The Best Catfishing..please Help!

[crappieslayer]

Hey guys, need some help locating some good catfish waters whether it be Table Rock, Truman, etc. My wife and I just moved to Springfield and I am in search for the best catfishing that the state can offer. Blues, Flats, Channels, any one of them will work. Is Table Rock the best lake for this? Or does anyone have any good suggestions for me on where to go? Not looking for anyone's hot spot, just some general direction. I would prefer fishing for them from a boat which I do have. Any help would be much appreciated guys. Thanks in advance!

[ozark trout fisher]

Hey guys, need some help locating some good catfish waters whether it be Table Rock, Truman, etc. My wife and I just moved to Springfield and I am in search for the best catfishing that the state can offer. Blues, Flats, Channels, any one of them will work. Is Table Rock the best lake for this? Or does anyone have any good suggestions for me on where to go? Not looking for anyone's hot spot, just some general direction. I would prefer fishing for them from a boat which I do have. Any help would be much appreciated guys. Thanks in advance!

Truman is definitely your best bet for catfish. Tons of Channel Cats, and some huge blues as well. I've done extremely well down towards the dam for eating size channel cats (along with plenty of whites, walleye, and crappie). Definitely the best lake for catfish in the state. Lower Bull Shoals is also great, I caught the biggest catfish of my life down there, a 25 pound Blue caught on a live sunfish.

Table Rock definitely has plenty of channel cats for sure, I've heard the James River arm is good, but I'm sure they are spread throughout the entire lake, with the exception of the Arkansas portion of the lake at the upper end, where its mostly trout. I know there are also fair numbers of flatheads and blues in the lake, but I'm not sure to what extent, or where to find them.

As for bait, for measuring size channel cats, live nightcrawlers and chicken liver are great. For blues and flatheads, live fish, especially sunnies, have worked well for me. 3 to 5 inches should be the right size.

[crappieslayer]

Thanks for the response Ozark Trout Fish, so let me ask this question then. What would be my best bet to go and find big blues/flats/channels? I grew up in northern Minnesota and fished the Red River a lot up in Winnipeg Manitoba. We have always crushed the trophy channel cats up there, catching many fish....20lbs + being the norm. I realize that might not be possible here, but I would love to break out the heavy catfishing tackle and chase some big cats. Any ideas for me with these guidelines anyone? I'm wondering maybe the Osage River or the Truman Dam? Thanks for all the help.....

[ozarkgunner]

Thanks for the response Ozark Trout Fish, so let me ask this question then. What would be my best bet to go and find big blues/flats/channels? I grew up in northern Minnesota and fished the Red River a lot up in Winnipeg Manitoba. We have always crushed the trophy channel cats up there, catching many fish....20lbs + being the norm. I realize that might not be possible here, but I would love to break out the heavy catfishing tackle and chase some big cats. Any ideas for me with these guidelines anyone? I'm wondering maybe the Osage River or the Truman Dam? Thanks for all the help.....

Go to Warsaw (90 miles from Springfield) and put the boat in below the Truman Dam (in Lake of the Ozarks). Catch some fresh shad up by the dam and cut the gut pockets out of them. Bounce them on the bottom (use as little weight as possible) for the first 1/4 mile below the no boating zoning. Try to go when they are generating power (running water). This section has some of the best catfishing in the U.S.A.

[ozark trout fisher]

Go to Warsaw (90 miles from Springfield) and put the boat in below the Truman Dam (in Lake of the Ozarks). Catch some fresh shad up by the dam and cut the gut pockets out of them. Bounce them on the bottom (use as little weight as possible) for the first 1/4 mile below the no boating zoning. Try to go when they are generating power (running water). This section has some of the best catfishing in the U.S.A.

Thats good advice. I personally believe that a better population of truly big blues and flats is found below Bagnell Dam (dam of LOZ). Down there, the river is free flowing to the Missouri River, so you have some big cats that run up from there, as well as the resident fish. You might even want to try well below the dam, near where the Osage flows into the Missouri. You can find some awful big catfish down there, with all three species in pretty good numbers. Live sunfish and shad should get the job done.

If you really want to catch 30 and 40 pound fish, and anything near where twenty pounds is an average fish, you'll have to go the Missouri or Mississippi River. The Osage is great, but the fish just aren't quite as big there as in the mighty mo.