Ice Fishing Cats

Ice Fishing Cats

by Anthony Larson

     Fishing for catfish in the ice belt is practically unheard of, as most anglers tend to focus on northern pike, panfish, walleye, and bass. In some circles, it’s a joke from Mother Nature to catch a catfish through the ice. Some anglers target these magnificent fish, some admit it, others fish for them in the closet or confines of their ice shacks.

     The best way to find these cats, is to look for stable water temperatures and some flow of current. Here in the Upper Mississippi, we focus on wing dams and the lock system o the Mississippi River. Working these locations, one can find an abundance of food for the cats such as: pan fish, decomposing animals that drowned in the river, and minnows.

     When I’m on the serious cat hut, I like to focus first on the wing dams, structures that are built to control the flow of the river. Typically, I focus on drop off points and the back swell of the river. I take my Marcum flasher and watch for movement on the bottom. I filter out the other fish: perch and walleye, because in deeper water (15-20 feet) they tend to suspend, where catfish lay on the bottom.

     I then use heavy PK Spoons size 3/8 to 1 oz, depending on the current and work the bottom. I allow the spoon to hit the bottom of the river bed, then raise it up 3 feet, then let it fall again. I do these roughly 5 or 6 times. On the last jig, I allow the lure to hover about 6 inches from the bottom and watch my flasher for movement. If I don’t get any movement in a minute or two, I resume the jigging pattern again. If I don’t get any action in a few minutes, I move on to another spot.

     A lot of people ask me about using live bait in the winter for catfish, I recommend using live bait that is light such as minnow heads, pieces of liver, or catfish bait attached to a spoon. For a fishing rod I use medium action rod, just for a good backbone on a hook set; a sharkfin 2000s reel, and 6 lbs mono line. 

     Anthony has been a fishing guide for the last 5 years, and owns Coulee Region Adventures- an online store and guide service. His biggest catfish is a 30 lbs flat head caught this summer on a spoon.