4/5/07

Take a ‘lake break’ … try some Wateree River catfishing
By Terry Madewell

Terry Madewell Photo

Angler Rob Nelson knew how to land this giant cat in the Wateree River. The time to go cattin’ is now.

When local fishermen think about catfish, big catfish, they usually think in terms of the big lakes. Of course the Santee Cooper lakes of Marion and Moultrie rank high on the popularity list. With huge specimens of all of the “Big Three” of catfish species, the channel, blue and flathead catfish, the lakes are loaded with fish … and fishermen.

But far upstream, at the confluence of the Congaree and Wateree rivers, there’s a different, but equally impressive, fishery. The rivers that feed Lake Marion lakes are also full of all three of these species of fish and are continually fed from the lake below. From April right on through the summer is prime time to take all three species from the Wateree River arm of this body of water. The Wateree River stretches from the confluence with the Congaree River all the way to the Wateree Dam, many twisting and curving miles upstream, just to the north of the Camden/Lugoff area.

And it’s loaded with catfish throughout its length.

One of the keys to consider when fishing the Wateree River is correctly fishing the current in the river. This fishery requires the use of specialized tackle and techniques to score in large numbers. Perhaps the key word to describe fishing in current for catfish is “versatility.”

There are keys to consider when fishing current. Proper bait presentation is certainly a key to success. Thus, you first must ensure your boat is anchored properly to allow your lines to take advantage of the current, not work against it. This way you can cast right to the target area without having your line bounce across the river, risking getting snagged on the bottom.

There’s a lot of underwater debris in the river and you can stay hung up a lot if you don’t set up properly. When you hook a big catfish, you’re got enough problems anyway working him up against the current to the boat. If your line drifts across the current before settling on the bottom, you’re far more likely to get snagged when fighting a 20-30 pound catfish. Plus there are much larger fish than that in this river as well. But the odds of hooking fish this size are pretty good.

You also want to present your bait so it’s at the head of the area you’re fishing, so the scent drifts downstream. The catfish will readily move up the current to seek out good bait.

Proper tackle is also essential for successful river fishing. Catfishing in the Wateree can be tough on equipment, and heavy-duty tackle is by far the best choice. A heavy-duty 6-to-6-1/2 foot fiberglass rod is preferred. I also recommend 20-pound test or heavier line, especially if fishing for big fish.

To the business end of the line, expert anglers advise that you attach a three-way swivel. To one of the swivels you tie the main line. To another swivel attach the sinker. The weight of the sinker will vary with the depth of the water and the amount of current, often from 1-3 ounces. Attach the sinker with a 12-inch leader. The leader should be of slightly lighter line test than the main line, as the sinker is generally the part of the rig that hangs up. With a lighter line you can break the sinker off without losing the rest of the rig. Sometimes, regardless of how careful you are or how well you present your bait, you’re going to get hunt up.

When the rig rests on the bottom, the sinker will hold the bait in place and the bait will be just about eyeball level with those big catfish in this river.

This is also a good rig to use with live bait, which is great for the flatheads or with fresh cut bait which the big blues prefer. Flatheads will also bite on the fresh cut bait. Shad, bream and white perch are all excellent bait choices, either live or cut.

The hook size will depend on the size of the fish you are after. If the fish are large, a 3/0 to 5/0 hook will work fine. Attach the hook via a 12-4 inch leader. However, if there are a lot of smaller fish (under two pounds), you will likely miss a lot of strikes with these large hooks. In this case small treble hooks, No. 4 or No. 6, work well. Another technique is to rig three hooks in a row, a 1/0, a No. 4 and a No. 8. They should be tied with the largest hook on top and the smallest on the bottom. This is very effective if the fish are striking short and you find yourself losing the bait and missing the fish.

Another way to fish is with stink baits.

A good friend of mine, Mike Kossover, said this is a great way to catch a lot of fish very quickly.

“I’ve used tubs of stink bait in a day of fishing,” Kossover said. “The Doc’s Catfish Dip Bait has produced a lot of channel and blue catfish for me. Generally I’ll catch larger fish on the cut bait, but the stink bait is a great option to have on a couple of rods. You can rig No. 4 treble hooks with a sponge or the deeply ribbed plastic worms made for this type bait. If there are catfish around, you generally won’t have to wait long for bites. It keeps the action going, especially if you’ve got inexperienced fishermen with you who lack the patience needed to fish for just the big fish. This will keep everyone wide-eyed and ready when that big blue or flathead takes off with your cut-bait rig.

“To me, this is one of the beauties of fishing the Wateree River for catfish,” he said. “You can catch big numbers of fish in decent sizes, but you still have the potential to get your string stretched by a monster catfish. Plus, there’s just not a lot of other fishermen out there fishing for catfish, most of the time.”

Kossover also notes that there are certain key areas to fish during this time of the year. One prime spot he will focus on is the deep holes.

“Often the really big catfish will be in these deep areas,” he said. “Set up at the upstream end of the hole and work down though the area. If it’s a long, deep hole, you may need to pull the anchor, drift a bit and re-set the anchor a couple of times to thoroughly fish the entire area.”

Eddy currents are another excellent area to check. Catfish love to orient to these type situations and you can often find a bunch of fish in a small area. Also the mouths of feeder creeks and small sloughs are prime areas, Kossover says.

“This is especially true if we’ve had some rain. The runoff will pour in with fresh water and the catfish will gather in large numbers at these areas to feed,” he said.

If you’re looking for an excellent place to catch big catfish right now, give the Wateree River a try soon. The key is to just go catfishing now.