‘OTHER’ GAME ISH
THE
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Less legendary than pike-family predators and largely without a dedicated following like those that follow trout, bass, walleye and even panfish, catfishhave a PR problem.
In the past half-century, the foul-water tolerance of some species sullied the entire Ictaluridae family with a pejorative bottomfeeder reputation, and small catfish are often the first fish randomly caught by beginners. Many anglers who have experienced only incidental catfish catches consider it the “other” game fish. That may be changing. “Interest in catfish is on the rise,” said Rick Lorson, southwest region fisheries biologist for the state Fish and Boat Commission, citing a draft channel catfish propagation plan prepared by the agency. It found a 24 percent increase in angler days targeting catfish, with channel cats now the fifth most-pursued species in Pennsylvania.
With that in mind, this month North Park Lake will be the site of two educational catfish-related youth fishing events. Fish and Boat’s first Family Fishing Festival to be focused exclusivelyon catfish will be held 4-6 p.m. July 29, at the Mars Shelter on Lake Shore Drive.It will be followed immediately by a Mentored Youth catfishing program that will pause when the park closes at 11 p.m., then continue from dawn to 11 p.m.July 30.
Anyone can attend the free catfish festival (preregister at fishandboat.
“We’re trying something different that’s more involved than the regular family fishing events,” Fish and Boat education specialist Chad Foster said. “We’ll group into rotating modules that will learn about catfish in general plus catching, cleaning and cooking — there will even be samples to try.”
The mentored youth time, flatheads like deep river potholes with submerged wood or other structure. Identify them by the wide namesake head shape — they’re sometimes called “shovel heads” — and square-ish tailwith rounded corners.
When fishing instructor Karen Gainey of Avalon helps anglers to rig catfish lines during Venture Outdoors’ Wednesday lunchtime TriAnglers fishing program on the North Shore (ventureoutdoors. 412-255-0564), the target is smaller fare that is easier to catch. She often baitswith chicken livers or crawlers, and in recent weeks participants have released four channel cats and a flathead under 20 inches, as well as smallmouths, rock bass and yellowperch.
“WhenI fish on my own, I fish the rivers for catfish more than anything else. Usually channel cats,” said Gainey, who will launch a course for experienced anglers Aug. 8 (details at gaineykaren4@gmail.com). “In moving water you use the current to your advantage, casting just upstream and letting the scent draw big catfish out from under banks and submerged logs.”
Gainey likes a stout rod, 20-pound-test line and a modifieddrop-shot rig. The rod-side line is tied to a three-way swivel, a 6-inch 20-pound snell is baited with smelly day-old chicken liver, and a 6-inch sinker line is weighted with 1 ounce or more in deeperwater.
Her trick, she said, trashy as it may sound, is a sort of time-released chum using a half-opened can of fishy cat food. Tie on the can’s pop-top lid halfway between the sinker and the swivel.
“When you twitch the line the can wiggles and some of the chum comes out and drifts back under the bank or log,” she said. “If you don’t get a pickup after a half-hour, 45 minutes, lift the rod tip a little, let the line go and let the weight drop it farther into the hole.”