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| And you thought big game only lived offshore... |
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Whisker Hunt
Don’t you wish there was a big fish you could target after stripers go out of season, or when winter winds keep you off the bay? One that was available in good numbers, chomped baits readily, and fought like big-game fish? And while we’re wishing, we might as well ask for it to taste good, too, right? Wait a sec—that fish already exists! Channel catfish fit the description, and these fish can be targeted with great success late in the season.
Meyowza
Channel cats in the ten pound class are voracious feeders, and put up a fight that rivals any on the bay. To target them, you’ll want to look for some specific conditions: tidal creeks that feed tributaries, with significant channels or holes. Depths of at least 10’ or 12’ are the minimum, and 15’ to 25’ holes surrounded by muddy bottoms in the 5’ to 10’ range are prime. More about exactly where you’ll find these fish later.
To get winter cats to bite you’ll want to use a bait that has plenty of stink. In my experience cut herring or menhaden fits the bill perfectly, although I’ve also caught them on big bullhead minnow plenty of times. Other anglers swear by commercially made stink baits, night crawlers, and/or chicken livers. If you choose to go after monster blue cats in areas like Virginia’s tidal rivers, fresh cut mud shad takes top honors.
Whatever bait you choose, you’ll want to keep it dead on bottom. You can accomplish this by using a regular top-and-bottom rig, but a leader rigged through an egg sinker works better, since it allows you to let the fish eat for a moment or two without feeling any resistance from the lead. Tie up a 3’ leader of 30-lb. test line, with a swivel on one end and a hook on the other. The appropriate hook size will vary greatly, depending on the bait you choose. If you’re fishing with cut herring, for example, a 5/0 or 6/0 hook is about right. Obviously, you can’t thread a night crawler onto a hook this big and expect success. Remember that huge fish can be caught on tiny hooks, and you should match up the size of your to the bait, not the fish you’re hoping to catch. Channel catch have rubbery mouths and you’ll find that even a little #4 worm hook will stick and stay stuck, so long as you don’t over-pressure it.
Run your main line through the egg sinker, then tie it off to the swivel on the end of the leader. Any 10- to 20-lb. class tackle will work, either spinning or casting as you choose. There’s some specialized gear you’ll want, however, when dealing with big cats. Toss a pair of thick leather work gloves into the boat so you can hold these slime balls firmly, without getting barbed in the hand. Be very careful during the landing and un-hooking stages, as the barbs on these fish are seriously dangerous. Puncture wounds caused by them often become infected, and are always painful. Make sure you have a pair of needle-nose pliers onboard as well, to assist in getting the hooks out.
When you feel a channel cat take the bait, give it a three-count in freespool, then set the hook. Channel cats will fight a lot more vigorously than most other catfish—believe it or not, occasionally they’ll even come up to the surface and shake their heads—so you should be expecting more action on the end of your line than a brown or bull cat would provide.
If you’re in an area where monster blue cats abound, you may want to up-size your gear. 40-lb. class gear isn’t out of line. Take hooks up to 8/0 to 10/0, and note that circle hooks work extremely well with big catfish. Also note that those big blues tend to collect mercury in their bodies, and in many areas, large specimens aren’t safe to eat—check local advisories before you keep anything meant for the table.
Cut and Dry
Once you’ve got a cat or two into the cooler, you’ll discover that cleaning catfish is a special challenge. Remember that their huge heads and tapering bodies provide a low yield. A five pound fish, for example, will only produce a couple of one pound fillets. To get to that meat, you’ll have to cut the skin around the edges of the fish, then grab it with a pair of pliers and pull it off. What do you do once that fresh catfish fillet is one ice? Try my Banned From The Kitchen Blackened Catfish recipe. Just make sure you open all the windows, turn on a fan, and pull the batteries out of your smoke alarm first.
Banned From The Kitchen Blackened Catfish
Ingredients (serving size per person):
1. One half to one pound catfish fillet.
2. One half stick of butter
3. Two teaspoons chili powder
4. One teaspoon each of: Cayenne pepper, Black pepper, Crushed red pepper
5. One half teaspoon garlic powder
Put the well-chilled fillets in a plastic zipper-lock bag. Heat the butter in a microwave oven until it is just melted. Allow it to cool until it’s still liquid but is not hot. Pour the spices into the butter, and mix thoroughly. Pour the spice-and-butter soup into the plastic bag with the fish, seal it, and shake it. Ensure that the fillets are one-hundred percent coated. Remove them from the bag with a fork, and set them on aluminum foil until the spiced butter hardens. (This should only take a minute or two, if the fillet was completely chilled and the butter was cooled enough. If the butter doesn’t harden, put the fillet back in the refrigerator until it does so.)
Heat an iron skillet over a high heat. Drop a tiny bit of butter onto the skillet to test the surface; when the butter instantly boils and sizzles, the skillet is ready. Drop the fillet onto the hot skillet--and stand back! The butter will immediately start burning and smoking, to the point that your well-intentioned neighbors may call the fire department. Allow the fillet to sizzle in place for 90 seconds. Then hold your breath, duck into the cloud, and flip the fillet. Give it an additional 90 seconds to cook, then remove it from the heat. Your kitchen emission may have significantly contributed to the greenhouse effect, but Banned From the Kitchen Catfish is worth it.
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