Photo by Ron Sinfelt.

Catfishing is at the top of the list for a lot of us in the Show-Me State during the dog days of summer. Except for the cats, the fish in many waters shut down, and going home skunked is pretty much to be expected. But there are waters where you can catch a lot more than the catfish.

Here’s a look at lakes where it’s not only the catfish that are biting. Bass, bluegills, crappie and other fish can add a lot of zest to a day on the water when the cats are laying low.

LAKE JACOMO
“Jacomo Lake has the best catfishing in the Kansas City area,” said Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries management supervisor Joseph Bonneau, “and there’s excellent angling for other species as well, even in August. Anglers take some very nice channel catfish, and some blue cats are also caught on occasion.”

Lake Jacomo surrendered the state-record channel catfish -- 34 pounds, 10 ounces -- according to Pam Lanigan, fisheries biologist with the MDC.

Summer is a great time for catching channel cats at Jacomo. Some anglers like to use hot dogs for bait up in the coves at night while others are using minnows and night crawlers. Lanigan gets a lot of reports of fish from 5 to 12 pounds being caught. The MDC stocks about 9,700 channel cats from 8 to 12 inches every year and the returns are good.

Blue cats were first stocked about 15 years ago, and anglers now are catching fish up in the 35-pound range. Blues are caught along the channel in the upper end of the lake on rod-and-reel rigs baited with cut shad under a big float. Jugs and setlines aren’t allowed. Blue catfish stocking was discontinued, so there aren’t as many blues as there used to be.

Flatheads do extremely well in Lake Jacomo, said Lanigan. These bruisers are caught in the summer using live bait along the steep rocky outcrops. They’ve even been caught by crappie fishermen on panfish jigs, though that’s hardly the recommended technique. Fish in the 70-pound range have been taken during the MDC electroshocking surveys.

“Lake Jacomo is also well known for its largemouths,” said Lanigan. “There are good numbers of fish in the 2- to 5-pound range caught, along with an occasional 7- to 8-pounder.”

Brushpiles have been placed in the lake as fish attractors. Bass move in to target the prey fish, and small Rapalas, plastic worms and finesse tactics will pull them off when they do. Contact the MDC office at (816) 655-6250 for a map of brushpile locations.

Lake Jacomo covers 970 acres in Jackson County. The lake is a mile northeast of Lee’s Summit off Woods Chapel Road. A floating fishing dock at the main marina, a covered dock at the South Ramp and three fishing jetties add additional shoreline access. Putting a boat into Lake Jacomo requires a county permit.

SMITHVILLE LAKE
“Smithville has an excellent channel catfish population with a very good population of flatheads and an occasional blue catfish,” said Jake Allman, the biologist who manages the lake.

According to Allman, Smithville’s cats provide the best-tasting catfish fillets found anywhere. The channels can be caught throughout the lake from mid-April through November, with the backs of the coves and lake points being especially productive. Cut shad and live sunfish are ideal baits. You might also get a big flathead as a bonus.

Don’t bother fishing for these cats with light tackle, cautioned Allman. Big fish are the rule. Trotlines are legal at Smithville, and setting them out on flats near the channel breaks works well.