How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

I don't have a fish finder yet, I'll be getting one as soon as I decide what to get. I do have a depth finder though. I read a lot about needing to fish for catfish in catfish holes. What do these holes look like? How deep are they in general? How deep are they in relation to the rest of the bottom? How wide are they? How many cats tend to sit in them?

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

The good ole boy's on TV just wade along the bank and stick their arms into any hole they find. Snakes and snapping turtles like them holes too.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

Cats are very hard to spot on a finder, most stay in a finders blind spot, directly on the bottom to 6 inches off of the bottom, how ever look for structure, old creek channels, log piles, stump fields and so on, that's where you will find them.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

This time of year the catfish are shallow. By shallow I mean anywhere from 15' to 2' deep. Shad are starting their spawn and the cats follow the shad and Bream. If you are looking for larger cats stay in the creek channels in 20' of water and deeper. I use the natural bait I catch with a castnet. Gizzard shad are my favorite but cut Bream will work fine too. For channel Cats use the threadfin shad, Blues the cut bait and Flathead live Bream is always best.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

I like to fish in rivers above brush piles and trees that hang into the water. If you anchor above the wood you can drift the bait down to them or they will come out of the brush for something that has strong enough smell to it. If you set lines any place where the water runs off the land when it rains the fish feed there because they are used to having food wash into the water there. I have caught all kinds of fish by stringing a ten hook line along a low bank, with the hooks just barely in the water and baited with night crawlers. You will be surprised at how big fish will come up real shallow to get those crawlers at night.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

Finally caught a nice flathead last night on a steep and rocky drop off. 6 to 29 feet within 10 feet a stones throw from the windblown shore. 25.5 inches 12-15 lb (Rough estimate based on bathroom scale). Odd thing is I caught it on a nightcrawler right at sunset in 48 degree water. It also had a crappie in its mouth. I was untangling another line at the time and didn't see the initial bite. There's no way to know for sure, but I'm thinking I may have caught the crappie and the flathead went for the crappie. It had a crappie and 2 perch in its stomach. I know what I'll be using for bait next time.

It seems pretty cold for flatheads right now. The thing was moving very slow. It didn't move much at all once it was landed.


Dog weighs over 100 lb.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

I'm impressed. Thanks for the info.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

When I had my new to me motor out testing it the other day at the lake, we found a bluff that dropped straight into the water, and the part of the bluff above the water was full of big holes. The entire face looked like swiss cheese. Would it be likely for catfish to be in those holes in the side of the bluff? And if so, what would be a good approach to fishing it? I'm thinking using a bobber, starting pretty shallow, and setting it progressively deeper after a few mins of not getting a bite to work the different levels of the wall. Anyone had any luck with that type of approach on that type of an area?

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

Since it says you are from Cookeville, I imagine you were fishing either Cordell Hull or Old Hickory. If so those bluffs are likely Karst https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karst formations and likely look the same underwater as the do above the water especially since those lakes were impounded in mid 60s and 50s respectfully.

I haven't tried your approach but it sure sounds like a good one to me. Good luck and let us know how you do.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

cecho said:

Finally caught a nice flathead last night on a steep and rocky drop off. 6 to 29 feet within 10 feet a stones throw from the windblown shore. 25.5 inches 12-15 lb (Rough estimate based on bathroom scale). Odd thing is I caught it on a nightcrawler right at sunset in 48 degree water. It also had a crappie in its mouth. I was untangling another line at the time and didn't see the initial bite. There's no way to know for sure, but I'm thinking I may have caught the crappie and the flathead went for the crappie. It had a crappie and 2 perch in its stomach. I know what I'll be using for bait next time.

It seems pretty cold for flatheads right now. The thing was moving very slow. It didn't move much at all once it was landed.


Dog weighs over 100 lb.
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In my experience a lot of times catfish don't move much in general once landed. I have had some very big blues after a long fight that still kept on fighting all over the boat or shore but for the most part once landed they are pretty docile.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

I have been fishing for channel catfish in the Susquehanna West Branch for over 25 years around Williamsport PA ( Where they hold the Little League World Series ). The rivers average depth is probably about 10 or 12 feet deep. I have a cheap humminbird depth finder that marks fish but I rarely see any fish on it in this shallow of water. I find areas that are deepest, say 15 to 20 feet deep, drive upstream over them, and anchor where the depth rises again and anchor so that I am casting into the deeper water.
Bait is almost always chicken livers on a number 2 stainless steel hook and good 12 lb test line and depending on the current, I might use a swivel and sliding weight above that about 3 feet from the hook to keep the bait on the bottom. Catfish will bite anytime but usually we fish an hour before sunset until maybe midnite or 1 AM. Just hook the livers through the thicker membrane, cast (lob) out maybe 40 feet into the hole and make sure your drag is set, lay your pole on the floor of the boat in front of you and the tip over the back of the boat. Most times keep your hands off the pole until it bends down flat and almost gets pulled out of the boat. Make sure there is no slack when you give it a decent pull and voila. fish on! Use a large net. Don't let them spike fins cut or poke you. Grip that baby around those front fins. If it's too big use two hands and have a friend get the hook out. Some nights you can use 2 poles and relax, sometimes you can't sit down. Remember the spots that work, evidently the fish like it there. My fish are usually a few pounds to maybe 8 pounds and it is no problem catching 5 to 10 on an outing and a 20 to 30 pounder is my goal. Have not been skunked yet this season.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

