So I love to fish, although I have not been in ages, and recently gained access to a decent boat and launch on the Trinity River in Huntsville, Texas. The goal is to catch enough catfish to have a little southern fish fry. We found a couple of these nice coves on the river with plenty of cover and calm water. The fish are obviously there. You can see 6"-18" fish breaching the surface to eat water bugs. But we seem to only catch a couple of undersized cats over the course of several hours.

Question is: What are we doing wrong?

Should we use something that floats on the surface like the bugs, run something traditional like a Carolina Rig on bottom, or something in the middle like a hook and bobber. We've been casting mostly minnows on hook and bobber. That seems to be the most successful. Have not had any luck at all with worms or stink bait. And have not tried any other rigs for longer than half an hour or so.

Any tips or tricks would be greatly appreciated.

`KC

Go here: http://www.cjsbait.com/ and watch the videos. Also go here: http://www.catfishedge.com/ and watch and read.

Fresh shad under a float works well in this situation.

Cast net?

J/K

Almost guarantee you're seeing either gar, carp, or buffalo. Happens constantly here in Irving where I fish the Trinity. If you have sonar with your boat find where the river is flowing and then opens up to very calm water, especially a deep hole (usually can't see it without sonar). Fish different areas of the hole to find where they are.

If no sonar fish any fallen trees and wood piles you can see, in the current and especially right on the current edge. Might catch 1-5 per pile depending on the size of it, usually 1-3. Cast cut shad in front of pile as close as you can to it. Fish until no bites for 15 minutes then on to the next one. I don't have boat with sonar yet and still destroy the cats doing this.

Eric

Good advice. Cats like to wait for stuff to come to them mostly. I always liked to cast into the riffles at upper end of a deep hole and let the current take the bait downstream to where the fish lay up waiting on a free snack. If there is a hungry fish there you will know it immediately. Fished a lot of brush piles and lost a lot of hooks over the last 50+ years. I wore them channels out for years in the Trinity below Lewisville dam above hwy 121 bridge using shad gizzards on a 1/0 baitholder and 1/2 oz split weight.

Riffles are great place to go, only thing is that I'm pretty sure the Trinity where he's at is deep with no riffles. Have to find holes where current drops into it via finding depth with sonar or with rod/reel weight/float depth counter.

Eric

Yep, farther south you go the deeper it gets. I'll take log jams any day over fishing below shallow riffles.

Catch some of the bugs and use them for bait. That is what they are eating right!