PHIL KING ON CATCHING CATFISH WHEN THE WEATHER SIZZLES

King's Slow-Trolling Tactics

EDITOR'S NOTE: Phil King of Corinth, Mississippi, one of the nation's leading catfishermen, has proved his prowess in both national, regional and state catfishing tournaments and derbies. King took first place in the 2001 Cabela's King Cat Tournament held at Pickwick Lake on the Alabama/Mississippi/Tennessee border and third place in the 2001 National Catfish Derby. A catfishing guide below Pickwick Dam, King has to fish in any type of weather -- sometimes when the weather's so hot you can fry eggs on the sidewalk. This week, King will tell us how to find and take river cats.

Question: Where do you troll when you slow troll for catfish?
Answer: I troll the slack-water sections of the water near a dam. When I'm trolling, I'm strictly fishing for big fish. These cats will weigh from 12 to 50 pounds. I'm using a variable speed trolling motor, and I'm using my depth finder to look for humps, rocks and any type of bottom break I can find that should hold big cats.

Question: Why do the big catfish hold in the slack water instead of the current?
Answer: I think they're resting in the slack water. They are close enough to the current so that they can move out into it with very little effort and feed. Then they can move back into the slack water and rest without having to fish the current.

Question: Describe the way you rig to troll starting with the main line.
Answer: I use 60- to 65-pound-test braided line. I like Berkley Whiplash, Cabella's SI Braid and Spider Wire.

Question: Why do you use braided line?
Answer: I want small-diameter line that will get down quickly, but I want the strength in the line to be able to land a really big catfish.

Question: What do you tie to the main line?
Answer: I tie a heavy-duty three-way swivel. Coming off the second eye of the three-way swivel, I tie 2 feet of 60-pound test Berkley Big Game monofilament line. And to the end of this line, I tie either a No. 5/0 or a No. 8/0 Daiche Octopus hook. I also use Eagle Claw No. 7/0 hooks. On the bend of the hook, I'll tie 2 to 4 inches of 60-pound-test Berkley Big Game line and add a second hook. I like to fish with two hooks for big catfish because I generally fish with really big bait and will need two hooks to hold large bait. I've also learned that I'll catch 20 to 30 percent more cats by having that second hook. Coming from the third eye of the three-way swivel, I'll tie 2 feet to 60-pound-test monofilament and tie on a second barrel swivel. I'll rig it the same way that I rig the drop hook on the first three-way swivel. On the last eye of the swivel, I'll tie 2 feet of
60-pound-test line and attach a lead sinker that will weigh from 1 ounce to 4 ounces. The size of the sinker I'm using is determined by the depth of water I'm fishing, the amount of current that's running and the size of bait with which I'm fishing.

Question: Why do you fish so high off the bottom?
Answer: I've learned that the smaller cats stay closer to the bottom than the bigger blue cats do. I've found that your bigger fish are usually higher up from the bottom than your smaller fish unless the current is running strong where you're fishing. Even the bigger flathead catfish usually will hold well up off the bottom.

Question: How big is the bait you use?
Answer: I want a bait that is at least three-fingers wide and three-fingers long to try to catch a bigger catfish.

Question: Why are you rigging like this?
Answer: By using this double-drop system, I can fish from 2 to 6 feet off the bottom. I can fish two different types of baits to determine what the kind of bait the catfish most prefer on that day.

Question: How much do you rely on your depth finder?
Answer: I rely on it very heavily to be able to see the structure and the big, suspended fish. The big fish always will be sitting on top of or beside stumps or rocks. The catfish may be holding so tight to the structure that you can't differentiate that fish from the structure. You've got to have that depth finder to find the big catfish's house and to possibly see him out on the front porch.

To fish with Phil King or to learn more about how to catch river catfish, go to his website at http://www.h2othouse.com/catfish/ or call (662) 286-8664. To learn more about fishing below the dam at Pickwick, contact the Hardin County Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at info@tourhardincounty.org, call 731-925-8181 or 800-552-3866, or visit www.tourhardincounty.org. Pickwick Landing State Park offers fishing, boating, hiking, camping, swimming and golf. Lodging includes the lakeside inn with over 100 rooms, cabins that sleep eight and a campground that contains 48 sites with grill and electric/water hookup at each site. A restaurant at the park offers delicious southern cuisine. Call 731-689-3135 or 800-250-8615 to learn more.

TOMORROW: KING TELLS ABOUT FISHING IN THE HOT SUMMER MONTHS