Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

Topcat rigs waylay catfish

- BY KEITH SUTTON Contributi­ng Writer

Catching a catfish on a rod and reel is one of the most fun things an angler can do. But many of us who love catfishing also enjoy alternativ­e methods of cat-catching, such as jug fishing, trot-lining and — one of my favorites — limb-lining.

In its simplest form, a limb line is nothing more than a baited hook and line tied to a stout yet springy limb overhangin­g the water. The fisherman usually baits his hook with a lively baitfish, such as a live bluegill, bullhead or big shiner. The line will then be adjusted so the baitfish hangs very close to the water’s surface, where its struggling and splashing will attract a hungry flathead, channel cat or blue cat. When a catfish takes the bait and gets hooked, the limb’s flexibilit­y keeps the fish from breaking the line until the fisherman makes his rounds and removes his catches.

The technique is simple and effective, but on some waters, it can be difficult to find just the right overhangin­g limb in the right location, and if the branch isn’t sturdy or springy enough, a catfish could break it or pull free of the hook. On lakes and rivers with lots of standing dead timber, anglers often surmount this problem by tying or nailing boards or poles to tall, straight, vertical snags and hanging the limb lines from those. But attaching crosspiece­s in this manner can be very time-consuming, and the boards or poles should be removed after each fishing trip, which makes their use unfeasible for most casual fishermen.

Now, thanks to Steve Green of Spring Hill, Kansas, there’s a new way of catfishing, similar to limb-lining, that’s much more convenient and productive. Tinkering in his shop, Green developed a sturdy metal device called the Topcat that quickly straps onto a stump or standing snag to create a lining spot even where no overhangin­g branches are available. A semicircul­ar “collar” at the base of the device fits against the tree, and an attached nylon strap wraps around the tree and tightens down to hold the Topcat securely. Protruding at an angle from the collar is a short, ultra-sturdy pole on which you attach the provided line, which comes pre-rigged with a top-quality hook, swivel and rubber bungee specially made to handle the thrashing and twisting of catfish weighing up to 100 pounds or more.

On April 13 and 14 this year, Green joined me and my son Josh Sutton on Lake Conway in Faulkner County to show us the Topcats in action. We chose Conway because it has lots of standing timber where the Topcats can be placed and is loaded with big flathead and channel catfish. Most of the state’s Game and Fish Commission lakes, which have similar cover and catfish, would work just as well.

After catching several dozen sunfish we kept alive to use as bait, we attached 30 Topcats to snags and stumps along a half-mile stretch close to shore in shallow water. We baited each with a big lively sunfish near sunset the first day, then left the Topcats overnight and checked them at first light the following morning.

Green said Topcats work best in spring as the water temperatur­e rises from 60 to 80 degrees, then again in late summer and fall when the water temperatur­e falls from 80 to 60 degrees. That’s when catfish are likely to be prowling shallow portions of lakes and rivers where Topcats work best.

“We like the bait up near the surface where it’s splashing and making a commotion,” he said. “The more commotion it’s making, the more likelihood that the big lively baitfish is going to get eaten. I tell folks if the bungee on the Topcat line is in the water, then you’re placing your bait too deep.

“We catch the most and biggest catfish by placing Topcats in areas where the water is 3 to 8 feet deep,” he continued. “If the water is deeper than that, catfish won’t come up for the bait because they can’t see or hear it splashing, or smell the scent stream it gives off.”

The best Top-catting locales tend to be transition areas — for example, where a tributary flows into the main portion of a lake, or side channels that rise onto shallow flats. These provide deep-water areas where catfish can retreat, and shallow-water areas where cats feed at night.

“I like areas with a lot of structure,” Green said. “For example, if I see a big stump field where a lot of treetops have broken off and are lying in the water, if it’s in the right depth of water, that can be an excellent fishing spot. I also like to see a lot of doubles and triples — anything with double branches, triple branches or clusters of snags that provide areas where baitfish can hide.

 ?? PHOTOS BY KEITH SUTTON/CONTRIBUTI­NG PHOTOGRAPH­ER ?? Steve Green of Spring Hill, Kan., motors to a spot on Lake Conway where he and his two fishing companions attached 30 of his Topcats to trees in hopes of catching some catfish.
PHOTOS BY KEITH SUTTON/CONTRIBUTI­NG PHOTOGRAPH­ER Steve Green of Spring Hill, Kan., motors to a spot on Lake Conway where he and his two fishing companions attached 30 of his Topcats to trees in hopes of catching some catfish.
 ??  ?? Topcat fishing is similar to old-fashioned limb-lining, but with Topcats, the angler can create his own fishing sets at several ideal spots throughout a lake or river, even where no overhangin­g limbs are present.
Topcat fishing is similar to old-fashioned limb-lining, but with Topcats, the angler can create his own fishing sets at several ideal spots throughout a lake or river, even where no overhangin­g limbs are present.
 ??  ?? Big bluegills are ideal baits for enticing big catfish. Keeping the baits near the water’s surface in shallow water allows them to create a commotion catfish find hard to resist.
Big bluegills are ideal baits for enticing big catfish. Keeping the baits near the water’s surface in shallow water allows them to create a commotion catfish find hard to resist.

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