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  Fishin' with Capt. Gus! ~ Catfishing
April 11, 2010
The largest fish on Lake Norman are catfish. The biggest ever caught was an eighty-five pound Arkansas Blue. It held the state record for a couple of years, before an eighty-nine pounder was caught on one of the lakes in the Yadkin River chain.
While we don’t see many eighty-pounders, there are more than enough twenty to forty pound blues and flatheads to entice anglers to exclusively target them. Think about it – most people have never caught a fish over ten pounds, so catching a trophy catfish is special.
Big cats fight like a freight train highballing to the West Coast and can be caught in every nook and cranny on Lake Norman. Hooking them isn’t that difficult, but landing them on light tackle is a challenge. Those who specialize in fishing for big ones use relatively heavy tackle, which includes a seven to nine foot rod, and a bait casting reel loaded with thirty or heavier pound test line, 5/0 to 10/0 circle hooks and a minimum of fifty pound test leader material. Since big cats use their weight to wear down the angler and tear up equipment, heavy tackle evens the odds.
Best baits for blue cats are fresh cut gizzard shad, bream and perch. The head or sides (scaled and cut into strips) are preferred. Some use the whole fish or chunks. Anglers targeting flatheads, use both live and cut baits. Live white perch are popular, but bream, shad, herring, big shiners and even goldfish attract lots of bites
Lunker cats can be caught using a variety of techniques, but slow trolling or drifting works well on Lake Norman. Boat speed is critical. Speeds should be less than one mile per hour so cats can follow the scent and catch up to the bait. This method allows the angler to cover a lot of the lake bottom. Once fish are located, the boat can be anchored. When still fishing, two anchors should be used to prevent the boat from swinging and tangling lines. Anglers without access to a boat can find big cats around docks and piers.
When a bite occurs, don’t get overly excited and try to set the hook too quickly. Give the fish time to take the bait. When the line starts moving off and the rod bends, it’s time to begin reeling. A big fish will rapidly pull line from the reel, so be sure the drag is set to about half of the line’s breaking strength. Remain calm and keep a tight line. Eventually, the big cat will give up and get close enough to net. Don’t be surprised when you see how big a trophy cat can be! Big fish will measure three to over four feet in length, so keep a deep webbed, wide hoop landing net nearby.
Tips from Capt. Gus:
Regardless of the technique you use to catch catfish, it is important that every rod be hand held or secured in a holder. Otherwise, sooner or later, a rod will be pulled overboard when a big catfish strikes.
Upcoming Events:
A free seminar on “Introduction to Largemouth and Spotted Bass Fishing” will be held at Gander Mountain, Exit 36, at 6:30 p.m. - Thursday April 29, 2010. The ninety minute session, conducted by Capt. Gus, will cover simple techniques about how to fish with live or artificial baits, and we will discuss ten of the best fishing spots on Lake Norman. For additional information, call 704-658-0822.
Hot Spots of the Week:
Bass are bedding close to banks. Stripers and perch are offshore in water from ten to forty feet. Crappie fishing is very good with small minnows around docks, boathouses and brush. Cat fishing will continue to improve as the water warms. A lot of boats are fishing in and around the State Park (Hicks Creek) and on points and coves near the D markers in Reed Creek.
The water surface temperature is in the sixties and seventies, while the lake level is about two feet below full pond.
Captain Gus Gustafson of Lake Norman Ventures, Inc. is licensed by the US Coast Guard, a member of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, and is an outdoor columnist and a full time professional fishing guide on Lake Norman, NC. Visit his web site, Fishin' With Gus! at www.FishingWithGus.com or call 704.617.6812.
For additional information e-mail Gus at Gus@LakeNorman.com
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