CATS ON THE ROCKS

Dynamite And Cats

Editor's Note: Although you can catch channel catfish around rock walls, riprap, rocky bluffs and almost anywhere you find rock cover in shallow water, from now until the end of June, the channel cats will be spawning in many areas of the South. Phil King, of Corinth, Mississippi, one of the nation's top competitive catfishermen, has a string of catfish-tournament wins that will embarrass a show pony. Before King fished in catfish tournaments, he was a commercial catfisherman, feeding his family with his knowledge of where, when and how to find and catch cats. This week, King tells us where and how to catch cats on the rocks with Strike King's new Catfish Dynamite, Catfish Dip Bait, Catfish Bites and Catfish Dynamite Dough.

Question: Phil, how do you fish Strike King's Dynamite when you are fishing for cats on the rocks?
King: I cut up the Dynamite in chunks and put it on the hooks and fish it that way, or I really like to use the Dip Bait. I just dip the dip bait hook with the holder and its sponge into the dip bait and then cast it out. Each time I catch a cat, I re-dip, and if I haven't caught a cat in 10 or 15 minutes, I'll re-dip. I also use that Catfish Dynamite Dough on small treble hooks when I'm fishing for cats on the rocks.

Question: Why is the Tennessee River on this Tennessee/Mississippi/Alabama border such a great place to catch these cats on the rocks?
King: The Tennessee River has a really good population of both channel cats and blue cats. You'll also find a lot of handmade riprap below all the dams on the Tennessee River, and the river cuts through a lot of rocky structure, like craggy rocks all down the riverbanks in which channel cats love to spawn. Anytime they can find a hole in, under or around those rocks, they'll move into that hole and spray their eggs.

Question: Why do you think bass fishermen should carry ultralight cat-fishing tackle with them throughout the spring and summer?
King: Most bass fishermen like to catch and release the bass, but they also like to eat catfish. So, if bass fishing gets slow, from now until the fall, they can take their cat-fishing tackle and keep some Strike King catfish bait in their tackle boxes. Then they're ready to catch some cats to take home and eat when the bass won't bite. A bass fisherman can catch and release all of his bass, but he can also catch and eat all of his cats. Catfish are a very renewable resource. There are plenty of them, they're fun-to-catch, the little ones are delicious-to-eat, and you can release the big ones that are not as tasty. That way, there will always be plenty of cats. Besides, I believe that bass fishermen sometimes want to catch some fish to eat, and catfish are the logical alternative to eating bass. If you've never tried catfishing on the rocks, I think you'll be surprised at how much fun it is and how many cats you can catch.