Location, Baits, And Riggings for Rivers

Blues become particularly sluggish, he notes, during midwinter cold fronts. “When there’s a combination of a south wind and mild temperatures, blues tend to hit more aggressively. When the wind blows from the north and air temperatures are down in the 30s or lower, the fish bite more gingerly, even big fish, and the smaller hook and bait combo has the advantage.”

He doesn’t fish with the same piece of bait for longer than 20 minutes, noting that changing baits often is key to developing a stronger scent trail. “I think that a small bait emits more scent in cold water than does the same size bait in warm water. Or maybe the scent dispersion lasts longer when it’s cold. Blues still eat big baits, but the smaller baits seem to have the advantage in winter.”

Freshly caught bait is often preferred among blue cat anglers. But Jamison offers a theory to the possible benefits of using previously frozen bait. “A common thought in winter is that most of the forage base is winterkill, not fresh livebait,” he says. Gizzard shad and other baitfish often experience pulses of mortality in winter, when dead carcasses provide a source of food for catfish. “I find that bait stored frozen and then thawed is a better option than fresh. Thawed baits develop a stronger and more distinctive odor, more closely mimicking a winterkilled baitfish. It might be just enough of a difference to attract more cats, at times.

“At a spring tournament on the Mississippi River around New Madrid, Missouri, I was fishing with partner Mark Thompson a boat’s length from tournament pro Phil King. We were all using the same tactics over the same fish, but at the end of the day I’d caught more of them. The only difference was that I used thawed cutbait and Phil used fresh bait. That’s only one situation, but it’s another reason for me to think about thawed versus fresh in colder water.

“I learned another trick from a fisherman who’s fished the Missouri for years,” Jamison says. It’s called a stink bucket. Put a bunch of carp fillets in a bucket and throw in a couple of whole shad for flavoring. Store the bucket in the refrigerator for a month or so, and use chunks of cut carp for bait. It works so well I hesitate to mention it.” The formula he’s referring to is a milder version of a true sourbait, which can be a top option for channel cats feeding on winterkilled shad in early spring.

To present baits, Jamison uses a sliprig. He threads a 4- to 6-ounce egg sinker on 80-pound-test McCoy braided line. The braid’s tied to a barrel swivel, followed by an 18-inch leader of 60-pound Berkley Big Game monofilament, then the hook. He hooks the shad through the eyes or, if the current’s fast, under the mouth and through the snout to keep the mouth from catching too much water.