The Complete Guide to Catfishing: What to Target, Where to Catch Them, and How to Cook Them

Some anglers love to spend their time out on the lake chasing after huge bass, while others prefer walking along streams looking for trout. However, another type of fishing that many people know and love is catfishing. Whether you’re a catfishing expert or someone just looking to get started with this kind of fishing, this guide will tell you everything you need to know to find success in chasing these fish.

Catfishing is one of the most accessible and productive forms of fishing you can do as an angler. You can find them in rivers, lakes, reservoirs, ponds, or even smaller creeks in some areas. What’s even better about them is that they are easily targeted all year round, including some of the colder months when other species of fish typically start to slow down their eating habits. Catfish are generally opportunistic feeders, relying heavily on scent and vibration to find their food, rather than sight.

Catfishing can appeal to a wide range of anglers as well. For some, this is the perfect beginner fish to chase. Catfishing doesn’t require a ton of crazy rigs, and you can get a ton of bites with even a simple setup. Other anglers may be chasing after trophies, with some species exceeding 100 pounds. Another reason anglers choose to go after catfish is their use as table fare. With tons of recipes out there, you can really make a great meal for the family with these fish.

If you’re planning to target catfish, it’s important that you know some of the most common species:

Channel catfish are probably the most commonly caught species of these fish. You’ll usually find them in the 1 to 10-pound range, but hooking into a 20+ pound fish isn’t uncommon. You’ll usually find channel catfish in rivers with a little bit of current, or in lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. If you can find some bodies of water like this that also have a cleaner bottom made up of sand or gravel, that’s going to be your best bet.

Channel catfish are opportunistic feeders, and they respond well to rigs made up with stink baits, cut bait, or worms. In the spring and fall, you can typically find these fish in 4 to 15 feet of water, while in the summer and winter, they’ll be out deeper in 10 to 25 feet of water. Channel catfish are also some of the best you can get for eating, as they have a mild flavor and firm white meat.

Blue catfish are some of the largest kinds of catfish that you’ll find. They’re generally 10 to 40 pounds, with the trophy size being over 100 pounds. You’re usually going to want to target these fish in large rivers and reservoirs. In these bodies of water, they’re going to be spending their time in deep channels, main holes, and along channel edges.

Blue catfish are definitely predatory feeders, and they’ll feed heavily on live bait and cut bait. Throughout the year, you’re usually going to find these fish in 15 to 40 feet of water. They also make for good table fare when harvested on the smaller end of their size. Larger fish are better released for other anglers to catch another day.

Flathead catfish are another common type of catfish you’ll encounter out on the water. These fish are commonly found between 10 and 50 pounds. Flatheads absolutely love structure, and you’ll find them most commonly in rivers with timber or deep holes with cover. Anywhere with log jams, rock piles, or undercut banks can be a highly productive area to try for flatheads.

Since they love to be in structure so much, flathead catfish are going to focus highly on ambush feeding. They’ll hide out in cover until their next meal swims by. Because of this, your best bet is going to be a live bait rig. You can generally find them anywhere from 6 to 20 feet of water, with them commonly pushing up shallow at night.

Bullhead catfish are a great fish for beginner anglers to target. They’re a smaller member of the catfish family, as they rarely exceed 2 to 3 pounds. Their smaller size correlates with the smaller ponds, lakes, and backwaters that you’ll typically find them in. They prefer areas with muddy bottoms, weed beds, and other types of similar cover.

These fish are more opportunistic scavengers, relying heavily on scent to find their next meal. This makes bait like nightcrawlers, worms, chicken livers, or stink baits solid options for catching them. You’ll usually find bullheads in 2 to 8 feet of water during the spring and summer, or 6 to 12 feet of water during the colder months. They can make for great table fare as well, especially when you catch them in the 12-inch range.

Now that we know the different kinds of catfish you can target, it’s time to dive into the gear you’ll need when you head out to the water:

When it comes to rods, you’re going to need to focus on rods with a good mix of casting distance, backbone, and shock absorption. If you’re fishing from a bank and need to make long casts, you’ll want something in the 7 to 8-foot range. Fishing from boats will work best with 6.5 to 7.5-foot rods.

