Yep that’s me!
Over 2 months ago I decided I want to try my hand at catfish. Yes, u guessed it, not 1 dang cat yet. I’m the San Angelo area, and I bounce around between all the lakes and rivers. Fishing from the bank has its limitations and its very hard to get to deeper water. I fish cut bluegill/sunfish 90% of the time on the Santee cooper rig, (3 rods). I’d like to add I’m not a noob to angling, been bass fishing all my life. I can catch bass till the cows come home! But, I’m determined to catch a bigg’n, but boy do suck at cat fishing.
My rigs alternate from 2/0-9/0 circle hooks
My fish times 2-3 times a week, mid-afternoon to an hour or so after dark

Keep at it. Seek advice from local cat anglers too. Most are willing to share some solid advice.

Lakes and reservoirs, wind blown points and old submerged creek beds (casting into the wind) are good. Also, where there are lots of rocks and boulders, near the water’s edge are good too. The wind pushes plankton and thus bait making feeding hotspots. The rocks also anchor algae, which channel cats will fill up on, in the fall.

Pm sent

I have an award I am worthy of , and now you want to claim it.

Let me start by saying we've all been there. I was the worst once too. I think for me the key was transitioning from a bank fisherman to fishing from a boat. I was able to get to better habitat where there were more fish and the opportunity to hook up went through the roof. I don't know your area well at all but O. H. Ivie looks very interesting with the 100 foot deep channels. Twin Buttes and Spence are a lot smaller but look like they might be okay too. Do you fish the Colorado river?

Time of day: I have always been a sun up fisherman rather than a sun downer but recently I've tried to get out of my comfort zone and fish in the evening and at night. I've had some success once I started putting in the time. If you are out in the evening, you should see active fish.

If I were fishing from the bank, depending on the time of the year shallow water can be good. In early spring when the sun warms the shallow water up, the bait fish will head for it and the blues cats will follow. This time of year, with the water starting to cool off, the fish are scattered but should begin to concentrate at the northern ends or where the fresh water comes in when the fall rains come (if they come this year). Once it gets cooler, they will concentrate in deeper water if the weather is steady. We all know that doesn't happen very often in Texas so pay attention to the direction of the wind, not just the day you're fishing but the days before too. Fish the shore that the wind is or has been blowing against. If you can reach deep water from the shore, in the colder months, fish the deep water but don't think they will always be deep because they are not. As far as river fishing, I would look for log jambs where flatheads can find cover to ambush from. I would night fish those in the summer and fall. Right now should be a good time to fish for Flatheads and I would keep some of those bream alive for that.

The biggest challenge I remember with bank fishing was access. My daughter and I used to drive up and down the rock river back home looking for places to get to the bank. It was always frustrating because I know where good spots were and I could never seem to get to them. If you can find good access, think about when that spot might be producing based on time of year, wind and weather.

There is a guy on YouTube, his channel is called River Certified. I think he is up in Iowa. He bank fishes a lot. If you haven't seen him, check him out. You might pick up some pointers... if you like curmudgeons, Catfish Dave is another one...

Hope some of this makes sense. Keep after 'em and eventually you will see some success. Tight lines!

Thanks for all the replies gentlemen!!
I will take all the advice I can get. Sounds like a lot like bass fishing for the most part. I’m after some big ones (blues and Flats mainly).

Catfish Dave is another guy on YouTube who bank fishes as well, and is another source of knowledge.

I’m also nee to Catfishing, and Catfish Tim (above) kindly took me under his wing and gave me lots of great advice. It was a huge help so I would suggest finding a local guide and or member here to point you in the right direction.

Folks kept telling me time on the water, and yup that’s true. The last two trips have been challenging for me when others have been catching, but hey time spent fishing even when not catching is better than many other things.

Good luck!

Download google earth. Use it to look at local lakes in your area. You can load past satellite images when the lakes were down and you can see what kind of structure is off the bank.