Y'all it has been a minute since I posted to the forum. Two primary reasons. I have been insanely busy at work and secondly, my fishing trips of late have not been post worthy. But I have not given up. Now, I could blame the fish or the weather or the moon or the spawn or the heat... and on and on, BUT, I will not be blaming anything. And I did not give up. It has all been a great learning experience for me. I have learned that patterning fish is not easy. I have learned that fishing at night is not easy. I have learned that controlled drifting is probably the most technical way to catfish. I have learned that even if I think the spawn started early; that doesn't mean the fish think it did. I have learned that successful catfishing is hard work. I have learned that there are at least two kinds of fishing. One is hard work fishing and two is lazy fishing. Now, I don't want to offend anyone so let me define lazy fishing. Lazy fishing is doing what you are comfortable doing knowing that it may or may not produce results. Lazy fishing is okay, if that's what you want to do. Y'all who know me, know that I may not be the hardest working catfish angler out there, but I'm not a lazy fisherman either. And you know that I do not give up.

In the last couple months I have spent a lot of time on the water and not had much to show for it. My grandsons and I, on a recent Friday night started soaking baits at about 5:30 in the evening and finally gave up around 7:30 the next morning. We fished everywhere from behind Collin Park to the 380 bridge with only a couple dinks to show for it. A couple dinks was a theme I was stuck in for a while. Seemed like each trip would yield just that. But I didn't give up. I kept going out there and hunting those big whiskered beasts that are the heart of our obsession. I did a lot of night fishing to try and beat the heat. A couple times I got out there and couldn't make it to sundown before the heat ran me off the lake. That's the softness of a guy with a desk job...Some nights I was off the water at 11:00 PM or 12:00 AM or 1:00 AM but I didn't give up.

I didn't give up. I fished 5 days out of the last 7. A luxury I know I am blessed with that few men are. I am able to set my own schedule to a degree and so I can spend a few hours on the water before work or after work or I can work on the weekend and fish during the week if I think it might work out better for the fishing. In the first three trips I lost 11 rigs to snags... 11 rigs. What did I have to show for it, a couple dinks. Then I saw the forecast for this cold front this week. I was making fun of it with my brothers up north. I said only in Texas can you have a cold front go through and it be 99 degrees after its passage. But I looked at the morning low temperatures these last two days and said I am going to fish those morning.

Started yesterday with a low of about 75 and a strong NE wind. With the North(ish) wind I stayed South. Drifted South to North at the bottom of the lake and managed several fish biggest one being 18 pounds...felt good to have a nice bend in the rod again...



The mornings have been breathtaking the last couple days.






So that brings us to the fishing this morning. My first mate was taking it easy early...



But when other boats started showing up, she was watching for pirates...



I was catching bait at about 4:20 AM. By 5:00 I was soaking baits. first fish was at 5:07... that's a good sign. Caught 3 fish anchored up in the first spot. All eaters. With a little daylight I went to spot number two and drifted caught 2 more good eaters and as I was reading a text from Blue Cat Bob that said "I hope you get a big takedown"... Wham! I got a big takedown! 28 pounder. So I had a big fish and enough eaters for supper and it was only 7:30. I'm glad I didn't give up.

Next I went to spot number 3 thinking it would probably be the last spot because I did need to get to work. I tied up to a tree in about 20 feet of water. Again, 5 minutes and I'm hooked up. big eater. And then, they kept coming and they kept getting bigger! a 14.5, then a 17, then... ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

A drag peeling takedown! huge fish. In the net, in the boat, on the scale, right at 50 pound! Immediately followed by another teener and that was followed immediately by a 30!




This is the kind of day you have in January, not August... And that my friends is why you never give up.

God Bless and Tight Lines...

Great post Tim! I've all but given up on toads until you texted me and Bob this morning. I gotta hand it to you, this day was well earned my friend! You are definitely a more optimistic and determined fisherman than I am! So glad to see a real tank in the middle of August. I am thoroughly impressed!

