PHIL KING ON CATCHING CATFISH WHEN THE WEATHER SIZZLES

When the Big Cats Bite Best

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 believe the big cats bite the best?
Answer: I believe the big cats are most likely to be caught from noon to dusk. The big catfish have been moving and feeding all night, and I think they're getting ready to snack or feed heavily from 12:00 noon to dusk. My favorite time to fish, however, is an hour or two after daylight. I believe the secondary peak time will be from 8:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. when you may find cats still feeding from the night before.

Question: What's another tactic for catching hot-weather cats?
Answer: When the weather is really hot, I'll often go up to the main lake at Pickwick Lake where I fish most of the time. In that deep water that will be from 70- to 80-feet deep, I'll use Cabela's rod holders and four to six rods to troll for cats. I'll mark the line on each rod with a magic marker and mark four different spots on each line. My first mark will indicate 30 feet of line out. My next marks will be at 40, 50 and finally 60 feet. Once I have the lines marked on all four reels, I'll put out lines at different depths from 30 to 60 feet deep. Then I'll use my trolling motor to move my boat around in those deep holes and try and catch the catfish suspended above those holes. Whichever rod gets the most bites, I'll notice the depth that I've got my baits at by the marks on my line and then set the rest of my rods at that depth. Catfish have a comfort zone, and they'll suspend at that comfort zone. On different days, that comfort zone may be at various depths. For this reason, each day I fish, I start the same way fishing the four different depths of water until I establish a pattern. Perhaps you can see fish on your depth finder. But, many times the fish you see there may not be catfish. By having the drop lines set at different depths, I can let my main line down to the point where I see the band of fish on the depth finder. If they're catfish, I should be able to get a bite.

Question: You're fishing for and catching suspended catfish, aren't you?
Answer: Yes, I am. These catfish are the ones that most people don't fish for and even fewer people catch. Most anglers believe that cats are bottom feeders and don't realize that the catfish can feed at any story of the water where the cat locates bait in a comfortable water temperature. But to find and catch those catfish that are suspending, you have to know how to read your depth finder and identify which fish are cats. Too, you also must put your bait in a place where the cats will take it. You'll most often find suspended cats in lakes and reservoirs more so than you'll find them in natural rivers and downstream of major power plants.

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'S FAVORITE DOG DAY CATFISH BAITS