HOW AND WHERE TO CATCH CATS AT NIGHT

Find Other Structures That You Can Fish At Night

EDITOR'S NOTE: Jerry Crook of Gardendale, Alabama, a veteran Tennessee River angler, has over 22 years of experience. Crook operates Tailrace Guide Service that focuses on
live-bait fishing to provide anglers with multiple opportunities to catch several species of fish in a day's outing.

Question: Jerry, tell me about the holes off the wing walls.
Crook: Each of the wing walls usually has a deep hole right off the end of it. Some of these holes extend 30 to 40 feet from the base of the dam, and several extend out probably 60 or 70 feet from the base of the dam. These holes are always good holding places for cats and other species of fish as well. Balls of shad will hold on these break lines. If you don't see shad on these break lines, don't spend a lot of time fishing this area. Always fish places where you can see or mark bait.

Question: Tell me about the rock piles you fish after dark.
Crook: Well, they're not so much rock piles as they are shell mounds. Approximately a half mile below Wheeler Dam, you'll find a bunch of shell mounds. When the current is running, some of the water will be as deep as 20 feet. That's also a good holding area, especially in the summertime when the water gets real hot, and the mussels start dying off.

Question: What kind of mussels are these, Jerry?
Crook: They're freshwater river mussels. When these mussels die, their shells will open up, and the mussels will blow up and float to the surface. When you see this happen, you can catch catfish in that part of the lake.

For more information on fishing the tailrace contact Jerry Crook at 1128-Meadow Drive, Gardendale, Alabama 35071, or call him at (home) 205-608-0933 or (cell) 205-243-6198. You can visit his website at www.alabamaoutdoors.net/tailrace.html.

TOMORROW: HOW TO RIG FOR CATFISHING