Also, kudos on your story telling. I could've read 8 more paragraphs! Excellent work brother, excellent work!!

This gets me so fired up about fall fishing! Thanks for going and thanks for sharing big man!

A 50 pounds Bluecat, in AUGUST???

No way right? Well, when Catfish Tim is on the case, anything is possible.

A bit of background. I have been soaking baits a few times recently and pickings have been slim. In between getting pecked to death by dinks and then fried in the summer heatwave, its been really tough. Tim invited me to go night fishing with him. and hell yeah I'm up for that. If anyone can crack the code, Tim can!

We launched on Tim's boat armed to the teeth with a smorgasbord of fresh bait, a ton of it, and cast out no less than 10 rods! We could spot fish, but they just weren't interested. The wind dropped at midnight and the humidity was brutal - you could cut the air with a knife. At just before 1am Tim said he has had enough, and frankly I was frazzled as well.

I realized that if CFT couldn't crack the code, I stood zero chance. I announced that I was waving the white flag and would give up and wait for the fall, defeated.

But Tim never gave up, he just kept at it. He was following the white bass, fishing the ledges, trying different baits and speeds, just dogged determination in an effort to find the secret code.

When Tim launched this morning I wished him well, but embarrassed to say I didn't hold out much hope. When he caught the 50 pounder I called him up, and as soon as we started chatting he says 'gotta go, got another one on..' and that's how it was.

As my favorite YouTuber Catfish Dave says 'you dont know till you throw', and how true that is.

Catfish Tim has more knowledge in his little finger than I have in my noggin.

He makes it look so easy. it's not.

I'm back at it in the am, launching in the dark in pursuit of the big blues. I will be over the moon if I catch a quarter of what Tim caught today.

Respect.

PS Tim is 6 feet 5 inches tall, so that 50 pounder would look massive in the hands of a normal sized human being lol!

Perseverance pays off! Way to go buddy!

Shannon, this is where I pale in comparison to you and Stubby. You go out everyday and load a cooler with channel cat. Rain or shine or snow or whatever and then you get ice cream after! Being consistent is very difficult. Much respect to you for your ability to do that.

Geno, I have been feeling a lot like you lately all work and no play. The difference is, I am old enough to realize that when I'm dead and gone, nobody is gonna give a rip that I skipped a good day on the water to work more. Working your a$$ off to support your family is a noble thing and I am blessed to be able to do that. But I am also blessed to be able to sit in my boat with my dog at my side and watch the sun come up on the water. Some days (like today) I have to make up for that decision. I am here at my desk at 3:00 AM. But I am hear joyfully because I know it is a sacrifice I make to be able to do what I did yesterday. You said yesterday, you wish you lived closer so you could join BCB and I on one of these outings. I honestly don't give a flip how far you live. Next time we get an opportunity like this, set the work aside for a few hours. Trust me it will be there when you get back. Watching you boat that 80 in Alabama, I know that was a memory of a lifetime for you. Let's make some more!

Oh... One last thing y'all. Those eaters I brought home, they became this... Blackened Catfish with Shrimp Etouffee over rice. I know how to use a black iron skillet too. My momma did me right. She always said if you can read you can cook!

Tim, there are LOTS of days I am a 4th quarter guide. Those table pics don’t show the struggle it took to get there sometimes.

You smoked em Tim!! Nice work brother! Man the étouffée looks incredible!!

Nice work on catching those fish. I thought last weekend would be a killer day for cats. TVA had 7 gates open at G Dam. Bait was easy to catch and then we spent the next 4 hours wondering where all the fish were. We had to quit when the storms and the thunder was getting closer. But I'll be out there again this Saturday.

Great post CFT, those fish all hard earned as they were, sure great pix you shared of them. Thanks for sharing.

and one heck of a post. Thanks for sharing.

NICE work sir. Well EARNED!

Excellent read and pictures like usual.

I am hungry and want to go fishing now... as I sit here at work on a conference call... dont tell!

Ken

you have lifted my spirits with this post! Thanks:)

and great post!