River Catfishing

Seeking input / guidance. Do blues move into the rivers off main lakes? If so what time of year? The family is wanting to go tomorrow but the wind will blow us off the lake with 25+ gusts. I know of some deep holes in the river channels around the casa. Appreciate the input!

I’ve often wondered this myself about some rivers. I used to fish the Neches many years ago below Lake Palestine and on down to Hiway 84. Never caught a blue that I can remember. Flatheads and channels, but no blues. In the river below Lake Livingston there are plenty of blues though, big ones too.

Same here. Channels and an occasional flat head but always at night. We used to deer hunt on the neches and camped there. My dad's friend would stay up every night and pulled some good ones.

Blues move up in there when the water is rising and there is current. As long as there is current they will keep moving and will travel many miles upstream until something impedes them. They will follow sandbass and crappie up into the creeks and rivers during their spawning runs. Blues like to get up in those prime breeding areas and will stay in the deep holes all summer and ride the fall rains back down into the main lake. Blues definitely go up the creeks and rivers heavily at times.

I can only speak about the upper Brazos below possum kingdom, but I have caught Blues there from March to late October while on kayak trips.
I’ve had channels, blues and a flathead all on one stringer at the same time-
So I don’t know when they get there, but I always assumed they stay there.

Makes sense El Gato. I'm gonna have to hit some holes this week and see what happens. Thanks gents!

Yes. Some are better than others. Just have to go fish it to see. The river between PK and Gbury is better now than I've seen it in a long, long time. But it still doesn't compare to the Red River system.

I wonder if a bank fisherman could do any good at Tin Top? Think I'll hit Lake Benbrook for some shad and take them to Tin Top and see what happens.

There's always a punchers chance. A dude caught a 50 at that RV park a few weeks ago.

Bingo! More flow the better

Yes, they do. I'm not sure where you are, but I would think most rivers in north, central, and east TX should have some flow to them right now.

This has been my experience. They also tend to stop biting once the stream starts dropping.

Well hit up the Red yesterday and caught some blues bit nothing special. All 5 and under. Everyone we ran into was catching some small ones but nothing else. After El Mono in the 90s I promised I would never cry about rain again, so let it come.

I have caught some big Channels (4-6 lbs) there off the dock, and some decent stripers.

Yep