If your going to lay the pole down like that lanyard it. I have never fished cats in the NE (they taste bad there imo) but down here it's never a suprise to be fishing dead bait for channels and get nailed by a 30-40lb blue or flathead breaking its normal habits for a quick snack. The right blue or flat hits that rod and your going to watch it fly.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

I wish I could fish for blue and flatheads but we don't have any cats bigger than the channel cats up here. I agree on lanyards but they really aren't necessary in this neck of the river although I have lost a couple poles over the years and jumped in after one with a glow stick on the end and caught the fish and save the pole once.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

Nice fish. I use a deck hook, pliers, something on them now. Used to hold them that way but i took a spike in the hand and now i don't haha.

We have some massive blues here, flats too. State record for a blue is 130lbs.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

Ripfence said:

Since it says you are from Cookeville, I imagine you were fishing either Cordell Hull or Old Hickory. If so those bluffs are likely Karst https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karst formations and likely look the same underwater as the do above the water especially since those lakes were impounded in mid 60s and 50s respectfully.

I haven't tried your approach but it sure sounds like a good one to me. Good luck and let us know how you do.

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Actually I was on Dale Hollow. I tried fishing that spot that way and didn't have any luck. I also set some limb lines and didn't have any luck either. Further up in that cove we did catch a couple small ones on the bottom with some redworms though.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

don't waste a cent on anything you can buy in the fishing section. I like cut bait, crappie (or any pan fish) is my go to. Find a shallow slow moving area where there are fallen logs, shade, lilly pads, etc and use a #2 hook baited with a worm, hot dog, lunchmeat, etc. Put the bobber between 12-16 inches above the hook and cast into that area. Usually if there are crappie present you will get hit within seconds or a minute.

Take that crappie and cut him into 4 sections up and down. If hes a bigger one take the mid sections and cut them once across. Take a chunk of your nice fresh bait and use it for the cats. If hunting flats or blues you want the bait alive. I only really fish for channels.

If you really want stink bait there are MILLIONS of recipes online that you can make at home. The chicken and blood combinations are some of my favorite. I have some chicken breast my wife forgot to cook that is in the fridge i'm about to sacrifice.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

24/7 lol. Day time when it's hot the bigger cats will be in the deeper, colder water. At night they tend to come closer to the shore but really it all depends on your specific lake. I only fish the deep for them.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

I would use a crappie as bait in dale hollow mind not end up to well if the game warden comes by

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

My partner and I catch shad with a cast net if we can find them. If not, flat tail worms or chicken livers work well. We fish the chanel under a bridge and have caught anything from a "bait" fish size up to a 30lb Chanel Cat. We use "clicker" reels at various depths from 25 to 53 feet deep. Our rods are in holders and we wait to hear them sing to us before setting the hook. we also use 50lb braid and steel leaders as these fish tend to roll and break monofilament leaders. This week we came home with 10 fish ranging from 4 to 8lbs.

Re: How do I find "Catfish Holes"?

cecho said:

I don't have a fish finder yet, I'll be getting one as soon as I decide what to get. I do have a depth finder though. ...

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Just so y'all know... The only difference between a depth finder, a fish finder and an echo sounder?..... Marketing! That's right, they are all exactly the same thing (I used to work as an electronics tech servicing marine electronics). Some might have gimmicky stuff like making a return echo that isn't part of the bottom LOOK like a fish on the display, but you put a diver down under the transducer, and he ain't going to look like a diver on the display, he's going to look like a fish!

So, save your money for stuff more important than the latest fad (like return echoes that look like fish :facepalm and learn to use the equipment you have... I have a FURUNO FCV-600L. Was new in 1998. Still a great sounder, because I can read it. With that thing, I can pick the difference between sand, mud, rock and coral... A few of you may remember that fish I caught about 6 weeks ago, 44lb monster... Found his hole just with the sounder, and the water was over 200' deep, and it was night, and we were more than 20 nautical miles out to sea... No fancy fish on my display, just in my kill tank...

Chris.....