I always hear you guys talking about when, where, how deep etc. the catfish are... Can you spell it out for me?

In each month, where are the cats? For instance, I have seen some guys on here say that in January, the fish are deep? What about all the other months? And how do you know?

And what happens when the temps are off for that time of year, either hotter than normal, or colder than normal?

I mainly fish from a tube, and am not afraid to venture into deep water. I have not caught over a 15" catfish, and would loved to be pulled around by a 10-20 lb catfish...

HELP
Jason

The answer is not where the catfish are according to the month, but rather where are the catfish according to the body of water. How are they relating to the structure? How are they relating to the current? How are they relating to the water temp and thermocline? It's the answers to these questions that you need to be a successful fisherman, period, J. Only one thing seems to be certain, and that is the fact that the majority of large catfish are caught on natural baits, not commercially prepared baits.

Practice practice practice Like d said get to know the water you are fishin

More ya go the more ya know

Hey Jason, I am far from an expert. Here are a few rules of thumb that work for me.

All times of year, figure out where the wind is pushing the bait, and where the bait is concentrated. Picture where a float would end up if you dropped it in the middle of the lake. Don't make a lot of noise. Don't be afraid to move to catch more fish. Windy days are always better than calm ones. Cloudy and windy is ideal.


Spring:
Early morning taking advantage of shad spawn, live shad ideal for blues, cut shad for channels.
Shallow.

Summer:
Night is ideal.
Prepared baits and shrimp do well.
Shallow or deep, find where the bait is.

Winter:
Late afternoon when water is warmest.
Deeper lake channels where the shad concentrate.