How to Catch Catfish in August
Trotlining for Catfish
 Editor’s Note: Trotlining is another form of cat-catching that can pay off big for sportsmen during the summer. But although trotliners basically may all put-out their lines in the same way and bait with the same bait, some anglers will catch more catfish than others. Successful sportsmen find out at what depth the catfish are feeding.
In rivers with flowing current, finding schools of catfish is often difficult. However, the catfish may be feeding at a certain depth in the river. The best method to locate the cats and consequently to catch them is to find out at what depth the fish are feeding. Using a depth finder, locate three or four different depths in several sections of the river. The best depths to try may be a variety of depths - perhaps 10 feet, 15 feet, 20 feet and 25 feet.
Bait the lines in the same way, and fish them at all four depths to see which line produces best. If the line at 15 feet catches more catfish, then take the other lines up, find 15 feet of water in the river, and put your lines out a that depth. If you’re taking more cats at 20 feet, then pull-up all the lines except your 20-foot line, and relocate the lines so that they’re all in 20 feet of water. By first discovering the most-productive water depth and then concentrating all your fishing efforts in that depth, you’ll catch more catfish. The key to catching more catfish may very well not be in secret baits or super-complicated fishing tactics. The secret may be to first identify an area that catfish frequent and concentrate most of your fishing in that region. These tactics have worked for others, and they will work for you when you’re searching for big catfish.
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