll spend the offseason this winter brushing up on my catfish fishing game and even target them in the future. Based on some In Fishermen articles I've read over the years, I do know that targeting them is easier from a boat, but targeting them from shore is doable. I am not sure how doable it is to catch 20+ pound catfish from shore here in Michigan, but I am open to learning more if you have catfish expertise.