Putting the Heat on Nebraska Cats

July is a warm month in the Cornhusker State, and that means good catfishing! Here's the information you need to stake a claim on the best spots for catching your share of channels.

It's hard to beat a good catfish dinner at any time of year. The question is: How do you get a mess of Nebraska cats to feed you and your hungry friends when the thermometer flirts with triple digits?

That's easy: Go nocturnal and beat the heat for some of the best catfishing Nebraska has to offer. Here you'll find expert tips and hotspots for putting some delicious filets on the table, plus have a chance at a Nebraska Master Angler Award for a true trophy catfish.

According to Daryl Bauer, lakes and reservoirs program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, catfish are among the most popular game fish with Cornhusker anglers. "Channel cats have for years and years been the No. 1 most popular fish in Nebraska," Bauer said. "Although recently walleyes barely inched out catfish for the top spot, historically, if you fished Nebraska's rivers and streams, you were fishing for catfish."

It should be noted that the catfish primarily targeted in Nebraska is the channel cat, although the state does offer some excellent opportunities for trophy flatheads and blues, which we'll discuss later. Not coincidentally, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission maintains an active catfish stocking program to ensure the waters of Nebraska have a healthy population of this popular fish.

"Over the years, we've discovered catfish do a good job of reproducing in any kind of dirty water," Bauer said. "In clear water where there's a big population of black bass, catfish still spawn, but the bass do a good job of cleaning up all those little catfish. In those waters we have to stock fingerlings 8 inches or bigger."

Virtually every one of Nebraska's lakes, reservoirs and rivers harbors a catchable population of catfish; the opportunities range from those promising high numbers of dinner-sized fish to those offering fewer fish but better odds of taking a trophy. "You can find catfish from one end of Nebraska to the other," Bauer said. "Pick a spot and you're likely to find them."

Anglers with access to the Internet can log onto the NGPC's informative Web site at www.ngpc.state.ne.us and find fish sampling results that give an accurate assessment of the quality of the catfishing in a select number of Nebraska's lakes and reservoirs. The site also features up-to-date stocking data and weekly fishing reports, giving anglers the information they need to find the fish.

Lincoln-area anglers know that the Salt Valley Lakes surrounding Nebraska's Star City are great places to catch a limit of catfish, as well as a number of other species. Particularly, Bluestem, East Twin, Pawnee, Branched Oak and Conestoga, all with good numbers of fish in the 11-to 24-inch range, are favorite targets for the capital city's catfishermen. Other good lakes in the eastern half of the state that have strong populations of eating-sized catfish include Fremont Sand Pits Nos. 2, 3 and 18; Sherman Reservoir, near Loup City; Calamus Reservoir; Skyview; and Elwood Reservoir, just south of Lexington.

Harlan County Reservoir in the southcentral part of the Cornhusker State also is an excellent, if somewhat unknown, catfish hotspot. Bauer said anglers at Harlan tend to concentrate on walleyes and overlook catfish. Use that bit of information to your advantage and you'll have no trouble adding catfish to your summertime menu.

Fishermen west of Lexington have access to some great catfishing as well. One of the primary channel catfish hotspots in western Nebraska is Sutherland Reservoir. Box Butte Reservoir and Lake McConaughy - better known as "Big Mac" - are also perennial favorites for Panhandle anglers. Another overlooked spot is Lake Winters Creek, located north and east of Scottsbluff. Fish sampling results show an excellent population of 16- to 24-inch fish and a number of fish measuring over 24 inches.

Catfishermen in the southwest part of the state enjoy good fishing at Enders, Swanson and Red Willow Reservoirs. Other catfish hotspots in the western half of the state include Minatare, Maloney and, in the extreme southwest corner of the Panhandle, Oliver Reservoir near Kimball.

