Precision Tactics For Blue Catfish

Relieving Bloated Blues lue catfish, among other species of fish, are physostomus, meaning their gas bladder is connected to the gullet by a duct. This differs from physoclistous species, like walleye and perch, which lack that connection. The duct in physostomus species allows air to pass directly between the gullet and air bladder, while in physoclistous species, gas volume is a longer-term process controlled through bloodstream mechanisms. Physoclistous species caught from deep water often have distended abdomens because the gas bladder swells from reduced pressure closer to the surface. Because the gas bladder can’t release air quickly, these fish struggle at the surface and in some cases perish. Some anglers have learned to properly “fizz” these fish to improve survival. In 2005, we reported in In-Fisherman that, when caught from deep water, blue catfish often have a swollen gas bladders, with the gut protruding into the mouth in some cases. Even for this physostome, the bladder can expand from pressure reduction faster than the fish can compensate naturally. A caught fish might “burp” to alleviate pressure on its own, but if its belly is stretched and it struggles at the surface after release, the duct or gullet is blocked, perhaps by tissues surrounding the expanded area. In our report we suggested a method to alleviate this problem. The remedy calls for inserting a section of soft plastic tubing (5/8-inch diameter, about two feet long) down the throat area and into the gullet. Continue to insert the tube until you hear a “whoosh” of air out the pipe as the belly deflates. If you feel resistance on the pipe from tissue, don’t force the tubing deeper, which can cause injury. If necessary, push gut tissue back down the gullet gently with your finger. Release the fish after it regains normal swimming ability. Jamison and Thompson used this technique to relieve bloated blues caught from deep water. They found that a 1/2-inch diameter section of PVC pipe about 24 inches long was suitable for burping the blue cats, adding that it’s important to sand down and smooth the end of the pipe that’s inserted into the gullet to prevent injury to the fish. They found that in some cases carefully moving the inserted pipe around the gullet a bit helped release air. All of the fish they caught were able to submerge and swim away without apparent injury.

Throughout the tournament, their most productive depth was 96 feet, which marked the edge of the drop-off into a creek channel that reached depths of 120 feet. By using their trolling motor to slowly move the boat and constantly monitoring their sonars and GPS units, they found that they could present their baits with precision.

Their trolling speed never exceeded 0.3 mph, and when the wind blew, they always trolled into the wind. Jamison emphasizes the importance of maintaining a slow pace. He notes that on several occasions, another boat either trolled through this area or drifted through with the aid of a windsock, never seeing them catch a fish. They were always moving too fast.

Besides the slowness of their approach, they worked their boat quietly. In contrast, they could hear waves slapping against the hulls of the flat-bottomed boats of the other competitors, but not on their boat’s hull. And even though they were plying water deeper than 100 feet, they believe that being quiet helped them catch more fish.

They had every nook and cranny of this 50-yard hump marked with their GPS units. As they fished, the front LCX 19 displayed the map, allowing them to continually pinpoint and work the most productive spots. The back LCX 19 was in fish-finding mode—they didn’t use the split-screen because they wanted to see as many of the bottom contours as possible.

Periodically they turned on the front unit to sonar mode, enabling them to see their baits. If they’d left it on constantly, they suspect that they could have seen blue cats approaching and striking their baits.

As they slowly trolled, they constantly monitored the GPS and sonars, talking to one another about what they were seeing and whether they were approaching a potential hotspot. Several times at one of those hotspots, four blue cats engulfed their baits and they managed to boat three.

Whenever the bite slowed, the duo studied their sonar on the 2X-zoom setting, finding that this setting had a better image than the 4X-zoom. From their experience, Jamison and Thompson believe that a signal return from a catfish is weaker than one from a scaled fish such as a striper or carp—scaled fish show up with an orange or yellow tint in the arc, while catfish form a weaker signal showing only black. This helped Jamison and Thompson pinpoint Wilson’s blue cats.

Jamison says that the blue cats were confined to such a precise locale that he and Thompson wouldn’t have been able to catch them without the aid of their electronics, and he’s thankful indeed that he took the time to learn about the art and science of deep-water fishing with a sonar and GPS.

At the tournament’s end, they acknowledged that they’d never fished with such precision. Some knowledgeable observers contended that they have taken catfishing into a new realm.

Jamison plans to apply their precision at Milford Lake, Kansas, this winter. He believes that the deeper-water approach should work well on many waters from late fall through winter, as catfish often follow baitfish deep this season.

*Ned Kehde, Lawrence Kansas, is a Field Editor and veteran contributor to In-Fisherman.