As far as power goes, it will depend largely on the species of catfish you’re targeting. For bigger, stronger catfish like blues and flatheads, you’re going to want a heavy to extra-heavy rod. If you’re going after channel catfish or bullheads, you can go with a medium or medium-heavy power instead. When it comes to rod action, you’re usually going to want to find a rod with moderate or moderate-fast, as these will do a good job at absorbing the shock from big head shakes.

As far as reels go, you’re going to want something pretty decently sized. They’re going to have to handle heavy line, powerful fish, and long casts with heavy weights. With catfishing, it’s common to use spinning reels, conventional reels, and baitcasting reels, depending on how you’re fishing.

Spinning reels are a great choice for beginner anglers who are going after the smaller catfish, like bullheads and channels. If you go with a spinning reel, you’re going to want one in the 4000 to 6000 size range.

Baitcasting reels are great when you’re fishing with some of the heavier rigs. They offer better line control than other reels and also have extremely strong drag, which is important for some of the bigger and stronger species you’ll run into.

Conventional reels are typically used by anglers going after trophy-sized blue and flathead catfish. These reels can hold a ton of line and offer some of the best cranking power you can find. These are two critical components needed when going after some of the biggest fish you’ll find in whatever body of water you’re fishing.

When going after catfish, there are two main types of line you’re going to want to choose between. The first is monofilament. The main benefits of mono are the fact that it stretches and is abrasion-resistant. This is key when going after bigger fish that hit hard, as the line will help absorb the shock better than braid. The abrasion resistance is key to finding success around heavy cover, where braid may break down over time.

Alternatively, braided line is a solid choice for catfishing, too. While the stretchiness of mono can be great, braid excels at sensitivity because of its lack of stretch. Braid can also achieve much higher strength than mono for the same diameter line. This is important for fitting as much line as possible onto your reel.

When going after channel catfish and bullheads, you’ll want something in the 15 to 30-pound test range. Blue catfish are the next step up, requiring anything from 40 to 80-pound test. For flatheads, you’re going to want to go even stronger, opting for something in the 50 to 100-pound test range.

For a versatile setup, you may want to consider a strong braided main line paired with a monofilament or fluorocarbon leader. The leader will give you the shock absorption and abrasion resistance that’s essential for many fishing scenarios, while the braid will provide the strength and amount of line you’ll need. A good leader length will be anywhere from 1 to 3 feet, depending on how much structure you’re fishing around.

The kinds of hooks, weights, and terminal tackle you need will depend heavily on the actual presentations you decide to use when going after catfish. When it comes to hooks, many anglers will choose circle hooks or J-hooks. For channel catfish and bullheads, you’ll usually want a hook in the 3/0 to 6/0 size range. For blues and flatheads, go for something in the 6/0 to 10/0 range.

As for sinkers, some common options are egg sinkers, no-roll sinkers, bank sinkers, and pencil sinkers. Egg sinkers work great in water without current. If you’re going to fish current, opt for a no-roll or bank sinker. If you’re in an area with a ton of cover, you’ll want to try a pencil sinker. If you’re not fishing in current, go for something in the 1/2 oz to 2-oz weight range. If you are fishing in current, go bigger with something in the 3-oz to 8-oz weight range, depending on how strong the current is.

Since catfish generally rely on scent and vibration to find their next meal, the type of bait you use in your rigs is going to be essential in catching these fish. Here’s an overview of some of the most common options anglers use for them:

One of the most common types of bait you’ll find in the catfishing world is going to be cut bait. It’s a highly effective type of bait, with many options like shad, sucker, and skipjack widely available. Cut bait works so well because of the scent trail that it releases. This scent draws catfish in from a long ways away, which is important in many different scenarios. It also does a great job of mimicking injured baitfish, which appear as an easy meal to opportunistic catfish in the area.

Cut bait is generally going to work best for channel catfish and blue catfish. It’s also important that your cut bait is as fresh as possible, as this will help produce the strongest scents in the water. You’ll also want to cut your chunks of bait to match the size of the fish you’re going after. Cut bait works best in areas with slight current, deep water, or in night fishing or low-light fishing.

