As that great 60s philosopher Bullwinkle J. Moose often proclaimed, “Eenie meenie, chili beanie, the spirits are about to speak.” The spirits the brilliant moose could have been referring to are the fishing spirits announcing, “When the weather gets hot, go tangle with some cats.”
Come August, here in Western New York, most all the good fishing is far offshore. Whether it be Kings or browns in Lake Ontario, bass in the Thousand Islands or Finger Lakes, or walleyes in Lake Erie, the warm water has moved most fish deep, where the average angler dare not travel without a big boat. Most of these waterways get rough too quickly to venture far from shore in anything less than a 17-foot boat.
So, what’s the average angler to do? Well, there is one hard-fighting fish that can be caught now in a small boat, kayak, or even from the bank. That is the unappreciated catfish. The poor catfish gets a bad rap just because he is ugly. Believe me, I can relate. Most here in the north are afraid even to touch a catfish, but in the southern U.S. they are second only to bass in popularity. In the south, catfish are considered a delicacy and a mainstay on menus in every diner south of the Mason-Dixon line.
Catfish have bad PR people here in the north. These whiskered beauties are a great fighting fish and, for those of you unfazed by the muddy environment in which they swim, are excellent table fare.
The Erie Canal and the Genesee River are full of cats, especially the section of the river from Avon north to Rochester. That stretch is stacked with big channel cats in the two to 10-pound range, and hardly anyone is fishing for them. If that river were running through a southern state, there would be anglers all over it. Here, chances are you will have the place to yourself.
As for catching these scent-oriented creatures, there are many commercial baits on the market that claim to attract catfish, but I haven’t had much luck with any of them. Worms work well, but you will be bothered by smaller fish constantly nibbling off your worm. Chicken livers are decent because of the scent the blood gives off, but when you research the subject online, you find all the good cat anglers across the country agree, you can’t beat fresh cut-bait. That is freshly cut pieces of any fish. You can ask your bait store for recently dead minnows, and most are happy to give them to you for free. What I do when I first get to the river is set up a fishing pole using a small # 6 hook with a piece of worm. That will usually catch a small sucker or creek chub quickly. I cut that fish into small chunks – scales, guts, and all – about the size of a half-dollar. That is the perfect catfish bait. If you get bit on cut bait, it is going to be a cat.
Snags are common, so bring plenty of tackle. I like 2/0 circle hooks; the cats literally catch themselves. When you get a bite using a circle hook, all you have to do is pick up the rod and start winding. The design of the hook will do the rest. Heavy pound test line is important, and try to avoid using round sinkers because they will roll with the current, getting you snagged much more often. I use a flat 2 oz. sinker; a flat sinker will lie on the bottom, and the heavy weight will stay put.
An important thing to remember when fishing for cats is not to stay in one spot too long if you aren’t getting bit. It’s not like fish are moving up or down the river; you are fishing in their living room. If nothing happens in a half-hour, nobody is home, move on down the bank. When possible, try to fish up current from any of the many log jams. Cats live in those jams, and if your bait is upstream, they will smell it and come out for lunch.
If you bank fish, there are several shore fishing access points: a nice one on Route 253 in Henrietta and the next bridge south on Rush Scottsville Road in Rush. Boat access to this section of the river is limited, but there is an excellent free boat launch at the mouth of Black Creek in Chili, just off Scottsville Road. From there, you can zip a boat out into the river in seconds. That location has a small parking lot and is a good spot to shore fish as well.
Most of the time, the summer current in the Genesee is unhurried, but be aware that it can pick up the day after a big rain. A nice feature of boating the river is that you never have to worry about it getting too rough.
In the heat of summer, if you have the hankering to wet a line, grab a few lawn chairs, a cooler filled with beverages appropriate to catfishing, and go fight some cats. They pull hard, and their looks drastically improve when they are floating in hot grease.
