How to catch Blue catfish

Blue catfish feed in 40–90°F water and bite best at 55–80°F. Fish Scouter's season calendar follows them in 26 waters; in October they are at their peak in Texas fresh water, Louisiana fresh water, Mississippi fresh water and 23 more.

20 pts · trophy at 36"Feeds 40–90°FBest 55–80°FIn season nowRiverReservoirLakeBridge

About

The big river catfish of the Panhandle — the Escambia, the Apalachicola, the Choctawhatchee — fifty pounds and more in the deep bends. A cut-shad fish of the current.

How to fish it

The deep outside bends and the ledges of the Panhandle rivers with a big chunk of fresh shad on a circle hook and a heavy sinker.

What it eats

fresh cut shadlive breamcut mullet

Live bait for it

NightcrawlersWhole on a #6 to #2 hook under a bobber or on a bottom rig; threaded on a spinner harness drifted for walleye. The bait that catches everything in fresh water.

Minnows (fatheads, shiners)Hooked lightly through the lips or behind the dorsal on a #6 to #2 hook under a slip bobber for crappie, perch and walleye; a big golden shiner on a 2/0 to 4/0 for largemouth, pike and stripers.