Chasing Cats After Hours: Passive fishing offers sweat-free summer angling opportunity

If you’re after flathead catfish, you’re going to need something a little more lively than a chunk of meat. Flatheads will occasionally eat a prepared bait or cut piece of fish, but they primarily focus on live prey. Bait shops often offer green sunfish, brood minnows or black salties (a hardy hybrid goldfish species developed in Arkansas that can survive fresh or saltwater). Shad and bream under 4 inches long can be caught using a cast net; bream larger than 4 inches must be caught by hook and line before being used as bait, and all live bait must either be from the same watershed or purchased from a certified baitfish dealer.

No matter the method of passive fishing gear, all anglers must properly identify their lines or jugs using either their name and address, fishing license number or vehicle registration number. Each angler may have up to 25 limblines or free-floating juglines (pool noodles). Limblines and trotlines must be checked and fish removed at least once every 24 hours, and free-floating fishing devices should be collected after the night’s fishing.

Nighttime navigation on a boat requires a little preparation. Not only should you bring along a spotlight to shine and observe your lines from time to time, but your boat should be properly equipped with lights so other boaters can see you’re there. On federally controlled waters, all boats must have a white light visible from 360 degrees at the back of the boat (called an anchor light) and a visible red-and-green navigational light at the front of the boat. On other waters in the state, you legally only need a single light source, but it’s still a good idea to have both an anchor and navigation light visible at all times. A good whistle also can come in handy in case of emergencies to signal for help.

One last word of caution for those tempted to join the nighttime catfishing club: Always use a boat paddle, branch or other pole to check lines initially. If a large catfish is on the other end of the line and makes a sudden dive, the line can give your hand a nasty cut or, even worse, pull you off balance and into the water. Checking with a pole or paddle lets the fish take off without taking you with them.

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CUTLINES:

BIG CAT
AGFC Game Warden Haylee Applegate with a 50-pound-class flathead caught a few years ago while running free-floating jugs. Photo courtesy Logan Applegate.

TROTLINE
Setting and checking trotlines can be as much work as casting. Photo by Mike Wintroath.

BAIT
Logan Applegate shows how to hook live bait when targeting flathead catfish. AGFC photo.

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