Bob Alexander

Rules For Fishing For Catfish At Night!



Posted: Tuesday, July 21, 2009

by Bob Alexander
http://www.bluemarlinbob.com

The sound of the tug boat chugging up the river, pushing heavily laden barges filled with grain, quieted the tree frogs and crickets that shared the night with me as I watched the tip of my catfish rod jerk feverishly.

After the initial tug on the line, all movement of my fishing pole stopped. I considered this for a moment and then decided to leave the bait where it was, if there was any left on the hook. It was too pleasant an evening to exert the energy it takes to pull the hook and sinker out of the river bed, re-bait and sling it back out into the deep dark water.

My brother, cousin and I were all sitting in our camp chairs as we listened to the night sounds resonating softly against the gently moving Tennessee River, halfway between Decatur and Huntsville, Alabama. The day had been blistering hot, but at 9:00 in the evening, the temperature was pleasantly cooled by a Southeasterly breeze up from the Gulf of Mexico.

In order to thoroughly enjoy a night fishing experience such as ours, it is imperative that one follow a few simple rules designed to make an evening fishing trip pleasant.

Let there be light! This is a must for night time fishing. Bring your camp lantern or a set of construction lights that operate off the cigarette lighter in your car. Stumbling around in the dark on the banks of a river or lake can be hazardous to your health.

Make sure that you are able to tolerate your fishing companions during stretches of fishing inactivity. Usually the best fishing companions are those who keep their mouths shut and enjoy the serenity of silence; but they're hard to find.

With the advances in technology available today, it doesn't make sense not to bring along a cell phone. Leave it in the car or truck to use in case of an emergency. Don't be tempted to call someone simply to chat during a lull in the fishing action, unless you have just caught a whopper of a fish and want to brag a little to a friend.

Bring a good portable camp chair. Better still; a chaise lounge would be preferable for a relaxing evening. The only drawback to this is when reacting to a strike by a fish, it's difficult to extricate yourself from the chair fast enough to set the hook. It can be embarrassing to fall on your face while the catch of the night is swimming down the river with your rod and reel in tow.

You will need a cooler, filled with ice, soft drinks and water. My years of experience in leisure activities have taught me that river water and alcoholic beverages just do not mix, whether you are sitting on the bank or fishing from a boat. My advice is to leave them at home.

Nothing works up an appetite like sitting in the dark on the bank of a river, chatting with pleasurable company about anything that comes to mind. Usually though, talk is confined to old fish stories about the big ones caught and the giants that got away. It makes you hungry!

No one really wants a sandwich when they're fishing at night; they're hungry for something more stable, like hot dogs. Charcoal is a must for cooking hot dogs. Unless you've brought along a camp stove, hamburgers or steaks are more trouble than they're worth. Besides, the smell of catfish bait on your hands doesn't seem to linger on hot dogs the way it does on fresh meat.

Remember to bring the bug spray! Unless the wind is blowing gnats, mosquitoes and other flying insects away from you, insect repellant is a must!

Last on the list of necessary equipment to take on an evening fishing trip are rods, reels, sinkers and hooks. Cat fish seem to like stinky baits so that's what I use. When I was younger, I would fish with chicken liver, shad guts and any other bait that had been left out in the sun to ripen. Today I just go to one of the large tackle stores and buy prepackaged soft baits that smell just as bad as the ones I remember from my youth.

Fishing at night is fun. I've never claimed to be an expert in catching catfish, just an expert in fishing for them.

Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his sites at:

http://www.bluemarlinbob.com

http://www.redfishbob.com
Bob Alexander is a true son of the south, having reached expert status in eating barbeque, fish stories and leisure living. He resides in Alabama, the 22nd. state to be admitted into the union of the Untited States of America.
 
Visit his sites at:
http://www.redfishbob.com
http://www.bluemarlinbob.com
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)
» left by Steve Kovacs
 2 years 292 days ago.
95 fans. Follow Steve Kovacs on twitter!

Enjoyed your article, could almost see the Tug—I, like you am not an expert at catching Cats or any fish for that matter but like you, I’m an expert at fishin for em.  I’ve never fished in the South, other than Florida—one day I’d love to fish Alabama and Louisiana and I’d love to fish the Mississippi river one of these days.  

» left by Bob Alexander 2 years 292 days ago.
47 fans.
Thanks for the comments Steve.  I've left big fish swimming happily in all those states.
Bob
» left by Charles "Catfish" Pole
 2 years 292 days ago.
11 fans.
Enjoy reading anything about fishing - good article !
» left by Bob Alexander 2 years 292 days ago.
47 fans.
Thanks Catfish, I do too.
» left by David Tanguay
 2 years 292 days ago.
188 fans.
When I was a kid, we used to have our favorite fishing hole out back in the river in the state of Maine. I remember catching fish at night and cooking them right there on the site, you can't do that today. By the way in Maine we call catfish (horn pout) good article
» left by Bob Alexander 2 years 292 days ago.
47 fans.
Thanks for the horn pout David.  I'll remember that one to impress my fishing buddies with.
 
Bob
» left by Susan Thom
 2 years 290 days ago.
178 fans.
hi bob,
 
you make it sound so peaceful and relaxing, and i'm sure night fishing is. my son and his friends go down to our lake at night, and enjoy it, and i know where they are! they talk and fish off the dock, sometimes taking the boat out, and i'm sure they are making memories at 18, that they will remember forever.
 
thanks for sharing with us,
 
my best,
 
sue
» left by Bob Alexander 2 years 290 days ago.
47 fans.
Hi Sue, you're right.  It is relaxing.  I went again last night and caught something; Poisen Ivy.  My legs are a mess today, but that's another article.
 
Bob
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