I'm a bass fisherman. I used to go with dad in the fall on Amistad to fill the freezer with catfish but we always fished deep ledges. I'm new to Choke Canyon and wanting to fill my freezer with cats. I see a bunch of guys cleaning good messes of channels every time I go to the lake. I've got my grain souring and my stubbys bait ready to go. My question is where do I start fishing? I've heard gravel points in about 10 ft. Of water, but that was a couple months ago. What type of structure and depths should I start this time of year? Do they relate to channels, points, standing timber, or what? I don't want to go out and just pollute the lake with sour grain and come home empty handed. Any tips are appreciated!

Walk the Dog kick the Cat shallow water is where they are at.It is simple as that. Get you some good punch bait and fill your cooler.

Take everything you've learned in bass fishing and apply it to channel cats. Right now we're in a summer pattern. As with any fish they, relate to different types of structure during different times of the year. and it depends on the kind of river, lake or reservoir you're fishing.

With channels you have the advantage of chumming several likely spots to find where they're holding. I've found channels in the middle of the river channel. I fish a young hill country riverine lake in west-central Alabama. It's has been devoid of nutrition, but recently I've found lots of weed beds growing on the river bottom that weren't there just a few years ago. The lake is maturing, yet no one on my waters seems to know this phenomenon is going on. They just fish the same old patterns even though the water itself is changing.

Fishing is a dynamic ecological puzzle.

I would start by baiting several types of structure and depths. Find some creek channels, flats along side of them, weed edges or holes in a channel. Shallow water along shore line brushy area may hold cats too.
You have to go on the hunt and eliminate non productive areas. Find areas that consistently hold some cats and bait them regularly to keep them coming. Once you have half a dozen or so spots, go to work. They may be active on all of them on a given day, or some of them, or none of them. That's fishing.

Caught 22 today on white willow leaf spinner baits running close to the rocks with a 17mph wind pushing the water to the rocks.
All 2+lbs or better,big fish was almost 5lb
Channels eat anything,Ill catch'em but I wont eat'em

Just about all of what you mentioned above.
Choke isn't a deep lake like the south Texas countryside indicates. Look for the creek channels just as you would for bass, and there are islands and shallow tank dams around parts of the lake as indicated on most maps of the lake. There is one small island near Greyhound point that has a small concrete slab on it that has tons of mussels scattered around on the shore. If you can find that you are on a good spot also. There are a lot of areas around the lake that are similar, you just have to look around a little bit.
Also a good place to start is around the dead trees where the comarants roost and you'll know the spot from the white streaks on the trunks of the trees. If you can find one of those you are on gold.
Use fresh cut shad, perch or Big Marv's punch bait, and most of the typical channel cat baits.
Choke is a catfish factory, and you could just about close you eyes and point to a spot on the map and start there!
Good luck!

Thanks for the info. Jimbo, what's the significance of Comorants?

They roost in the trees over the water and usually it's always in the same area night after night so when they (disgusting to some) poop (chum the water) it attracts the cats to that area and usually early morning or late evening is best.
Don't think of it as poop, but think of it as processed fish parts!
Cast up next to those trees and hold on!

Channels are turd suckers and they feed on bird [censored] under the roost
Nasty fish!

FYI cormorants are really only here in the winter (November through early April in N Texas). That lake may have a rare situation where it has cormorants all year but really you can only do cormorant fishing in the winter. Google "Plop Fishing" and you'll find a couple great articles about how to do it. I can fill my freezer with hoards of cats all winter from my kayak.

Eric

Here in North Texas channels are spawning, though it's late in the cycle. I've been tearing them up along any riprap in 4 feet of water with punch bait and a slip bobber.

That is one slick kayak Bryan!

I went to choke Canyon today. All I can say is catching channel cats there is too easy! Size on the other hand was lacking. I'm not exaggerating when I say I caught over 100 fish. Problem was the size. I ended up keeping my limit of 25 but man I didn't catch one over 2 lbs. I'm sure I won't be complaining when we have a Father's Day fish fry! And, I forgot how much work catfishing is, them little bass turds kept me busy the entire day!

All caught in 8-12 ft of water in the timber!

Glad to see you found out that Choke is a catfish factory!
It's always been known as a lake of quantity with the quality a little harder to come by, but they are there.
Might try the same areas but use a bigger bait and larger hooks on at least one rod and try to discourage the feeding frenzy of those smaller cats, and see if that works before abandoning the spot.