When do catfish spawn

Most anglers hate fishing near rocks. Catfish love to spawn near rocks. While it can be a nightmare to fish, it does hold active fish a lot of the time during the spawn. The next key is keeping the bait moving slowly enough for a spawning catfish to grab it. A couple things you must consider when fishing during the spawn is sit time and spot rotation. Spawning fish are not all that interested in eating so you have to consider sitting longer on spots to allow the fish to find the bait and decide to eat the bait.

Sometimes an hour sit on a spot can be the answer to catching nicer fish. Because there is less active feeding and very little migration during the spawn, it is advisable to rotate spots with many days between fishing them. I have found, over the years, that giving spots a four or even five-day rest between fishing is best. If you catch fish one day, there is no guarantee that there will be fish there for a few days until more filter in. Many frown upon catching catfish during the spawn.

Most of the time you are fishing for fish that have not yet spawned or fish that have come off the spawn. Given the time of year, it is imperative that all big fish be immediately released back. Once a male protecting the nest is taken home, the nest will be lost. If that same male is put back right away, he will go back to the nest. We have documented this many times here on the Red River as we have caught the same male protecting the same nest three times.

Another time we caught the same tagged male on the same nest twice. Spawn can be a rough time. You probably will not have the best day of catfishing you have ever had. You can be among the first to get the latest info on where to go, what to use and how to use it! For more information: redrivercatfish. Anglers are less likely to be stymied by flatheads that have seemingly disappeared. Because tributary mouths are staging areas for ready-to-spawn catfish, they're among the top hotspots this time of year.

The best are those tributaries with a warm in-flow, such as creeks swollen by spring rains. Catfish usually ambush prey from behind current breaks -- humps, holes or trees -- near the confluence of the tributary with the main lake or river.

Cast your rig upstream and allow it to drift past these honeyholes. Before, during and after spawning season, catfish also congregate downstream from big-river dams. Their numbers increase in these tailwaters when their upstream spawning migrations are blocked, and many cats stay in these areas for weeks to feast on the abundance of baitfish, crayfish and other foods. Fishing in "grooves" of slower-moving water between open gates often is productive. Banks covered with riprap also are key fishing areas during spawning season.

Look for them near dams, bridges and causeways where engineers place the rocks to prevent erosion. Big channel cats especially like this habitat, but blues and flatheads may gather as well if there are numerous nesting cavities available in crevices between the boulders. The best fishing areas tend to be those where a small section of the bank has slightly different cover or structure than the rest of a long, look-alike stretch of riprap. For example, a pipe or log may attract catfish.

Other times, a difference in the rocks does the trick. Watch for big boulders changing to smaller rocks or slides of rocks creating underwater points. Cast your bait to the rocks in these areas and fish it right on bottom.

Concrete revetment also attracts spawning cats. This type of structure is found on big-river navigation systems maintained by government agencies such as the U. Army Corps of Engineers.

To stabilize the river banks and prevent erosion, bulldozers are used to smooth the shoreline, then the soil is covered with concrete matting, or revetment.

The revetment may be covered with riprap to further stabilize it. Catfish nest in holes eroded beneath these structures, and if a hole can be pinpointed with sonar, the angler can drop a bait right in front of the fish. Often, catfish strike simply because they view the bait as a threat to the nest.

Start downstream and troll slowly upstream parallel to the bank, watching the sonar screen for the ups and downs of buckled-up revetment slabs. Then, when you find a hole and feel like the boat is directly over it, pick out a reference spot on the bank. You can now motor upstream and anchor the boat casting distance away from the hole.

Cast a baited float rig directly to the hole, let the rig settle and wait for a hit. If you haven't had a bite after 15 to 20 minutes, troll up the bank until you find another likely spot and anchor again. Continue doing this, working your way upstream and fishing first one hole and then another. Fishing for catfish during their spawning season can be very frustrating.

When female cats are laying eggs and males are guarding their nests, they're often are hard to find and difficult to entice. Nevertheless, if you are diligent in your efforts and fish the proper locales, you're almost certain to discover a pattern that will enable you to catch fish even during this difficult time.

Give a Gift Subscriber Services. Catfish do not bite while spawning. They are occupied and not too concerned about what you have to offer during spawn time.

The females busy dropping eggs and the male is busy fertilizing and protecting those eggs for a short amount of time. No need to get overly concerned about it. Not to mention spawning last only a short day or two. Read much more about catfish biting habits here. For most of you reading, the biggest concern is likely tied to you not having a rough day on the water recently or knowing you may be planning a catfishing outing smack dab in the middle of spawn season.

The author of this post is Bob Hoffmann. Bob has spend most of his childhood fishing with his father and now share all his knowledge with other anglers. Feel free to leave a comment below. Ask anyone who's been in a hostile environment, and they'll tell you that you can never have too much safety gear. Keeping safe while ice fishing is all about managing your level of risk.

With the We all want to gain that advantage over the fish we catch, and what better way than to time our visit so that they are most active? The best time for ice fishing is either early in the morning or Skip to content As catfish anglers, we are always looking for information to give us that inside edge. After I did research on when catfish spawn, here is what I found out. When Do Catfish Spawn?