August Fishing for Catfish with Brian Barton
Day 5: Best August Catfish Baits
To fish with Brian Barton, email him at brianbartonoutdoors@aol.com, or call 256-412-0969. Brian Barton of Muscle Shoals, Alabama, earned money in high school and college as a commercial catfisherman, fishing trotlines and slat boxes. Barton believes that Wilson Lake on the Tennessee River in north Alabama homes more catfish than any of the other Tennessee River lakes. Barton recently began using his knowledge of catfishing to guide other fishermen to big blue cats and nets full of cats. To learn how to catch the most cats in the shortest time, Barton looked to crappie guide Brad Whitehead of Muscle Shoals, Ala., one of the students he taught in high school. After seeing how Whitehead used his War Eagle Boat to successfully fish for crappie, Barton tried side-pulling for catfish. This tactic has produced 50 to 80 catfish per day for his customers. This week, Barton will tell us his tactics for side-pulling for catfish and explain how he catches 20-pound-plus blue channel cats.
Question: Brian, what are your favorite baits when you’re catfishing?
Barton: My favorite catfish baits are yellowtail minnows, skipjacks, hickory shad and gizzard shad. When I catch those baits, I put them on ice to keep them fresh. However, my best bait is shrimp bought from a grocery store. I like the 36 to 40 count that are already peeled and deveined. Shrimp are really good for catching eating-sized cats.
To fish with Brian Barton, email him at brianbartonoutdoors@aol.com, or call 256-412-0969.
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