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Bass pro big cat quest6/12/2023 “I believe the catfish think these are mussels that have died and are floating to the surface, so they’ll come in and feed heavily on them.” “The baits I use start off looking pink or red, but after they’ve been in the water a little while, they turn a lighter shade of pink or white,” Stegall said. I’ll put out different flavors on my lines until I can determine which flavor the catfish like best that day.”ĭuring the summertime, Stegall fishes his trotlines close to the river channel, and looks for mussel beds close to the edge of the old underwater river channel. “In really warm water, I like Strike King Catfish Dynamite and the Strike King Dyna-Bites Catfish Links because they come in different flavors. “Buy the cheapest marshmallows you can find, because they’re tougher and stay on the hooks longer,” he said. If the water’s still cool early, he baits his trotlines and jugs with cheap miniature marshmallows. Stegall considers June through August the best months for catching catfish at Pickwick. Catfishing with trotlines and jugs provides plenty of action and numbers of catfish. “I generally put out three trotlines the night before my customers arrive. “Many of my customers who come up to Pickwick to fish with me want to fill up their coolers to take home for their Friday-night fish fries,” he said. Although he primarily guides for smallmouth and largemouth bass, he also guides for catfish, and prefers catching eating-sized fish. Iuka’s Roger Stegall has fished Pickwick Lake for 35 years and guided on the lake for 23 years. The size of my sinker is determined by the depth of the water and the amount of current running, as well as the size of my bait.” “On the last eye of the swivel, I’ll tie 2 feet of 60-pound-test line with a 1- to 4-ounce sinker. “I’ll rig it the same way as the drop hook on the first three-way swivel,” he said. “Also, I’ve learned that I’ll catch 20 to 30 percent more cats by having that second hook.”Ĭoming off the third eye of the three-way swivel, King ties 2 feet of 60-pound-test monofilament and a barrel swivel. “I prefer to fish with two hooks for big cats because I’m generally fishing with really big bait and need two hooks to hold that large bait,” he said. On the bend of the hook, he’ll tie 2 to 4 inches of 60-pound-test Berkley Big Game Line and a second hook. At the end of the line, he ties either a No. Coming off the second eye of the swivel, he ties 2 feet of 60-pound-test Berkley Big Game monofilament. To rig for big cats, King starts with a main line of 60- to 65-pound-test braided line and ties on a heavy three-way swivel. On a trophy-catfishing trip, King expects to catch from two to five big cats that will weigh about 50 pounds each in a day. “I’m convinced that Pickwick eventually will yield blue cats that weigh over 100 pounds, and channel cats that will reach 20 to 25 pounds each.” The channel cats we catch are around 10 pounds. Occasionally we’ll catch a big flathead cat. “I’ve had customers who’ve caught blue cats weighing over 70 pounds. “My biggest catch was a 64-pound blue cat,” King said. King prefers to fish hickory shad as well as fresh chicken livers, gizzard shad guts, pieces of gizzard shad or gizzard shad minnows for big catfish. He wants a small-diameter, strong line that gets down to the bottom quickly. He uses 60- to 65-pound-test braided line, like Spiderwire and Cabela’s Ripcord Si Metered Trolling line. King uses a variable-speed trolling motor and his depth finder to search for humps, rocks and any type of bottom break where a cat can lay in slack water out of the current and then move into the current to feed.
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