Photo by Ron Sinfelt

By Gerald J. Scott

I hope I'm still writing Missouri's catfish forecasts 10 years from now - because I've never been so excited about the future of my favorite family of fishes.

In May 2003, a blue-ribbon panel of Missouri Department of Conservation fisheries biologists completed the first draft of a plan under which the agency would begin making serious efforts to manage flathead, blue and channel catfish on a watershed-by-watershed basis. If the plan works (and I believe it will by 2014), catfishermen will find more channel cats in many lakes and rivers and larger flatheads and blues in those bodies of water that have the natural potential to produce quality fish.

Of course, you might not want to wait 10 years before trying your luck on one of Missouri's catfish waters. I don't want to, either. The trouble is that other "commitments" - like crappie, bass, trout, turkeys and squirrels - rob me of the time required to visit every catfishin' hole in the Show Me State.

The only solution that I could think of involved combining my own experience with that of other catfishermen and catfish biologists. Despite the undeniable fact that any two catfishermen always have at least three conflicting opinions on any given subject, I'm confident that my efforts were worthwhile. On the off chance that your catfishing time is as limited as is mine, I'll share what I learned.

These surveys also indicate that more channel catfishermen would rather catch and keep a generous limit of eating-sized fish than are satisfied with settling for a lesser number of trophy fish (i.e., 10-pounders and up). An impartial arbitrator surely would rule that either option was equally legitimate. In Missouri, however, concentrating on the former is a far more pragmatic choice. For reasons far too complex to discuss here, our rivers and impoundments simply don't produce significant numbers of jumbo channel cats.

The term "eating-sized" lacks a precise definition. For example, I have a strong preference for channels weighing about a pound, but my favorite fishing partner, Mike Jenkins, figures the bigger, the better. Most of our channel cats weigh between 1 pound and 4 pounds with an occasional 6- to 8-pounder thrown in for spice. Far more often than not, our day's catch will yield about equal numbers of fish the liking of each of us.

It's almost impossible not to find a place in which to catch a few channel cats. With the only possible exception being the coldest sections of some Ozark Plateau streams, virtually every fishable body of water in the state is home to channel cats. Thus, the trick to making the most of every channel catfishing outing is to separate the better and best spots from those that are merely good.

All things considered, MDC-managed impoundments, including urban lakes in Kansas City, St. Louis and several smaller towns, will be the best bet for consistent channel cat action in 2004. That is, or should be, good news for catfish "pros," but it's especially heartening for - shall we say? - "casual" catfishermen.

These lakes are extremely angler-friendly. Most have launch ramps; many have handicapped-accessible floating docks or flat-topped jetties. A few make rental boats available. All have restrooms, picnic tables and areas of groomed shoreline. In short, if you can't stand to be parted from your boat, you can find what you want at an MDC lake. Meanwhile, an angler who wants to pack lawn chairs and a picnic lunch can bring his family and enjoy a safe, no-stress fishing experience that's very likely to end with catfish filets for supper.

There are, of course, a few tricks of the trade that will improve your luck at any given MDC impoundment. First and foremost, channel cats in small to medium-sized impoundments spend almost all of their time in shallow water throughout the spring-summer-fall fishing season. That's welcome info for bank-fishermen, and a word to the wise to boaters.

Natural baits like worms, minnows, crayfish and grasshoppers are logical choices, and sometimes one of more of them will be unbeatable. More often, however, "exotic" baits like shrimp, chicken liver, blood and commercial dip or dough baits will attract more fish. Nobody but a catfish knows why this is so; one theory holds that the stronger odors of the latter baits spread through the water farther and faster.

Chumming is legal in Missouri, and half-pound of sour grain, sinking fish food or commercial chum can make a big difference. A slingshot is perhaps the easiest way for bank-anglers to deliver their chum to a cast's length off shore.

To be honest, the best way to select an MDC impoundment is to sit down with a Discover Outdoor Missouri map. Decide how far you're willing to travel to fish, and then write down the names of all the lakes within that radius. Contact the MDC district office that serves your area and ask which lakes offer the best catfishing.

That advice notwithstanding, some MDC impoundments are worth a catfisherman's time no matter where he lives. These three are prime examples.

Urban lakes in Kansas City, St. Louis and several smaller towns receive multiple stockings of channel cats averaging a pound apiece. These lakes are a natural for anyone who lacks either the means or the inclination to travel beyond his city's limits. Please don't repeat this, but an outdoor writer I know extremely well has had a lot of fun with the channel cats in his town's MDC-managed urban lake.

Bilby Ranch Lake, west of Maryville off Highway 46, is of a diminutive size - a mere 110 acres - that betrays nothing of its status as one of the best-quality channel cat fisheries in the state. Here's a heads-up: Bilby Ranch CA has several small ponds, some of which offer excellent channel cat fishing to anyone who's willing to walk in to them from the parking lot. A boat ramp, a covered fishing dock and other amenities are available.

Henry Sever Lake, north of Newark in Knox County, receives annual stockings of channel cats; the average size caught is 1 to 3 pounds. This lake won't be mentioned in the section on blue catfish below, but thanks to regular stocking, it could have been. The lake has a ramp, a barrier-free fishing dock and rental boats; camping is nearby.

Central and northern Missouri's streams may well be the state's most underrated and overlooked channel catfishing resource. As is the case with the clearer, rock-rimmed streams farther south, the murky water north of the Ozark Plateau belongs to the citizens of Missouri. These streams can be floated or waded, and it's legal, albeit not always easy, to walk their muddy banks below the normal high-water line. The Discover Outdoor Missouri map describes and shows the locations of MDC-owned stream access points, which are strung like pearls along the length of most streams. State and county highway maps show where bridges provide access points.

Often enough, the best way to access a central or northern Missouri stream is just to query the adjacent landowner if it'd be OK for you to walk to the river across his or her field or pasture. This person's probably had 100 people request permission to hunt deer or quail, but the odds are pretty good on your being the first ever to ask to go catfishing. Who'll say no in a situation like that?

Sadly, it's not possible to forecast how the fishing will go in most of these streams in 2004. The bone-dry summers of 2002 and 2003 reduced many reliable streams to mere shadows of their normal selves. Meanwhile, too-populous hordes of river otters are steadily, stealthily working their way north. Where these two factors have collided, channel catfish populations have in some cases neared elimination.

But with any luck, the weather will be more cooperative in 2004. Whether it is or not, here are some of the streams I'd like to fish this year.

The Grand River is a solid channel cat producer from the point it enters the state from Iowa to its confluence with the Missouri River. Along the way, it passes through several conservation areas that will provide public access for bank-anglers. Numerous MDC access points give boaters access to the river as well. Caution: Check the weather at and upstream from the area you intend to fish, as even moderate rainfall can cause the Grand to rise several feet in a very short time.

The Salt River both above and below Mark Twain Lake boasts a fine channel cat population. When the Salt's various forks are rising as a result of local rainfall, access them from Mark Twain Lake. Under conditions of normal flow, fish from Mark Twain down to where the Salt River enters the Mississippi.

The Nodaway River quickly becomes a favorite of anyone who visits it. The upper reaches can be waded, and bank-anglers can reach most of the good holes farther downstream. The first couple of miles above where the Nodaway meets the Missouri have the potential to produce channel cats weighing more than 10 pounds.