Coastal Blue Cats – on Jigs?!

You may remember that a while back, we noted that you can certainly you find plenty of blue catfish in brackish water, as well as in freshwater, in many areas along the Gulf coast. Par for the course is, as one would expect, fishing cut fish chunks on bottom. There is, however, more than one way to skin a cat.

Blue cats are a lot more aggressive than many other catfish species, and can be caught on lures as well as bait. Will you catch as many, targeting them with artificials? Not likely. However, in many areas where there’s a mix of other species like redfish alongside the salt-inclined blue catfish, fishing lures gives you a good shot at both at once – if you make a few minor adaptations.

First off, use a lure that stinks – literally. Berkley GULP! is a perfect example. The four- and five-inch Jerk Shad makes a great lure for redfish, and if a blue cat happens upon one you can bet he’ll slurp it right up, too. If your lures are un-scented, you can up the chances of getting a blue on the line by adding a dash of sent-enhancing juice like Pro Cure, Bang, or Lunker Lotion, or letting it soak for a bit in Menhaden Milk. Pretty much any flavor will work, from shrimp to shedder. You can also add a thin strip of fresh cut fish to the hook of a jig, though we’d caution that a big chunk of bait is likely to interfere with the lure’s action.

Armed with some stink, there are two more factors to keep in mind: the how and the where. As for the how, if you keep your jig low in the water column and near bottom your chances for a blue cat go up accordingly. And when it comes to where you fish, remember that catfish as a rule like deep holes and channels. Will this match up with where the reds are, and what sort of retrieve they like? That depends on a number of factors and can change on any given day, or even by tidal cycles. But one thing is for sure: if you’re aware of the blue cat’s presence and tweak the way you fish just a bit, you may well end up with a whiskered lunker on the end of your line.

Lenny Rudow