New catfish book and where they are biting

May 09, 2008 12:31 am

— Well, Keith “Catfish” Sutton has done it again. He has written a definitive book about catfish, this time about primarily the tactics used by the pros; the masters of the sport. His brand new book is “Pro Tactics: Catfish.”
Every angler has a catfish story; a broken line, falling in the creek, catching a mess on raspberries, a cottonmouth falling in the boat, etc. etc. Keith Sutton became enamored with these kinds of catfish adventures and they held a certain magnetism for him when he was a youngster and he’s never gotten over it. He can’t leave catfish alone, and if you want to know about them and how to catch and cook them, Sutton is your man.
His book arrived on the market at a particularly good time for the catfish angler in these parts. The annual channel catfish spawn is underway here on Okatibbee Reservoir and eating size fish are being caught by the thousands. Anywhere you can find the large rocks lining the banks or dam area, that is where the fish will be. And they are staging in shallow water near grass or other structure off shore. The fish are packed full of eggs, that load comprising sometimes 20 percent of their body weight.

What’s that bait?

The channel cats are being caught largely on red worms. However I took along a fresh liver from a big wild turkey gobbler the other day and I caught eight fine channels on fingernail size chunks cut from the liver. The cats were biting the liver better than the worms I had on a second rod. I had trouble keeping store bought chicken livers on my hook on an earlier trip. But the turkey liver was tougher and made fine bait. The lesson here is that I need to kill more gobblers.
Sutton points out in his book that catfish bait does not need to smell to high heaven to be effective. Examples of baits that do not overwhelm one’s olfaction are cut bait, live minnows, worms, other natural baits, artificials and products like hotdogs and Spam.
Other myths are addressed in the new book. For example did you know that summer is not necessarily the best time to catch catfish? In fact the cooler weather of southern winters may yield a better bite than summer. Have you heard that catfish are dumb? A Missouri fisheries biologist did a study. Catfish learned quickest and achieved the highest overall scores, far above other popular sportfish such as bass, trout, pike and bluegills.
The chapters in “Pro Tactics: Catfish” that deal with where in particular waters to fish for certain catfish species are enhanced by color photographs of just such areas. More than two full pages of this large 8 1/2 by 11 inch book are dedicated to a thorough discussion of lines.

Finest dining?

There is a good reason that the one fish that dominates the industry providing fish for the restaurant business in this part of the world is the catfish. Everyone likes to eat catfish. This is a strong incentive for anglers to target this fine fish, especially during these times of energy shortage that makes travel and prepared food so expensive.
Sutton’s book, a slick cover volume with the highest quality paper, will help the catfisher come home with valuable table fare, guiding one to a better chance to hook and land valuable catfish while providing great sport. The goal is feeding family and guests superb dishes following fights with your rod and reel that make you fear a broken wrist. And when you don’t need the meals, release the fish to fight again.
To order an autographed copy of “Pro Tactics: Catfish”, send a check or money order for $24.45 (includes media mail shipping) to C & C Outdoor Productions, 15601 Mountain Dr., Alexander, AR 72002. For credit card orders, visit www.catfishsutton.com.

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