If your Uncle Joe handed down his list of catfishing tips and told you that you had to fish at night to catch catfish, you’re doing it all wrong.
Night fishing is a popular topic among all anglers and something that’s completely misunderstood.
When it comes to catfishing though, there’s even more interest in night fishing than there is with any other species of freshwater fish.
There’s also a lot of misunderstanding and bad information surrounding night fishing and catfishing.
Starting around March my phone starts ringing off the hook with people who want to fish with me or get information on booking guided catfishing trips.
After they get some of their basic inquiries out of the way regarding cost and other pertinent details the next thing that often gets asked is “what time do you start fishing”.
When I respond “usually around first light” then they immediately respond with a rather shocked tone, “you mean you aren’t night fishing, I thought you had to go night fishing to catch catfish?”
There was a point and time many years ago that I though that catching good numbers of catfish meant you had to fish at night.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
Even flathead catfish can be caught in the day with a little skill and modification of your techniques.
Night Fishing Fact and Fiction
There’s this image people have of catfishing.
Think of a guy sitting in a boat or on the shore fishing next to the light of coleman lantern waiting on a catfish to come along. The slight glow of the lantern dimly lights up the night and he’s lazily dangling a fishing rod waiting for old mister whiskers to come along.
The truth is night fishing has more to do with the angler than it does the actual ability to catch catfish.
Fishing during the day in the heat of the summer can be brutally hot, especially if you live in the south. Here in Texas it’s like fishing on the sun when you hit the lake or river during the day in the summer.
Fishing during the day (even in the heat) can also be incredibly productive, and is preferred by many catfish anglers.
There’s a large group of anglers also that never fish outside of the cover of darkness, and know nothing but night fishing (and they are really missing out).
If you think you need to fish at night to catch catfish (or any species of fish for that matter) and never venture out during the day, you’re missing out on some of the best fishing there is.
Night Fishing Disadvantages:
- It’s more cumbersome to fish at night due to lack of light (but there’s some ways to help with this). If you’re not an experienced angler or have others with you that aren’t experienced, it’s much more cumbersome to fish in the dark. Even the simple task of making up a new catfish rig takes longer.
- More difficult to navigate a boat in the dark, regardless of how well you know the body of water, even with GPS it can be a challenge.
- There’s simple catfishing techniques that are incredibly productive that night fishing eliminates.
- BUGS. I’ll never forget the first time I ever fished at Lake Fairfield here in Texas, skeeter’s the size of hummingbirds.
Night Fishing Advantages:
- The obvious advantage is being much cooler at night than during the day in the summer months, allowing you to beat the heat.
- On busy lakes or rivers there’s fewer boats on the water, and rarely any jet ski’s (jet flea’s).
- The wind usually blows less at night so the water is generally much more calm. This can be a huge advantage if you’re trying to beat high winds but can also be a disadvantage as well.
For years summer catfishing for me meant heading out a few hours before dark and driving home at sunrise.
As I’ve evolved as a fisherman I spend less and less time fishing at night. In fact if given the choice I’ll choose fishing for cats in the day every time.
Don’t get me wrong, I still enjoy a good night fishing trip now and then but fishing during the day is consistently more productive and generally much easier as well. Much of this is due to the fact that there’s a number of patterns and techniques that work really well during the day that are impossible at night.
I have some theories about night fishing and some of these myths listed below but they’re pretty long winded. I’ll cover them in a future episode of the Catfish Edge podcast.
5 Night Fishing Myths
Myth: You have to fish at night to catch catfish.
Fact: Catfish feed during all hours, even in the day. The thought that you have to fish at night is nothing more than years of people passing along bad information. Catfishing during the day is incredibly productive and in many instances is even be more productive that fishing at night.
Myth: Catfish are more active at night.
Fact: Catfish are active at all hours of the day and night, this includes all three species of catfish. Catfish can easily be caught throughout the day regardless of season. Catfish eat when they are hungry, not when it gets dark.
Myth: If you want to catch flathead catfish, you have to fish at night.
Fact: Flathead catfish can be caught during the day or at night. For years it was believed that flathead catfish could only be caught at night. While there is no debating that fishing at night for flathead can be great, they can be caught during the day also. It’s not uncommon for flatheads to be caught during all hours, day or night. There’s a growing group of anglers that target monster flatheads that fish exclusively during the day also and they do very well.
Myth: Catfish are attracted to light
Fact: There are a variety of products being sold online that target catfish anglers that are various types of lights. Most of these secretive lights are nothing more than a ploy to catch fishermen and have little to do with actually attracting catfish. Night fishing with lights in or shining on the water is a pretty common practice for many species of fish. The lights draw in bugs and bait fish which in turns can draw in fish. My experience has been that catfish prefer to be away from lights at night. There’s a wealth if information to support this and some easy tricks you can do to learn on your own. If you’re fishing around lights your best bet is to stay back away or well below them and you’ll catch more cats.
