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Catfish Fishing
The world is a different place in those hours between midnight and daylight. While most of the surrounding region is blanketed in silence and sleep, Ronnie Kent and his wife Melissa are fully aware of activity abounding as they sit in their pontoon boat atop the mighty Altamaha River. They’re awaiting “the bite.” When, or…
It was an overnight fishing trip to remember in the upper stretches of Lake Oconee for Lynn Lucas, of Eatonton, and his friend Will Hawn. Lynn, who turned 78 years old at the end of May, said they fished the night of May 8 and into the morning of May 9. By daybreak, they had…
Anglers can’t just launch into a river or lake, throw out a few baits and expect to catch a monster whiskerfish, although that can happen. To fish specifically for giant catfish, anglers must first find them. Even outstanding catfish waters like the Altamaha River, Lake Oconee or the Satilla River (see page 14) only hold…
As we rounded the tight bend in the river through the morning fog, our first limb-line of the day thrashed violently 30 yards ahead. Idling toward it slowly, the crew in the boat began to ready for battle with the oversized fish that continued to struggle in the current in an effort to get free.…
The new Conasauga River blue catfish record would have weighed considerably more it if had have kept a bird—and an unidentified mammal—in its stomach. While being held in a tank waiting to be weighed on certified scales, the catfish spit up several critters. Natasha Short, her husband Alan and their kids, Taylor and Destiny, decided…
It’s time to make plans to hit the Oconee River for some competitive catfishing fun. The 7th annual Oconee River Catfish Tournament, sponsored by the East Dublin Lions Club, is April 26-27, 2019. Anglers can fish anywhere from Ball’s Ferry Landing downstream to the Altamaha River. Ball’s Ferry is located in Wilkinson County just east…
A new record for flathead catfish on the lower Chattahoochee River was set on Saturday, March 9, 2019 by Tiff Thompson, of Americus. Tiff was fishing an M&J Catfish War Tournament Trail event when he caught his record flathead. The next day, when Tiff got the fish weighed on certified scales at Stripling’s General Store…
On the afternoon of Nov. 15, Luke Chandler, of Conyers, caught a blue catfish that weighed 46-lbs., 7-ozs. from Lake Jackson that set a new lake record. Luke arrived at the lake early in the morning and motored down to one of his favorite fishing spots, which was located on a peninsula near the powerlines.…
On Oct. 10, Larry Linker, of Woodbine, caught a Satilla River flathead catfish that weighed 45-lbs.,15-ozs, breaking his own previous river record, according to GON’s official Lake & River Records. On that Wednesday afternoon, Larry set out to go fishing in his usual spot on the river. He prefers fishing an area of the river with…
Brittany Raper, of Farner, Tenn., caught a jaw-dropping flathead catfish weighing at 29-lbs., 8-ozs. while fishing on the Etowah River in Bartow County. Brittany admits she is not an expert angler, but she was delighted to catch the fish. “My husband is the fisherman, not me. I was honestly proud of myself since I am not…
Catfish Recipes
Smoked Catfish Dip We had some company coming over to watch some football recently and my wife asked me to pick up an appetizer at the grocery store. A smoked fish dip sounded nice, so I checked out the offerings at Publix. It was $8.99 for a small tub of dip, and I would probably…
I caught six small catfish recently and realized after cleaning them I had no peanut oil. It was late, so I decided to blacken them with Cajun spices instead of frying them. They were incredible. But trust me, don’t try this inside the house! Catfish fillets, skinned 1 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon garlic powder…
I must admit, I first thought putting catfish in a taco might result in my man card being revoked. For me, fried or blackened catfish was the only way to go. I was pleasantly shocked just how good a catfish taco is. I plan to make my own next time when my buddies aren’t around…