Anglers not worried about where to find their next meal, but rather wanting to concentrate on pulling in a Nebraska Master Angler channel cat (one that weighs at least 12 pounds, or measures 30 inches if released), have a number of Cornhusker water holes to target. Data from the fall of 2000 shows that 16 of the 27 Nebraska lakes and reservoirs where channel catfish were collected produced fish 24 inches and longer, with Lincoln's Holmes Lake at the top of the list. Merritt Reservoir, one of Nebraska's sterling fisheries located in the Sandhills south of Valentine, annually ranks alongside Calamus Reservoir as one of the best places to catch a Master Angler catfish. John Cunning of Valentine caught the 41-pound, 8-ounce state-record channel cat there in 1985. Box Butte, "Big Mac," Bluestem, Harlan County and Branched Oak also rank high in the number of 24-inch-plus fish sampled.

But truthfully, anywhere anglers dip their stink bait can provide a good chance of hooking into a Master Angler cat. "Anglers can catch catfish weighing 12 to 15 pounds out of any water in the state," Bauer said.

Nebraska's many rivers and streams offer prime-time catfishing in the summer months. The Platte River and its North and South namesakes suffer from drawdown in the July and August, which causes deeper holes to get stacked with fish. Savvy anglers keep busy by probing these deep spots for a limit of fish.

The Missouri River is also an excellent catfishing destination, especially for trophy-sized fish, including blues and flatheads. Since the banning of commercial fishing, the Mighty Mo has become a prime fishery for a number of species and one that shouldn't be overlooked. But use caution, as the river can be tough to navigate for those new to big, moving water. It's better to hire a local "river rat" to take you out for a night of some of the best catfishing imaginable.

Now you have a long list of Cornhusker catfishing hotspots that should give you plenty of places in which to put your chicken livers and dip baits to work for the whole month of July. Once you find a favorite fishing hole, how do you turn this information into a catfish dinner? Along with Daryl Bauer, two of Nebraska's faithful catfishing specialists, Rick Walker and Dick Turpin, share their hard-earned knowledge with Great Plains Game & Fish readers.

According to Bauer, July is one of the hottest months for Cornhusker catfishermen, both in terms of daytime temperatures and in fishing success. "Catfish are warmwater fish, so in midsummer they're feeding heavily," he said. "Spawn is for the most part over, and the fish are feeding to gain back the weight they lost."

Although it may seem like the fish aren't feeding during this hot time of the year, they are. They just have a smorgasbord of food sources to choose from and what you're offering them may not be what they're looking for.

To get an edge on the summertime blues, channels and flatheads, the wise angler goes nocturnal. Rick Walker, past president and long-time member of Nebraska's Catfishermen Are Tops (CAT) fishing club knows the best time to be on the water is after the sun goes down. "Specifically, from 10 at night to 1 in the morning and then from 4 a.m. to sunup seem to be the best times for catching catfish," Walker said. "There's a bit of a dead period in the middle when the action slows down."

Bauer agrees that night is the best time for catfishing, regardless of the species. "This is probably more true in the summer than any other time of year," he added.

Walker has honed his night-fishing skills participating in catfish tournaments as far away at South Carolina's Santee-Cooper Lake, where he and partners Scott Hrbek and Jerry Lewis won the national championship of catfishing in 1999 and 2000. He prefers to use blood bait when fishing for nocturnal channel cats, but notes that catfishermen are more finicky than the fish they're targeting. Maybe that's why they prefer to use many different baits. That's fine, he says - but he adds a warning against mixing up different presentations. "Everyone in the boat should be using the same bait, whether it be blood bait, cut-up shad, bluegill or even shrimp," he said. "It looks more natural to the fish than if there's a bunch of different types of bait in the same area."

The championship catfisherman uses No. 2 treble hooks with little or no weight. "Catfish are temperamental," Walker said. "If they feel any weight, they'll spit the hook out."

Another Cornhusker fisherman, retired Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Law Enforcement Administrator Dick Turpin, modifies the setup a little bit, using a slip-sinker with a short leader above his favorite sponge bait. "I always slip-sinker catfish no matter where I fish," Turpin said. "I like to be able to feel them hit. And the short leader makes that sponge bait flip around right there in front of the fish."

Bauer has had his best success on shad, although he agrees that blood bait is tough to beat in July through September. Bauer remembers a few summers back when he and some friends had a great day on Harlan using shad. "We caught some shad using cast nets and then started drifting in about 20 to 30 feet of water," he said. "We caught lots of nice cats from 2 pounds to over 13."

Readers should consult local regulations before using cast nets, as they are allowed only on certain bodies of water and only during July, August and September.

