Cat days of summer

MONETA - Summer is here.

For the next two months or so many Virginians will do what they can to escape the heat and humidity, often sequestering themselves in air-conditioned rooms.

But on one of those recent sultry evenings, Rich Dorsett was as happy as he could be sitting in the outdoor heat.

He was on friend Erich Faber's dock at Smith Mountain Lake, his eyes watching as the glowing tip of his fishing rod bounced slightly as a catfish fooled with the bait.

Summer's dog days don't mean its time to head indoors for some Virginia fishermen. They mean it's a good time to target catfish.

Active in the heat

Fishing during the heat of the day in July and August can be uncomfortable.

Catfish are an ideal summertime target because they are often at their most active at night, giving anglers their best chance for action at a time when sun, heat and heavy recreational boat traffic are less of a concern.

As the sun drops in the evening, catfish swim out from their daytime sulking spots and head out to feed.

Because catfish are cruising feeders, constantly on the move looking for a meal, shorebound anglers can do well being patient and letting the fish come to them.

Catfishermen with boats have more versatility in reaching fishing areas, but many stay put for a while once they are on their chosen spot.

Virginia's catfish

Three species account for the majority of catfish targeted by Virginia fishermen.

Channel catfish are common in many of the region's lakes and rivers.

Channel cats are opportunistic feeders that will scavenge food but also attack live bait, including fish, when given the chance.

Many smaller channel catfish are covered with small black spots, but those spots often fade as the fish grows larger. They can be distinguished from the similar blue catfish by the 25-29 rays on their anal fin.

Channel cats prefer sandy or muddy bottoms, and avoid weedy areas.

Blue catfish are similar in appearance to channel catfish, and the two species are often confused. Blue cats have 30 to 35 rays on their anal fin, however. Blue catfish also can grow much larger, as evidenced by the 143-pound, all tackle world record, pulled from Buggs Island Lake in 2011.

Buggs Island Lake, also called Kerr Reservoir, features excellent blue cat fishing, but the best fishing is in large tidal rivers such as the James and Rappahannock.

Like channel cats, blue cats are omnivorous and will eat whatever they can find.

Flathead catfish are easy to distinguish because of their, well, flat head.

Brown to olive in color, flatheads have a wide mouth. They are predators, preferring live food including fish and mollusks.

Smith Mountain and Claytor lakes both have excellent flathead catfish populations.

Larger rivers, such as the New and the James, also have good numbers of flatheads.

Fishing tactics

Because blue and channel catfish use their whiskers to help them detect food as they swim along the bottom, baits that feature strong aromas are favored by many catfish anglers.

Some fishermen whip up their own secret concoctions of catfish bait, but many commercial dough-type baits are available.

To help dough baits last, many anglers use special hooks, including some that use rubber tubes or foam to hold the bait.

Both blue and channel catfish will gobble cut bait, such as chunks of carp or shad. Nightcrawlers are an excellent channel catfish bait.

Those baits are best fished on a single-hook rigs with a slip sinker that allows the fish to run with the bait without feeling much weight.

Circle hooks have become popular for such rigs because of the high hookup rate.

Mike Burchett at Rock House Marina on Claytor Lake said some of the lake's catfish gurus favor rigs that feature spinners to attract attention to bait on a short leader. The rigs, similar to those used by walleye anglers, are trolled slowly.

Good areas to target blues and channel cats are flats and points near deep water, as well as deep holes below dams.

Flatheads also often can be found beneath dams, including low head dams on rivers.

Live sunfish and shad are excellent flathead baits. Shad will often out-produce sunfish, but can be difficult to obtain and tricky to keep alive.

The reward

The bonus of catching catfish is they can make for great table fare.

Because they have leathery skin with no scales, catfish need to be skinned, a job that requires a couple of clean cuts of the skin behind the head and a pair of pliers or catfish skinners.

Catfish meat works well prepared many ways, but it's hard to beat catfish lightly covered in seasoned cornmeal or flour, or a light batter, and deep fried in peanut oil.

Small catfish can be cut up in chunks or even fried whole. Fillet bigger cats and cut the fillets into chunks to fry.

Learn more

The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries will host its popular Flat Out Catfish workshops on the James River near Richmond on July 11 and Aug. 6. The instructor will be guide Mike Ostrander. The workshop is for ages 16 and older, and will require wading and navigating sometimes challenging terrain. The fee is $40 and space is limited. Contact Angling Education coordinator Chris Dunnavant at chris.dunnavant@dgif.virginia.gov or (804) 283-7327.

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