Lake Texoma is a super destination for anglers wanting to do battle with trophy-class blue catfish. The state record and one-time world record blue (121 1/2 pounds) was landed there by Cody Mullenix just a couple of years ago.

In a recent interview, Cody said that the past couple of years had provided plenty of big catfish action, but nothing came close to his catching that record fish. "Fishermen should do very well this time of year on spawning catfish over baited holes or fishing shallow flats close to creek channels," he opined. "Look for baitfish first, and in a lake like Texoma, you can bet catfish will be nearby."

Roger Hill guides for the lake's plentiful stripers, but also has a passion for catching catfish, especially big blues. He keeps the waters around his boathouse baited with range cubes, and the chum from his fish-cleaning station attracts plenty of blue catfish to the area.

"Just about anywhere on the lake that you have flats close to a deep channel you will have catfish," he explained. "The water around my dock is about 18 feet, but 30 yards out into the cove is a 40-foot creek channel. We catch channel and blue cats here off the dock throughout the year.

"Out on the lake, I target creek channels leading back off the main lake. Catfish run these channels as they follow shad and the action can be fast-paced."

SOUTH TEXAS HOTSPOTS
Choke Canyon guide Carroll Atkinson predicts that there'll be lots of blue and channel catfish action over baited holes this summer. "Catfish here begin spawning as early as April," he said, "and by May the spawn is going strong. We enjoy good catfishing here year 'round, but it would be tough to pick a month for catching lots of good-eating blues and channels better than May and June. Soured grain will pull in big schools of both species, and limiting out is the norm this time of year."

Atkinson uses punch bait on a No. 8 treble hook under a slip-float and keys on water 5 to 15 feet deep. "A basic Carolina rig with a 12- to 14-inch leader works best when fishing water 12 feet or more," he observed, but using a floater makes the often-subtle bite of the channel cats easier to detect." said Atkinson. But a big blue is another matter. "When a blue grabs your bait, he will head to the opposite shore with it."

Channel catfish average 3 to 6 pounds here, and blues up to 12 pounds are pretty common. Most of Atkinson's trips produce a few of the larger fish with an occasional blue in the 20-pound range.

Atkinson likes to fish long points with gravel onto which the catfish move to feed on small freshwater mussels. "When we clean the fish we catch around these mussel beds, they will be full of little mussels about the size of nickels," he noted.