Any good tips or strategies for the fall catfish bite?

I'm gonna try fishing lower on the lake at some points, sunken islands, drop offs, trenches and such. We'll see if it produces anything.

I dont like to waste to much time but i wonder when i will have to start looking for deeper wate. Do i have to wait till the water temp hits the high 70’s. Or do i just keep fiahing the 2’-15 until the temp hit the low 70’s. I just started getting into catfishing a about 4 months ago so i am learning.

Some fish will be shallow all year long. Until the water temps get down in the upper 40's, low 50's, fish will generally be scattered around all depths. Right now, I stay mid depth to shallow. One thing to remember is depth is relative to the lake your fishing. Mid depth in a lake that only gets 30' deep is different than mid depth on one that is 100' deep.

Yeah, my lake gets 80' deep. I plan on what I call shelf fishing where it comes up to about 30 to 45 foot deep onto some flats, flooded timber sunken islands, and that sort of things.

It depends on you lake depth. My home lake is about 38’ max right now. I drag steep contour lines and old creek beds in 16’-25’ with cut bait. 18’ is most productive right now but I’m shooting for bigger fish. You can catch smaller fish (10”-12”) in 10’-12’ of water till you just get tired of doing it on punch bait. But, one of the guys I talk to a lot says he’s catching them in 2’ of water so you just have to hunt them. I often find schools of smaller blues suspended at about 8’ in 20’-25’ of water. Basically, catfish are crazy.

Follow the bait! Find the bait, and the big fish (all fish) will follow, especially in the winter.

Cedar Creek where I fish the most, I will look for the white bass. While not legal for bait, I will use shad, and fish around the white bass.

As the water cools - fish slower. I am drifting 99% of the time. .5 -.7-.8 in the summer and even now, will quickly be too fast. Water is just starting to cool off here. Dead of winter I will be .2-.3.

Depth changes, but while temps are in the 60's - 80's fish will be moving around a lot still. 50's down into 40's and they will be deeper most of the time. Again different lakes that number changes.

Lot of good advice in other post above, but got to find the bait - the biomass. Cooler the water, slower to fish, and even more important to find the biomass.

Good luck.

Ken

What species do you want to catch?