Catfishing the Ice Out and Cold Water Period

Catfishing the Ice Out and Cold Water Period

By Brad Durick

Northern winters can get long especially for the catfish anglers of summer. These guys have been patiently waiting all winter for their beloved lakes and rivers to open up so they can get back at it. So after a long winter of laying around under the water what do these early spring catfish do and where do they go? How can we find and catch these emerging fish coming out to play and get ready for the spawn that is just around the corner?

I have to admit that catching ice out catfish up in my neck of the woods has been very difficult the past few years due to a 100 year flood happening more often than not. I have experienced it but not to the extent that one would like.

Preparing for the Ice Out Bite
Catfish are like any fish in that they like to get things rolling early. Right when the ice comes off a lake the temperature is still in the high 30s and low 40s which means that catfish still do not need to feed all that much to survive. Their instinct is to start hunting and looking for a meal to get the spring season started.

What you need to get started is basically a normal catfish setup and some bait. Obviously that is what one would need to fish but because of a light bite right when the ice comes out it may be advisable to use a regular J style hook rather than a circle hook to help detect the light biters.

Bait actually has some reasoning to it. Because catfish are opportunistic feeders they will be looking for decaying fish that died under the ice and are probably being washed up on the bank. One option is to pick up some of this fish while walking the shores or come up with bait of your own.

I keep some old bait from the fall before in the freezer and let it get freezer burned a bit to give it that real scent like the fish are finding in the water. As soon as this stuff starts to thaw it is aromatic to say the least but it really does work in that early cold water compared to fresh baits.

From the time the ice comes out to the time the water warms to the 50s isn’t really that long and a lot happens in the metabolic life of a catfish from 40-50 degrees. During this window the metabolism doubles and the instincts say it is time to start feeding hard. This is also the time when the old rotting fish disappear and the catfish begin to hunt so about this time you should start looking to fresh baits to get the catfish that are actively hunting.

Finding the Catfish in Rivers
During this cold water period, catfish can be caught shallow out of the current hunting. They can also be caught tight to structure or in deep slow water as they are still a little sluggish and not feeding hard. It is sometimes a good idea during this time to fish a little slower to give the fish a chance to find the bait and decide to eat it.

I tend to break from the standard 15-20 minutes of wait time to about 30 minutes just to give the scent a little extra time to disperse in the colder water and the fish to find the bait.

The water temperature will rise a couple degrees with just sun intensity during this period. It is a good idea to look on a south facing shoreline (north) later in the afternoon on these days. Especially if there is a mud bottom. The catfish will move to these shorelines to get that extra degree or two. That small increase in temperature can spur a feeding frenzy and get you a better day, even if just for a short time.

When the water temps are holding steady or rising you should start looking at faster water breaks in rivers and shallow flats near deeper water in lakes. Should the water temperatures be dropping the fish will sit tight out of the current and be looking for areas that are getting direct sunlight to give them that extra degree of water that may induce feeding.

While the previous is based on fishing the main river one overlooked area is drainage ditches and tributaries. Not just the mouth but the channel itself. If you are in an area like me that has seasonal high water and flooding the drainage ditches can get ample water and current in them. They are getting the warmer run off from agriculture and can be drawing catfish up in them in search of food and warmer water. This can be a great place to fish also because many of these drainages are near roads and easily accessible for shore fishing.
Last spring, I walked into one of the local sporting goods stores and one of the employees pulled out his phone to show me these huge fish he had been catching from shore. He didn’t give me a spot but told me he was in a drainage near town. I did a little research and found a newly dredged drainage ditch that would be perfect for such an occasion. As it turns out it was not very wide so it can be an easy shore spot to fish but more importantly it had many road crossings and in one section a road adjacent to it for very easy access by anyone.

Most of these are tactics that I find work for me when the water temperature is 40-48 degrees. Stay out of the main currents and near the slack water for success until the water temperature tops 48 degrees.

Cold Water Catfish In Lakes
During this time the catfish in lakes do basically the same thing. During the fresh ice out time they will be roaming the flats and shallows looking for dead fish. Two things to look for during this time are wind-blown shores where food may have been blown up shallow and again the south facing shoreline to find the fish looking for the sun.

Lake anglers get the advantage of using controlled drifting or trolling to locate active fish. Once the fish are located by trolling or by finding them on electronics during the cold water time it is a good idea to anchor and sit on the fish for a while to let them find the baits.

Like in the rivers, once the water temps reach 48-50 degrees and the fish begin the hard core pre spawn bite, it is time to get more active and start moving faster and in the case of lakes drifting to find and stay on catfish. For you shore anglers this is a great time to set up on creek mouths where cats will be looking for current bringing in fresh food.

Some other things to consider in the ice off/cold water period is stink baits and dip baits tend to not work as well because the cool water doesn’t disperse the scent as fast. Sour baits can be fantastic during this time of year. To make these do a simple Google search for a recipe that you might like. This is also a good time to try frogs or worms for bait as they are coming to life. Sort of a match the hatch situation.

Ice Off/ Cold Water can be a very productive time to catch catfish. The fish are as excited to bite as we as anglers are to catch them after a long winter of our favorite lake or river being locked up under the ice. Get outside, get some fresh air and have some fun during this time.

Captain Brad Durick is a nationally recognized catfish guide, seminar speaker, and author of the book Cracking the Channel Catfish Code.