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Tom Winters:After they get good at catfish noodling, they move on to gator noodling. I learned all this from a guy named Stumpy.
mudfish:Anybody shoot catfish in South Carolina or Southeast? Do you use bait? Nighttime? What type of gun and length? Rivers or lakes?[/QUOTE
Catfish spearfishing is legal in Oklahoma, not everywhere else. Channel catfish are scavengers, look for them near the thermocline over rocky or sandy bottoms. They move around a lot looking for dead things to eat. They will try to hide from divers by hiding their head in a small hole, leaving their bodies out in the open.
Flathead catfish are top predators, look for them in shallower water any place baitfish are thick. Flathead catfish change their color to match the background. When the flathead is hunting it may be laying on the bottom in the middle of small baitfish. When other predators hunt the baitfish, they are an easy catch for these camoflaged catfish. In the same lake Flatheads can be speckled gray- hunting in rocky areas, and brown- hunting in muddy areas.
For freshwater spearfishing, the Flathead catfish is a favorite because they are very good eating and they grow large, 30 to 50 pounds are not unusual. Speargun power depends on the size of fish you hope to hunt. JBL's 38-special, with 3 bands is a good entry level gun for catfish up to 10 or 15 pounds. If you can find bigger fish, I like a riffe size 0 metaltech with 3 bands. If you have more questions just ask here.
mudhole:mudfish:Anybody shoot catfish in South Carolina or Southeast? Do you use bait? Nighttime? What type of gun and length? Rivers or lakes?[/QUOTE
Catfish spearfishing is legal in Oklahoma, not everywhere else. Channel catfish are scavengers, look for them near the thermocline over rocky or sandy bottoms. They move around a lot looking for dead things to eat. They will try to hide from divers by hiding their head in a small hole, leaving their bodies out in the open.
Flathead catfish are top predators, look for them in shallower water any place baitfish are thick. Flathead catfish change their color to match the background. When the flathead is hunting it may be laying on the bottom in the middle of small baitfish. When other predators hunt the baitfish, they are an easy catch for these camoflaged catfish. In the same lake Flatheads can be speckled gray- hunting in rocky areas, and brown- hunting in muddy areas.
For freshwater spearfishing, the Flathead catfish is a favorite because they are very good eating and they grow large, 30 to 50 pounds are not unusual. Speargun power depends on the size of fish you hope to hunt. JBL's 38-special, with 3 bands is a good entry level gun for catfish up to 10 or 15 pounds. If you can find bigger fish, I like a riffe size 0 metaltech with 3 bands. If you have more questions just ask here.
Thanks! This is good info. I have been told by some they will take a perforated can of dog food in a mesh bag and place it to attract catfish. Have you ever tried bait? In our area (South Carolina) many large catfish are taken in rivers as well as lakes by fishermen. From your reply I assume you are mostly in lakes. Do you move around or pick a good spot and wait?