Myth: Catfish move shallow at night in a “nighttime feeding frenzy”
Fact: While some catfish will feed in shallow water at night they’ll be there during the day also. Catfish don’t all flock to the shallow water at night. There’s a common misunderstanding that when people say that the fish are in shallow water, or the fish are in deep water, all the fish will be there. While it’s true that during certain times, seasons or weather patterns many fish move into a certain depth, not all the fish will. Just because fish are in a certain pattern or depth never means all the fish will be in that pattern or depth. If you’ve got the sense that when the sun goes down all of the catfish suddenly flock to shallow water, you’re wrong. Some shad often moves there and in turn some catfish will also, but it’s not nearly as dramatic as most think.
Night Fishing Is Great, But…
If you want to “beat the heat” and avoid the boats and jet skis on the water then night fishing can be a great way to do so and it’s a great way to get out and catch catfish.
Don’t dismiss fishing during the day though.
If you ignore the daylight hours and brave the heat you might be surprised at what you find, and what you catch.
Even in the brutal Texas summer I prefer fishing for catfish during the day. Catching cats during the day with my Summer Channel Catfish Techniques and the Secret Catfish Rig during the day is one of my many preferred ways to fish in the heat of the summer.
I totally agree on catfishing in the a.m. I started 5 years ago on Texoma and will never go back to exclusive night fishing. Great article.
Thanks
Great article! I think both night and day fishing for catfish is good, but day is more productive. Not saying that night fishing isn’t productive. Because I’ve caught catfish at night, but caught even more in the day. It’s you are right. It’s all about the patterns and knowing where to fish. I caught catfish in lakes where there where a lot of activity and still caught a good number of catfish. I fish at night were it was less activities on the lake caught catfish as well. So both could be productive but day gives you more of a advantage being you can cover more water. And about the flathead. I caught all mine during the day. But it goes back if you know there patterns. Like you say all want come in shallow water. Thanks and hope to see another great article.
I disagree, there’s too much going on in the water during the day time . The fish are less likely to be active. I still catch the big boys at night during stronger feeding patterns. The big flatties I catch at night , some smaller ones in the daytime. But fishing for all three species seems to more productive in the PM.
You’re working on the assumption that people are fishing in high traffic areas or in times of the year that are subject to high traffic.
As a general rule daytime fishing is much more productive.
I have been fishing for Flathead Catfish for a good number of years. My largest catches, have always been, without exception, around shorelines that consist of huge rock, with water depth from 3 to 5 feet. I only use a headlight, and NEVER a lantern. I find that keeping it as natural as possible is the way to go.
Im in Texas my granddad had a fishing camp on the Brazos River. At a place called Goat Neck Texas he ran trotlines he would wait to bait just before dark and that’s the way I do it because he said the Flatheads bite best at night or right before daylight. And i also fish at night on fod and reel and i catch big cats . We can agree to disagree but I disagree with most of the article.
Do you have a point of reference? In other words, have you ever tried fishing for cat during the day?
I went fishing this weekend from Saturday morning until Sunday morning. And targeted catfish in particular. The whole of Saturday i managed to catch 3kg catfish and then no bait for the whole day. After sunset between 8pm to 2am with the same bait i catched 4 catfish all between 9 = 11 kg. Then around 4am Sunday i caught 13kg catfish. About an hour after sunrise everything went quite again.
I hope this will help.
i caught my first catfish during the day, wisconsin
Awesome article Chad. I agree with you that you dont have to fish at night for catfish. While I do still night fish, I really enjoy getting out in the day time too. Here locally the water isnt very deep & the catfish lay behind ledges. We float pieces of cut bait over ledges with a bobber & hammer them many times. Its a ton of fun! Have a good one!
Thanks
Great tips! I usually fish at night, as during the day there is jet fleas, and ‘party boaters’ zipping the river. Plus there is less people around so I don’t have to worry about them. I fish near the edge of the park lights,not under them. Do I pull in whoppers or trophy style cats? No. I do get 1-7lbers though most every night. I did catch a 8&1/2 lb channel cat in October of last year about 2pm on a dead stinky worm. All the cats I caught their strike is with in +/-8 mins of casting out.
Great article. I agree that night fishing is a great way to beat the heat during the warmer times of year but the day can be just as productive. As a boy, we used to plan our trips during the hottest part of summer and right in the middle of the day. It seemed they were always very active at these times. Here in Thailand though I have noticed the 2 hours before sunrise and after sunset have been the most productive. We do have a completely different range of catfish in this neck of the woods however.
Ok im sorry to rain on everybodys parade. Yes fishing at night beats the heat. Ive tried fishing during the day bud, but fishing at night is better fishing. Ive caught way more catfish at night than in the daytime. It also depends on your location. Im from a small town in illinois. Me and a group of buddys will get our coleman lanterns and our tackle and fish the night away.
2. It also depends on your bait. Im a fan of the sonnys blood formula dipbait. You can catch a catfish on about anything.
