News

Now's the time for blue catfish

Posted August 15, 2007 11:00 pm

Jeff Lampe

Summer time is catfish time. No doubt you've heard that one before.

But how often have you pictured the whiskered bottom-dweller in question as a fat-bellied blue catfish? While most folks think about channel catfish in the summer, blue cats will also bite in the heat and humidity.

For proof of that look to last week, when guide Tim Scott of Bradford took Terry Cole of Peoria on a catfishing trip to remember.

After launching out of Keokuk, Iowa, and fishing the fast-moving water below Lock and Dam 19, Cole and a partner boated more than 50 catfish between noon and 10 p.m. Of those, 10 topped 30 pounds, eight topped 40 pounds and one was estimated to weigh more than 50 pounds.

"It was a great trip," Scott said Thursday morning. "I'm going to get bait this afternoon and I've got another group going back down there all weekend on another blue-cat expedition."

Having been on one of those blue-cat expeditions with Scott (309-238-8188), I can attest the fishing is very good at times.

That's convenient since Keokuk - 2½ hours from Peoria - is the northernmost stretch of the Mississippi River where you can expect to catch blue cats. No question, fishing is better near Alton, where Tim Pruitt caught his 124-pound world record.

But there are big fish near Keokuk, as Cole and his fishing partner experienced. Many of their best fish came in the last hour before dark and even after the sun set. That was particularly true in one downstream location where fish were biting light during the day.

"When it got dark they hit it hard," Scott said. "Some of those hits were so hard the rod was slapping on the back of the boat. And that's hard to do in my boat. It was pretty darned incredible."

Scott said most of the better fish came downstream from the dam near wing dams, along main-channel edges and in deep holes with 20-25 feet of water and submerged wood. They also caught some blues below the dam in the "scour hole," but quality was not as good last week.

The other key to success was using mooneye as bait.

"It seemed like if you didn't have mooneye, your might just as well go home," Scott said.

Cole caught the biggest fish, an estimated 50-pounder, and had two others break him off on 50-pound test line.

BIG SHOOTERS:

While the Amateur Trapshooting Association's Grand American is close to wrapping up in Sparta, the 81st annual Illinois State Skeet Shoot starts today at Peoria Skeet and Trap Club in East Peoria. Competition runs through Monday.Readers with an interest in hunting, fishing, birding or anything related to the outdoors will want to visit www.prairiestateoutdoors.com to learn more about what's going on outdoors in Illinois.

A YOUNG ERSH?:

Ehresman's grandson Daniel Ausman, 12, of Germantown Hills had a fishing trip to remember on Aug. 3. While fishing Basswood Lake near Ely, Minn., Ausman caught and released a 10-pound, 29.5-inch walleye.

That same day he also hooked several other walleye - including one that was particularly memorable. Before he could retrieve that fish, a 31-inch northern pike swallowed the walleye. Ausman was fishing with his father, Tom Ausman, and guide Rob Nelson.

Former Journal Star outdoor scribe Jack Ehresman passed on a knack for fishing to at least one descendant.

Et cetera:

JEFF LAMPE is Journal Star outdoors

columnist. Write to him at 1 News Plaza, Peoria, IL 61643, call (309) 686-3212 or e-mail jlampe@pjstar.com

Numerous shorebirds are arriving at Chautauqua National Wildlife Refuge according to Kevin Richmond of Morton. He had 24 species in a brief visit Thursday.

The ATA event concludes Saturday. Today is The Grand American Handicap. Top local finishers so far include John Thompson of East Peoria (Class C winner in the ATA Clay Target Championship), Jerry Hasler of Roanoke (veteran winner in the Sparta Handicap), Kevin Wunder of Lacon (13th in the Krieghoff Handicap) and Gary Franklin of Spring Bay (veteran winner in the Budweiser Handicap).

NEW WEBSITE:

PrairieStateOutdoors.com is a joint venture between Illinois newspapers owned by GateHouse Media, Inc. and debuted on Wednesday.

Though still in its infancy, the Web site already includes a wide variety of information. Readers are encouraged to submit profiles and to take part in an interactive forum.

And please feel free to e-mail editor@prairiestateoutdoors.com with suggestions and comments.

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