Turpin likes live bait as the water warms up, preferring to drift minnows, chubs or crawlers. "If I'm not having much luck with those, I'll deadhead a couple of minnows and dip them in stink bait to really turn on the channels and blues," Turpin said.

Turpin, famous for his "Turpin's Tips" segment on the "Outdoor Nebraska" television program, has a good, if unappetizing way of collecting July's bait after March's thaw. "What you want to do is find dead shad on the banks after ice-out, about 1/2- to 1-pound size, and step on the head end of them," Turpin said. "When the entrails squish out the belly, put them in a jar, put the jar in the freezer and use 'em all year long. Shad gizzards are a heck of a catfish bait."

Fishing at night is a whole different ballgame than daytime fishing. Line control is just one of the problems that those angling under cover of darkness must deal with. Walker relies on fluorescent monofilament in the 14- to 17-pound-test range. "We use fluorescent line, which shows up great under black light," Walker said. "It's easy to detect the lightest strikes and it eliminates the need for white lights, which strain the eyes and attract bugs."

A 2-foot leader of braided nylon helps prevent line breaks from wear and tear. "Plus, it makes it easy to tell when the fish is just below the surface," Walker added.

When fishing out of a boat on open water, both Turpin and Walker prefer a light wind to produce a controlled drift that keeps them on the fish. "I'll put a marker down when I start my drift so I'm in the same scent alley every time," Turpin said. "Drift 200 or 300 yards and then go back to your marker. In a sense, you're chumming because you're laying down a scent trail. Fish move into the area and stay there."

Walker uses drift socks to maintain proper boat control, which he says is important. "We use two 4- to 6-foot diameter socks for an 18-foot boat," he said. "One off the front and one off the back. This creates a level drift."

Turpin claims that Nebraska's moving waters are his favorite places to target catfish during the day. "On the Missouri and smaller streams, I fish above brushpiles where fish sit in deep holes," Turpin said. "I try to start at the top end of where I'm going to fish, because the scent of my bait drifts downstream and stirs fish up."

Turpin throws his bait away from the bank, letting the current take it into the targeted brushpile or hole. "That sponge is flipping around and the fish can find it better," he said. He prefers to fish moving water during the day because locating the fish is easier. "They're in those holes and you know right where they're going to be. Now your presentation is the most important part."

Anglers who want a true trophy will be pleased to know that the state has a few fisheries holding the ugliest member of the catfish clan - the flathead. Branched Oak Reservoir, north of Lincoln, may be the state's No. 1 source of trophy-sized flatheads. Originally stocked to help control the lake's burgeoning white perch problem, Branched Oak flatheads now enjoy catch-and-release-only status. "All flatheads caught at Branched Oak must be released," Bauer said. "We're trying to keep as many predators in the lake as possible to take care of the white perch population."

Flathead fishermen around the Loup Power Canal are doing their best to keep that fishery a secret, and for good reason. After Branched Oak, it probably holds the best population of catchable flatheads. Other good spots to try your luck include the Tri-County/NPPD Canal and Sherman, Enders, Swanson, Red Willow and Medicine Creek reservoirs. Just be sure to leave the stink bait at home, as flatheads prefer live bait - especially big live bait.

Catfish anglers in search of blues have a harder time with finding and catching their fish, but a few select Nebraska lakes may hold a blue or two. Particularly look to the Salt Valley Lakes, Branched Oak and Lake McConaughy to produce a few blues every year. "Years ago, we stocked some blues in small to mid-sized reservoirs in the eastern end of the state," Bauer said. "A few of these fish tend to show up in these reservoirs, and they tend to be big." The Missouri River has long been known to produce good numbers of blue catfish.

Nebraska's longtime catfish stocking program has given Cornhusker catfishermen any number of good places to drown a worm. No matter where you live in the state, there are plenty of opportunities to put a few catfish filets on the dinner table. With the right tactics and maybe some lost sleep time, you might even add a Master Angler certificate to your trophy room.

For more information about catfishing in Nebraska, contact the NGPC at 2220 North 33rd St., P.O. Box 30370, Lincoln, NE 68503; or call (402) 471-0641.