PHIL KING ON CATCHING CATFISH WHEN THE WEATHER SIZZLES

King Tells about Fishing in the Hot Summer Months

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: When do you catch the most big catfish during the Dog Days of summer -- at night or during the day?
Answer: Fishing for big catfish is better at night near the dams if the catfish have already spawned and have moved-up. If the catfish haven't spawned, your chances of catching the big ones are better fishing during daylight in the holes in the river. In the hottest part of the summer -- the Dog Days of summer -- the big cats have either got to be by the dam or in holes in the river to dodge the heat and to feed.

Question: Phil, one of your favorite baits is chicken livers. Why do you believe that fresh chicken livers are better than frozen chicken livers for catching catfish?
Answer: A fresh chicken liver is tougher and stronger-smelling and has a better color than a frozen chicken liver. The best chicken liver to catch a catfish with is directly from a processing plant immediately after it has been removed from a chicken. I never freeze my chicken livers; I always keep them on ice to keep them fresh. I don't leave my chicken livers sitting out in the sun either; I bait up with them and put them right back in a cooler.

Question: I've also noticed that you put red food coloring in your chicken livers. Why do you do this?
Answer: The red food coloring helps the chicken liver hold its natural red color. I also know that red attracts most other species of fish. So, I have to believe that the redder I can make my bait, the more attractive it will be to the catfish.

Question: What are some other secrets to catching cats during the Dog Days of summer?
Answer: If you're fishing in the current below the dam, don't jig below the dam. You want the bait to move as slow and as steady as you can as it floats down the river. All you want to do is raise your lead up off the bottom enough to make sure you're not hung-up. Let it drift back a little ways, and then lower your sinker down again. The perfect drift when you're fishing in the current will be for your line to drift back 50 or 60 feet from the boat and bump the bottom while you hold your boat against the current with a trolling motor. You just want to be able to feel your lead tag the bottom and walk the bait down the bottom with the current.

Question: What's another secret to catching Dog Day cats?
Answer: Catfish are much more sound-sensitive than most anglers think, especially blue cats. If you run over the area you want to fish with your boat motor, throw the anchor in or drag it across the bottom and stomp and bang around in the boat or make any loud noises with your boat, you can cause the catfish that will have hit your line to not bite. You can cause the cats that are biting to quit biting. The bigger the catfish is, the more sensitive that fish is to sound.

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: WHEN THE BIG CATS BITE BEST