In the end daytime or night time its the location rather than boat traffic. If you cant catch many fish where you go then do as i do and find you a small cove,deep creek, or a lake and your set
Chad, thank you for all the great information! I’ve tested this theory this summer fishing almost exclusively in 3 local lakes and ponds for channel catfish. To date I’ve collected data on 160+ fish, sometimes the same fish more than once. My data shows that night fishing has a slight edge on both size and numbers. As for size, it may just be a fluke, but during the day and early evening there is a much higher chance that another species will take my bait (hybrid stripers and stocked largemouth will eat anything off the bottom agressively) That being said, I feel that conditions are much more important than time of day. Most importantly is water level, the higher the better. I went fishing a few times a year for Bass and sunfish until this June, I caught my first channel catfish. I was instantly hooked on bait fishing and have spent every minute I could out of my busy lifestyle fishing for them exclusively…my wife is thrilled with my new found passion for catfish.
Chad, I have seen all of your videos. I have learned a lot and really concentrate almost all my fishing time on catfish. Your info has certainly improved the numbers and size of my catches. Being retired now , I catfish about 2 times a week during those spring, summer & fall days. I am not a wintertime fisherman ( Ohio is just cold in winter). I seldom fish at night – you can see what you doing in daylight. I do like early A.M. & late P.M. best – again I think it beat the heat -especially in hot days.). Thanks for all the good info. Jim R , Ohio
Thanks
I appreciate all the good info. Going tonight with my sons just because it sounds like fun at night. I’m a newbe for fishing for cats. Hoping for the best. Caught one a few weeks back during the day. filleted it and it tasted great! Going after some more.
I think the daytime vs nighttime fishing comes down to if you have a boat or not… While durring the day I have caught my largest fish of all species I’ve caught but the numbers are way down by that I mean less fish. I am a shore fisherman 90% of the time and when I’m catching fish by the numbers it’s usually late at night between 10pm 4am. Daytime fishing I would have better luck with a boat because you can target the fish a lot better. Altho lately I’ve been trying to catch flatheads at a local lake that has 50+lb flat heads in but I’ve spent over 50 hours there within this past couple weeks and I havnt had a single bite, I havnt even caught any fish here other than shad with my throwing net. What gives haha I know they are in here and I’ve even taken a friend along who fished for a couple hours with me and he caught a catfish within an hour or so and I’ve spent over 50hrs without a nibble. It is frustrating and makes you wanna give up but I know it will be worth the wait when I finally do catch a big one hopefuly. Thanks chad your the man!
I caught an amazing 38.3 lb blue cat fishing in the summer heat whiletrying to land a few decent small mouth, most of my trophy fish have been caught during the early morning between 7 and 9 or just reaching dawn, been night fishing on multiple occasions but ever had anything trophy size except for a few turtle.
This has always been an often debated topic. I fish for all species of fish and there is no doubt that “dusk” period before sunset is a magical time. I love topwater fishing and the bite usually goes crazy at that time. Seems like bigger fish are on the prowl and the small fish disappear.
However, with catfishing it is different even though I am experimenting still. I’ve had days on a river in the blazing heat catching a bunch of channel cats and a new pond I found coughed up a 5 pounder after fishing chicken livers for only 10 min. at 1pm on a hot sunny day. A week later, I caught a 10.7 pound channel cat from the same pond around 7pm. A real giant for Illinois waters. That was closer to the magical dusk time. My next visit to that pond will be even later into the evening. I want to see if that is effective too. I am looking at 7pm to 9pm. Sometimes you just have to keep trying different things. Don’t be afraid to mix it up.
lol those are small my friend fox river has some giant cats my boy pulled a 28 pound flat head out last summer about 10 pm… nite fishing… 30 plus pretty common on the fox river….
Good stuff. Good comments. Delaware ohio. From about 7 am till 10. Very productive. Bout to take the boat out tomorrow night with the boy and some liver. First time on this lake. Hit Charles mill up north at about 11 pm and brought in 6 channel from 3 to 7 pounds.
I also think dusk is a magical time,,,even tho the mosquitoes want to eat you alive.i found bug spray and chicken livers left out in the sun for a day is helpful also,,,the kivers don’t go after the livers. But I’ve caught catfish or as we call them up north, bulkhead, horned pout great eating too
I’ve been fishing my entire life and from my personal experience, fishing 5-8 (assuming it gets dark at 7:30 depending on daylight savings) I tend to get the most action. Although night fishing is pretty fun, i have to agree I have caught a lot more and bigger catfish right before dark as opposed to during dark. Also just a little tip that works for me, is i spray wd40 on my bait and somehow it works better! Not sure how it works…
I have talked to many I found out about a feeding frenzy at 3am to 5am I was told they will always come back there that time for feeding I cought a 15 pounder that night blue cat I waited few days went back out same spot same time and nothing not even a hit or the sight of all of them at that spot so I’m wondering if they come there every time at that time or will they move spots for feeding?
Chad,
I just moved to a new lake (well new for me) and am at a loss for what to look for when searching for cats. Mostly a channel fisher but I can’t seem to find em here. I am on the Lake of the Ozarks. What tips would you give to locate the whiskers?
I have caught catfish at all different times of day except for one species bullheads for some reason in the rivers and creeks I fish I can only catch them at night not sure why