For more aggressive catfish, you may want to try a live bait rig. Live bait like bluegill, chubs, shad, skipjacks, and large minnows can all work really well for catfish. When you use live bait, you’re generally going to be targeting flatheads and trophy-sized blue catfish. These fish are aggressive predators that will go after a more lively bait rig. This setup allows for a natural movement from the bait as well as some scent in the water, which appeals to both the sense of smell as well as the attraction to vibration of these fish.

One of the best places to use a live bait rig is anywhere with structure. This bait can be suspended near or above these areas and allows catfish to ambush the prey more easily. Anywhere with timber, rock piles, or undercut banks can work really well.

If you want to use a super simple bait that’s still highly effective, you need to try worms. Nightcrawlers and red worms are some go-to options that will work incredibly well for both channel catfish and bullheads. They give off a strong natural scent to help draw fish in, and they’re a common natural food that these fish are used to feeding on throughout many different water systems.

When fishing with worms, it’s pretty common to grab a glob of them and attach them to a treble hook. They can work really well in ponds, small lakes, and areas with slow-moving current. You’ll want to fish these shallow, targeting areas in the 2 to 10 foot range.

A really popular type of prepared bait is going to be dough baits and punch baits. These baits are soft and moldable, with the primary focus being on catching channel catfish. They are great at putting out a ton of scent, and are very easy to store and use. These baits are best used in ponds, small lakes, and rivers with slow current. Similar to worms, you’ll want to fish these in shallow water, focusing on areas between 3 and 10 feet.

So we know what kinds of bait you can use for different catfishing scenarios, but what about the actual rigs and presentations you can put in front of these fish? Here are some of the most common options out there:

If you want to fish the bottom, one really solid option to try is the carolina rig. For this rig, you’ll want to put an egg sinker on your mainline and tie a swivel to the end to stop it. Then you’ll want to add a 12 to 36-inch leader to the other end of the swivel with a hook on the end with your desired bait attached.

This rig works well with cut bait, live bait, and even worms in some cases. The way this rig is set up allows the bait to move freely from the weight. This is important so that the fish doesn’t immediately feel resistance once they take the bait.

You can use the carolina rig by simply casting out and letting it sit on the bottom, or you can try it in a drift fishing scenario, allowing the movement of the boat to move it along the bottom of the body of water you’re fishing. It works best in lakes, reservoirs, and rivers, especially along flats, points, and channel edges.

A similar option is going to be the santee rig. You set this up just like a carolina rig (you can use an egg sinker or a no-roll sinker), except for one main change. Before you tie your hook on, you’ll want to add a float to the line. This float will help keep your bait elevated off the bottom, allowing it to stay clear of any structure or debris it could get stuck in.

The santee rig works best in bodies of water that have muddy bottoms or those that have a lot of vegetation or debris. You’ll want to fish these in 12 to 35 feet of water using either cut bait, dough bait, punch bait, or live bait.

The three-way rig is a great option when you’re fishing current or when you want to have precise control of the depth you’re fishing at. For this rig, you’ll need your main line tied to a three-way swivel. On the bottom of your swivel, you’ll attach a leader line with a sinker tied onto it. Off the remaining open spot on your swivel, you’ll tie another leader on with your hook at the end.

This rig is designed to have the sinker maintain contact with the bottom while allowing your bait to freely float suspended off the bottom. It works best in rivers with current or in bodies of water where you want to try a more vertical-looking presentation. For both scenarios, try using it in 10 to 30 feet of water. As for baits, cut bait and live bait are going to be your go-to options for this rig.

If you need to really suspend your presentation, a slip bobber rig is going to be your best bet. This rig consists of a slip bobber set to your desired depth on your main line. Then tie on your leader, add a split shot sinker to it, and tie on your hook. You can use a standard circle or J-hook, or you can mix it up with a treble hook.

You’ll generally want to use this setup in shallow rivers or when fishing around dense structure and weed edges. It’s most effective in 2 to 10 feet of water. As for bait, the slip bobber rig works best when paired with live bait or worms.

