catching the biggest fish in fishing planet

Target mid-depth structure and expansive flats that are in shallow or medium depths. Sight-fishing might be a foreign concept to many catfish anglers, but watching for channel catfish in the shallows is one of the simplest forms of locating big fish in warmer weather.ĭrift-fishing is an easy tactic to locate and catch big channel catfish and a great technique for inexperienced anglers. Have patience, take your time, and cover the areas well-inches can make the difference. They’re havens for insects and sources of food, and fish will stack into these areas by the hundreds.

Target the edges and then look for open pockets inside of them. Aquatic vegetation like cattails or lily pads should never be passed up. If you’re not losing tackle, you’re not far enough into the cover.

They’ll commonly stay in groups of similar size, so if your goal is to catch bigger fish, boating a few 12-inchers is a good sign you’re in the wrong location.Ĭhannels can be found in open water, but they prefer thick cover. Finding lone fish happens, but most often if you can simply find one, you’ll soon be busy catching more. And that’s how fishing for channel cats typically goes. My partner chuckled and mumbled: “Hardest part, always the hardest part.” What followed was several hours of some of the best action I have experienced for big channel catfish. My passion for catching the biggest catfish on the planet remains. Now, every time a trophy surfaces, it brings back the memory of that first big fish. I eventually made friends with some like-minded anglers, collaborating with them and exchanging information. I’ve drunk a lot of bad coffee and endured countless lectures about how I’ve been doing things all wrong. I’ve sought out advice from old-timers in bait shops, feed stores, and diners.

Since then, I’ve learned that it’s the little things-from your bait to the knots on your terminal tackle-that add up to big results with trophy fish, and I’ve spent years learning everything I could about how to catch catfish. I brought the landing net into position and, as if it were happening in slow motion, the line snapped and the fish was gone. My fishing rod was doubled over, and a massive blue catfish broke the water’s surface. I can still recall the precise moment I became one of the afflicted.

Catching the biggest fish in fishing planet