San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
E-book offers insights to get anglers hooked on river fishing for catfish
In 1962, 600 flathead catfish were released into the lower Colorado River and by 1968, flatheads were already appearing in the irrigation network of the Imperial Valley. Today the region is home to trophy-sized catfish that can weigh 40 to 50 pounds.
Dan Magneson, a supervisory fishery biologist and a successful trophy flathead angler, shares his knowledge about this relatively little-known fishing sport in an e-book titled “Flathead Catfish: Riverbank Angling at Night with Live or Cut Bait.”
The best flathead fishing in the lower Colorado River begins downstream of Parker Dam, Magneson said. Catfish are also present in tributary streams such as Arizona’s Gila River system as well as in the network of irrigation canals in the Yuma area and throughout Southern California’s Imperial Valley as well as in freshwater streams draining into the Salton Sea.
“I encountered a lot of vague, conflicting and even contradictory information along my own way to becoming a successful trophy flathead angler,” Magneson said. “I decided to write this book to provide a clear path for others — by sharing what has worked so very well for me. If you have saltwater tackle, then you probably already own what it takes to land trophy-sized flatheads.”
Flathead catfish are native to the network of river systems eventually draining into the Gulf of Mexico. They are now found in rivers across the United States.
“A great unsung fishery exists out there ... and is likely the activity with the very least COVID-19 risk right now, versus team/spectator sports and party fishing on charters,” Magneson said.
The e-book, which costs $3.40, is available on Amazon and can be read on a phone, tablet or computer.