Colder, clearer water great for catfishing

Now is the time to get into some of the best catfishing in Missouri's rivers. With clearer, colder waters, it's also a great time to snag some of the best-tasting catfish of the year.

Shad sides or guts and night crawlers are the baits of choice. The catfish are eating on shad kills from winter and worms that the warmer weather has brought. Other baits, such as stink bait and liver, need warmer water to have their best effect.

According to the Missouri Department of Conservation fishery reports for 2003, catfishing should be good in most rivers this year. Also, with the warmer weather, other river fish can be caught with night crawlers right now.

Look for deeper holes with brush. The fish aren't moving around much right now, so fishing the riffles and shallower water may not be as productive. Fishing tight to cover will be the best choice for catfish.

Moving around will improve your odds. If you don't get a bite within about 10 to 20 minutes, reel in and cast to another spot. Try to cover the hole thoroughly, but don't spend too much time on one hole. If after making enough casts to cover a hole you don't get a bite, move on to the next hole.

Holes close to access points will have already been fished fairly well, so be prepared to move up or down the river to holes further away. If you are on foot, be careful not to trespass. Staying within the confines of the riverbank is the best bet to avoid trespassing. Wearing hip waders is a good idea for this. They allow you to enter shallow areas.

Equipment can be kept to a minimum for this kind of fishing. A daypack will carry everything you need for a day of fishing and will allow you to carry your trash back to a trash container. A small box with a couple dozen straight hooks in different sizes, a few egg weights in 1/8th ounce through half-ounce sizes and a small bag of split shot is all the terminal tackle you'll need. One or two dozen crawlers or a jar of shad for bait will catch plenty of catfish. Two rods of medium action with 8- to 12-pound test on the reels are perfect for smaller rivers.

The daypack will also carry a bottle of water, snacks, and first aid kit.

The limits for channel and blue cats are 10 combined -- not for each species -- and for flatheads it's five. There are special areas with different limits, so be sure to get a 2003 Missouri fishing regulations pamphlet from either the MDC office or wherever you buy your fishing license.