Summertime angling for trophy-sized blue cats on huge
reservoirs can be tough. Peer across an expansive lake and
the sheer vastness will seemingly swallow you whole. Where
do you start? Do you just go out and look around with a good
locator and hope to see some arches and begin fishing? Based
on past experiences you know two things. Sometimes you have
to drift. Other times you’ll have to anchor. How do you know
which to do first and what types of structure are you
looking for that will hold big burly blue cats?
Procat pro-staffer Jeff Williams ardently targets big blues
on Truman Reservoir and Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. A
lifetime of big-lake catfishing has taught him a thing or
two about catfish behavior in reservoirs, and according to
Jeff you can put more fish into the boat if you learn a few
keys to summertime blue cat location. Before we get into the
fishing part let’s look at the two lakes Jeff fishes.
Lake Ledges
Many lakes around the country have different bottom styles
from sheer drops down into as much as 180 foot of water on
canyon terrain reservoirs, to relatively shallow featureless
bowls with subtle drops in depth. Not all lakes are built
alike but trophy-sized blues behave in similar ways wherever
they swim - especially when it comes to relating to the same
types of cover and depth according to the season you are
fishing.
Ledge Blues
While Jeff targets cats in a variety of situations during
the summer period, he reports that during the warm-water
post-spawn period, drift fishing is in his most productive
pattern for most days on both lakes for numbers of fish.
He looks for areas where the bottom has subtle rises and
drops going from just below and well above the thermocline.
“During the hotter water period, the thermocline is
everything.” Jeff uses his locator to mark fish on gently
sloping ledges with the right depth before he deploys his
baits and begins a drift. “You can find fish holding on
steep ledges in the summer but steep ledges are difficult to
get the right drift to stay in contact with numbers of fish.
I prefer gentle rises and drops in a long diverse bottom
contour area. Once you catch a few fish, make a note at what
depth you’re catching them in. If you’re catchin’ fish in 16
foot of water around a 12 foot hump – you’d better find some
more 16 foot of water to drift around in.”
Why Drift During Summer
Jeff anchor fishes ledges, flats, trenches, wood cover, and
steep drops during most of the year except during the
hot-water post-spawn period. Big blues will hold on specific
cover part of the time and roam around in tight areas
looking for food before relocating during the cooler months
which allows him to set up on a good number of fish. He
still has to look for fish with his finder during the colder
water periods but once he finds them, he can anchor up and
fish a specific area. Jeff’s theory about blue cat
metabolism may hold the key to understanding why he does
better while drift fishing during summer and the opposite
during the cooler water period.
“I think as the water gets hotter, their metabolism rises
with it and the blues need to roam around searching for food
a lot more. It seems that I have to move around a lot more
as well so I drift over areas targeting the active fish and
don’t worry about fish holding in one area. In hot water,
when the fish are active – I can set up on them and by the
time I’ve caught a few fish they’ve moved. When the fish are
acting this way I feel like I’ve made the right choice by
drifting.”
The Controlled Drift
Jeff admits that drift fishing for blues isn’t really
targeting big fish specifically, but he is still targeting
structure that holds big fish. He finds an area that is
showing the right drift scenario according to his experience
on his lakes. He looks for fish arches on his locator
holding the right distance off the bottom according to the
thermocline. He likes to see fish on the graph holding
either really close to the bottom. “Somebody out there might
have some success with these loosely suspended fish but I
haven’t done well trying to target them yet.”
Make sure to read Part 2 of this article to learn more about
catching monster ledge lunker blues!
Copyright © 2004-2005 Jeff Williams and Procats
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About the Author
Jeff Williams runs a Truman Lake Hybrid Bass and Lake of the
Ozarks Catfish Fishing Guide Service offering lodging and
guided trips in Missouri. To book a trip, learn more tips,
or find out how Capt. Jeff would fish your own local waters,
call 1-866-HOOKSET or visit
www.ozark-lodges-fishing-trips.com today!