This time of the year you are going to have to get deeper. We are in 26 ft right now with our clients

Not familiar with your area but I would hit any bridges I could find right now. They will have access to deeper water and the shade from the bridge should help you and the fish! Should be drop offs a plenty and usually there is some decent structure that will hold fish. Should also be all kinds of species in that area so I would think you should fare alright. Just looking at the map I see the bridge over Joe Pool that looks to be near you. Not sure if you can fish this area or not but I would look at it. Both ends seem to have access to decent drop offs. It is Lake Ridge PKWY I am talking about.

Oh yeah, I would definitely use chum in an area like this, my buddy uses canned dog food if that helps any. Cubes would make it easier to get away from the bank but not sure if you have a farm and ranch store nearby. Also a bag of cubes is like 50lbs so that is a lot just to go fishing with.


Good luck!

Get the navionics ap and you can see what lakes have the deepest water closest to shore. This will save you a bunch of time and you will also know roughly how deep you are fishing.

https://webapp.navionics.com/?lang=en#boating@6&key=srehErjinQ

I would downsize all your tackle.

Hi Chayce...,

Welcome to TFF! OK, so you are bank fishing. Sadly, in this heat, the fish during the day will be in deeper water. But they do come in to feed in the AM & during the evening & night. Catfish do not like sunburn, as it can be fatal for them.

El Gato noted one good thing upfront. I always explain that if you fish from a bank, you are limited to fish that are there. If there are none, chances are, you won't catch any. But as he noted, if you will be fishing the same area, bait it, to draw them in. But be sure they cannot eat whatever you set out, or you will be feeding them, without being able to catch any.

Another help aid, is to use my Catfish Calendar, for Blues (BC days) & Yellows (YC day, plus my separate PYC days). But note that Blues also hit good on YC days. If you want to fish for Channels, then I might suggest BFT (Buffet) days, as that seems to be when I catch Channels.

Not sure if you are using just a few R-n-Rs or whatnot. I might suggest some (5 or 10) two piece cane poles from Academy. Run a cord from the base of your 1st cane after tying it securely, up to the second pole & ties a loop coming off near the tip. On the base also have a loop. You can stab the pole in the bank. Also tie a short line to connect the base to a Nail type tent steak. If the can pole pulls out, you still have it attached to the bank. On the tip end, you decide what time of line, as well as the hook, and if you want a cork. My GrandDad use to line the bank with "set hooks" (short home made poles). You can even by bells to connect which will sound off if there is a fish.

Good Luck!

Thanks Lynn! I will definitely keep that in mind. Went out night fishing with my son and FINALLY got the skunk off of us!

What did you catch?

Great!!!

Now another suggestion (or a few). Get you a wirebound notebook. Keep it, a pen, and a pencil, put into a gallon ziploc bag & take it with you when you fish. Perhaps also a rag/towel, to wipe your hands off to keep paper from getting wet, or really smelly. By taking notes (your "fish log"), you will be keeping a log of where, what, wjhen, how, and so much more. By writing it down, you put it into the subconscious, even if you never look at it again. But it is there for you to study. It will help you develop (study) your efforts & the results, as well as patterns, times, bait, strategies & so on.

By mastering this, you are sure to be eventually mastering it all. Always keep your determination that you will succeed, by making affirmations that even if you did not catch something on a trip, what new did you learn to do or not to do.And then others one day will ask you how. In a sense, it is very similar to walking the labyrinth. What this does, in another angle, is open pattern-feeds within the brain (metaphor- a reducer such as a transformer), which connects to the Mind (metaphor- Power plant or distribution plant).

One of my secrets for succeeding at my Catfish Calendar, was starting to take down notes & "log" them in. In fact, in 1985, the ports editor who did a write up on me & "Big'Un" (a 60#+ Op or Yellow) really liked my "log" angle, especially from it first trying to take me out of the boat in 1983, almost catching it in 1984, until finally getting her in the boat in 1985. My daughter was not quite 4 years old when I caught it, and in the boat with me.

I’m gonna go a different direction with my advice. Scrape a little money up for a trip with Stubby77 or littlewheel on this forum. You might be surprised how little it costs and those boys would have the time of their lives. A half day of fishing will see you put many catfish filets in the freezer and y’all will be talking about it for weeks. I guarantee it ! See littlewheels post at the top of this page. That’s what you’ll see and experience for you and your boys.

Thanks Don! Greg is the one in the pic !

This was Don’s trip!

Oh thats awesome! Yes we would love to get a guide and go out some day.