Now, everything covered so far doesn’t mean anything if you can’t actually find the catfish in your area. Here are some common places to look for them, as well as what species you’ll typically find there:

Rivers are one of the best places to find catfish in any given area. They provide a good amount of current, giving the fish oxygen and an endless supply of food to scavenge and ambush.

When fishing a river, you’re going to want to try areas like outside bends, channel edges, current seams, and below dams if you have any on the river you’re fishing. During the spring and fall, it's most common to find catfish in 10 to 20 feet of water. During the summer and winter, you’ll find them a bit deeper in 20 to 40 feet of water.

As for species, you’ll commonly find channel catfish along channel edges, sandbars, and in moderate current seams. Blue catfish can be found near current breaks or in deeper water areas. Flathead catfish are going to be found in areas with dense cover, like log jams and undercut banks, especially in slower current areas next to deep holes.

While lakes and reservoirs typically lack the current that a river will have, they do have a ton of structure that catfish love. In these areas, you’re going to want to find submerged creek channels, main-lake points and humps, mud flats next to deep water, and flooded timber.

In the spring, you’ll want to fish shallower areas, usually in the 5 to 10 foot range. In summer, they move out deeper, targeting areas between 20 and 40 feet. In the fall, they push up a bit shallower to 10 to 25 feet of water. During winter, they move out really deep, usually in 25 to 50 feet of water.

Channel catfish are commonly found in lakes and reservoirs, especially on flats, points, and creek channels. They’ll commonly be shallower than other species. Blue catfish can be found here as well, especially in deep channels and on humps. Flatheads can be found near submerged timber, rock piles, and steep breaks. Similar to rivers, if you can find an area with structure next to deep water, you’ll find flatheads.

Even though ponds and small bodies of water aren’t as large as rivers or lakes, they still hold a ton of catfishing opportunities. Key places to look for in these bodies of water include muddy flats, shallow bays, weed edges, drop-offs, and any area with a water inflow. For most of the year, you’ll find catfish in 2 to 8 feet of water, but in cold winter months or hot summer months, they may push deeper to 8 to 12 feet.

Ponds and other small bodies of water are a great place to find both channel catfish and bullhead catfish. Bullheads are going to thrive in these areas, as they love the muddy bottoms, weed-filled bottoms, and other similar types of structure.

So you’ve done all the hard work of finding an area with catfish in it, picking out the right rig and bait to target them with, and you’ve caught enough of them to make a meal. But how should you cook these fish? There are a ton of different ways you can do this, but here’s one tried and true classic that everyone will love.

Serves 4 

Prep Time: 20 Minutes 

Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 Pounds of fresh catfish fillets

• 2 cups of buttermilk

• 2 teaspoons of salt

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon of black pepper

• 1 teaspoon of paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon of onion powder

• 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

• Peanut oil, vegetable oil, or canola oil for frying

Prep The Catfish

1. Rinse off your fillets and pat dry

2. Cut your fillets into 4 to 6-inch pieces

Soak The Fillets

1. Place your fillets in a bowl with the buttermilk and 1 teaspoon of salt

2. Cover and place in the fridge for up to 2 hours

3. Remove fillets from the fridge and let any liquid drip off of them

Bread Your Fillets

1. Grab a bowl and mix your cornmeal, flour, pepper, remaining salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne pepper together until completely combined

2. Dredge each piece of catfish in the batter, pressing down on every side to apply an even coat

3. Remove fillets and shake excess breading off

Fry Your Fillets

1. Fill your fryer or pot until you have about 2 inches of oil in the bottom

2. Heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

3. Place your catfish in the oil, making sure not to overcrowd your pan or fryer

4. Fry each piece for 3 to 4 minutes per side (you’ll know the fish is cooked when the crust is golden brown, or when the internal temperature is 145 degrees Fahrenheit)

5. Remove your fish from the fryer once cooked, and set aside to rest on paper towels to remove excess oil

Serve

Once your fish is fried, you’re ready to serve it alongside your favorite sides to make a full meal that the whole family will love!