Page 45 - South Mississippi Living - April, 2022

ven some of the best professional anglers in the world probably started their fishing careers by catching sunfish or channel catfish.
Many people grow out of chasing catfish as they turn to other species, like bass, speckled trout or large offshore species, but channel
catfish can still provide incredible family fun, especially for novices and young anglers. One of the most widespread and abundant game fish in North America, channel cats populate just about every freshwater system in the state. Channel cats can top 50 pounds, but most run in the one- to five-pound range.
Some of the best channel cat action in Mississippi occurs in the 20 small public fishing lakes managed by the Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks scattered throughout the Magnolia State. In fact, the Mississippi state record weighed 51.75 pounds and came from Lake Tom Bailey. One of the public fishing lakes, Lake Tom Bailey covers 182 acres in Lauderdale County just east of Meridian.
With about 10,000 taste buds per square inch in its skin, a catfish swims through the water like a giant tongue tasting everything. It can detect minute food particles or scents over long distances. Sensors can detect odors down to one part in 10 billion parts of water.
Catfish can even detect prey with tiny natural “scanners” in their heads. Every living cell emits a minute electrical field. Catfish use their electro-sensors to detect prey at night or in muddy water. They can also acutely detect sound waves far better than most fish.
With excellent sensing abilities, catfish miss few opportunities to grab a tempting morsel. Channel catfish eat almost anything, which makes them
a favorite for beginning anglers and children. Some excellent baits include crickets, shrimp, nightcrawlers, minnows, fish pieces, clams, dough balls, crawfish, cheese, livers, gizzards and commercial baits. Practically anything that gives off a scent or oozes an oily slick in the water might attract catfish. Catfish normally prefer natural baits, but anglers occasionally catch them on various artificial enticements.
People don’t need a lot of fancy, expensive equipment to catch channel catfish. Over the years, countless people caught channel cats with one of the simplest forms of fishing. Attach a cork or plastic float to a line. Tie on a hook. Between the hook and the float, add a small lead weight just heavy enough to hold the bait down without pulling the float under the water. Bait the hook and toss
the rig near some cover, like logs, stumps, weeds or a shoreline and let it rest. When the float moves or goes down, set the hook. Catfish tend to stay near the bottom, so set the float on the line so that the bait hangs just above the bottom.
Anglers can also fish with a bottom rig. Tie a sinker on the end of the line. About a foot or so above the sinker, add a hook and bait it. Use just enough weight to keep the bait on the bottom. Toss it to a good spot. Catfish often go into deep holes and feed at night.
Abundant and widespread with very liberal regulations, channel catfish can provide outstanding line-pulling action all year long for people of any age. They taste great too!
For more information on the public fishing lakes, visit www.mdwfp.com.
LEFT: A young angler struggles to lift a stringer of channel catfish she caught with some help from a friend while fishing at a public community pond. TOP RIGHT: Sharon Jeffreys shows off a channel catfish. MIDDLE RIGHT: Amy Gable lands a channel catfish she caught while fishing in a river backwater. BOTTOM RIGHT: Two young anglers show off a stringer of channel catfish.
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net
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