Page 87 - South Mississippi Living - January, 2023

In both fresh and salty waters, many anglers commonly watch birds to find fish. Predatory fish push baitfish toward the surface. Frenzied seagulls and other birds see that activity and swoop down to get their share of the protein.
However, some catfish anglers look for birds not actively feeding. In recent decades, populations of federally protected cormorants and other fish-eating birds exploded across North America. Cormorants frequently gather in huge flocks on many waterways.
Because these big black fowl eat so many fish, and smell like it, many anglers detest these pungent predators, but some catfish anglers learned to love the foul fowl. After filling their bellies by diving for succulent shad, fish-eating birds habitually perch on logs or tree branches to rest and digest.
Cypress trees growing in the water make excellent roosting spots for fat and full birds. While roosting in the trees, the birds inevitably relieve themselves. What smells vile to humans might seem mighty tempting to hungry catfish. When the malodorous fishy smelling “deposits” hit the water, catfish detect it and come looking for an easy meal. Offer them one.
First look for resting birds. Whenever possible, find birds that have been roosting in trees for a while. Waste deposits can stain tree trunks, branches and foliage white, so in the absence of sitting birds, look for trees freshly caked with white splotches growing in or near water.
Normally, birds fly off as boats approach. After chasing off the birds, attach a live or fresh whole shad to a hook with no weight. If necessary, use a jighead or small split-shot to get the bait down to the bottom, especially when fishing deeper water or in river current. Use as little weight as possible. Flip the bait close to the tree trunk and let the baitfish flutter down naturally.
If catfish live around that tree, the bait probably won’t sink far before a ravenous whiskerfish slurps
it into its mouth. Some trees might produce several good catfish quickly so keep fishing around a tree until nothing else bites. After a few minutes with no action, move to another tree.
Threadfin shad, (top) and skipjack (bottom) make excellent bait for catfish. Around flooded timber, flip a shad next to tree trunks so that it sinks nat- urally to attract catfish.
Fishermen usually catch channel catfish by flipping shad around the trees, but they could also catch monster blue cats. People using live bait might also catch giant flatheads, blues or even bass and crappie.
This technique could work in any waterbody where voracious fish-eating birds gather in large flocks and roost in trees growing in or spreading over the water. Some birds remain in Mississippi throughout the year, but others migrate south in the winter, just like ducks. By late winter, the local Mississippi bird population peaks. Therefore, the best action in South Mississippi typically occurs from late fall through early spring before most of the birds fly back up north.
In cooler months, catfish become more active after the sunshine warms chilly water for a while. Also, during bright sunshine, catfish tend to hold tighter to cover. On cold mornings, sleep a little later, gather some fresh bait and head out in mid-morning on a sunny day.
On any day, always fish completely around a tree trunk whenever possible or hit it from different angles. One tree could hold several fish, but they might
prefer to gather in one particular spot or another for whatever reason.
LEFT: An angler admires a stringer of catfish he caught by flipping shad around cypress trees growing in the water. This type of technique could work wherever trees grow in or over water holding good catfish populations.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net January 2023 | 87