Scott: A case of catfish fever is difficult to shake

The Internet weather forecasting service I subscribe to uses a red background to indicate severe weather warnings.

There’s been plenty of red in central Missouri so far this spring, primarily because of flooding.

It’s more than enough to give me a full-blown case of catfish fever, and the only cure is repeated doses of water just barely too thin to plow.

I’ve talked with expert fishermen from all over the United States, and a majority of them consider high and muddy water to be a “problem.”

I think the real problem is that few of my fellow catfish devotees grew up on grain farms. I did. The only time a crop farmer gets to go fishing is when it’s too muddy to work in the fields.

The fact that I cut my fishing teeth in high muddy water isn’t the primary reason it’s my favorite situation.

Runoff-swollen tributaries draw both channel and blue catfish like a magnet draws iron filings.

This principle holds true whether the stream is a tributary of a larger river or reservoir.

Since the Mississippi and Missouri rivers run alongside or through the state, Missouri fishermen have dozens of available tributary options.

Although the fishing can be good within a few hundred yards of the mouth of a big river’s tributary, don’t make the mistake of thinking most of the catfish will stay close to their big river home.

Catfish seeking food, spawning sites or adventure often continue to swim upstream as long as there’s enough water to cover their backs.

I’ve got some fine stringers of channel cats from the Johnson County portion of the Blackwater River, which is a tributary of the Lamine River, which is a tributary of the Missouri River.

Runoff flowing into reservoir tributaries is equally attractive to channel cats and to blue cats in the 20-pound-and-under class.

The fish will remain in these streams only as long as there is noticeable current.

This means a small creek might hold fish for only a few hours after a rainstorm passes, but a larger stream might hold fish for several days.

Borrowing a tactic from trout anglers by “matching the hatch” is always a good place to start when trying to find the right bait to tempt catfish.

Storm runoff washes thousands of worms into streams, and, at times, catfish feed on these worms as selectively as any rainbow trout.

Worm dunkers should note that Missouri rainfall does not wash many Canadian night crawlers into our streams.

Store-bought crawlers are only a short step above no bait at all, while locally dug worms are nearly as deadly as dynamite.

If you can’t dig or purchase worms indigenous to the stream you’ll be fishing, shad guts, minnows, crayfish, fresh liver and shrimp  are worth trying.

Commercial dough and dip baits are another possibility. Dough baits stay on the hook better in heavy current than do dip baits.

Dip baits produce a stronger scent trail and can be used in conjunction with live bait as well as with plastic worms and sponges sold specifically for them.

When the catfish are moving — which they almost always are when the water’s high — fishermen are usually best served by doing likewise.

Many experts recommend staying in one spot no more than 10 minutes without a bite.

I’m about twice that patient, but the second 10 minutes is usually less likely to produce a fish than was the first 10.

My bank-fishing strategy is completely different. I find a comfortable place and settle in for the duration, secure in the knowledge that catfish will be passing through my area off and on all day long.