Blue Catfish

[Andre Sturkey]

Does anyone have any tips on fishing for big blue catfish, especially in the Maryland / DC / Virginia area please share? I’d also appreciate information regarding how to catch those giants Nationwide. I will be fishing at a popular lake in southern California named Lower Otay and may want to give it a go!

[robert b reid]

i dont know if ii will work up that way. but we use worms and some times chicken livers or shrimp, just thow it out and lets the smell drive the cats nutts. sooner or later they will bite it.

[will the fishing man]

What i use on our families pond is a carolina rig with a 3/0 hook with some shrimp. I have caught so many flat heads out on our pond that i have lost count. Plus some really nice catches too.

[chuck ellis]

your best bait would be what is their natural forage in the lake you are going to fish but cut eels and cut shad are hard to beat if you want to catch the big boys over 20lbs and remember let the big ones go to fight another day and just keep the smaller ones they taste better.

[steve b]

We have some blues in the river in my backyard, though they're spread thin, and I've never caught one. Use what they naturally eat there. Here, would be chubs and suckers. there, might be small bluegills or shad, or.... steve b

[Brian Eaton]

I have read that a popular bait in the lakes in so cal for blues is cut mackeral.Very oily and pungent.Here in oklahoma ,I chase blues using skipjack as bait.check out catfish insider magazine,I beleive there is a article about the lakes you are going to fish.Good luck,oh,use stout tackle! My biggest is a 45 lber on 25 lb test and a 14' river rod,and it still took about 10 minutes to land! WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!!

[Jim Gronaw]

Hey Andre...check out the Jan 09 issue of In Fisherman for 'Destination Blue Cats' ...it's probably on-line at in-fisherman.com. Talks about Ronson Smothers at catmandobaits.com. He's is the former Cal state record holder and a premier guide of the area. In that same issue, I touch on the Potomac and James River blue cat gig.

The 2009 Catfish In-Sider has my article about East Coast blue cat options...a whole different gig than those deepwater So-Cal lakes. Big Potomac blue cats can be caught right in downton DC but you need to know the river. Good spots are Ft Washington, Fox Ferry, Greenway Flats and much of Smoot Bay. Vast tidal systems, these fish will take fresh cut gizzard shad. Its a nightime thing in the summer, lots of hydrilla and tidal considerations are important as you need to position upcurrent from marked fish. Cut bluegill ( sorry, Bruce ) is also good. 40 lb test mainline w/ a 50 to 75 lb leader. 7/0 and 9/0 Circle or Kahle hooks, 6 or 8 oz 'no'roll' sinkers. Check out thecatfishnation.com for more Potomac info...good site...only licensed cat guide on the river is Capt Kieth Barker of lifeoutdoorsunlimited.com.

I acually prefer the James River in southern Virginia...Capt Joe Hecht at fatcatguideservice.com or Chris Eberwein at catfishingva.com. We got about 15 over 30 lbs last Nov on the James including PR's for Matt at 53 and mine at 58 lbs.

Both Potomac and the James are big, vast tidal systems...might be a good idea to employ a guide, at least for the first time out.

Hope this helps. See ya at the park!