Catfish are Biting
By Jennifer Otto
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has announced a list of some of the best catfish fishing holes in the state and some of the Emerald Coast’s most pristine streams make the list!
The summer is known as the best time to begin reeling in catfish! FWC can help you find the best locations in the region to catch the big one.
The list of rivers, what type of catfish is known to live in the waters,
the best times to catch the fish and where the river is located is as follows:
• Escambia River - Just north of Pensacola features blue, channel and flathead catfish. The best time to reel in big channel catfish is from mid-April through June and early October into November if the water stays warm. Small catfish can be caught year-round, but expect the action to slow when it is cold. The Escambia River is near the Alabama state line to the Interstate 10 bridge.
• Apalachicola River - Springs down from the Florida/Georgia state line at Chattahoochee, and flows south to city of Apalachicola. You can catch channel and flathead catfish from late May into early July. Flatheads pick up in April and action runs into the summer months. Small catfish can be caught pretty much year-round, but the spring and summer months are best. The best place to reel them in is on river bends and snags from Jim Woodruff Dam south, old creek channels, Lake Seminole backwaters, and around mouths of tributaries.
• Choctawhatchee River - Located just northwest of Panama City, you can catch channel catfish and bullhead. Flathead catfish are also in the river in increasing numbers and can exceed 30 pounds. Several years ago, biologists collected, measured and released a 46½-pound channel catfish. Had an angler caught this fish, it would have been a new state record! The best season to catch big channel catfish can is from May through early July, and October into November if the water stays warm. Small cats are available year-round, but expect them to bite slow when it is cold. You can reel them in at the Alabama state line south to West Bay, and around the mouth of Holmes Creek and other tributaries. Larger catfish are found in the northern portion of the river.
If you do not already possess a five-year freshwater fishing license, now is the best time to act! Be one of the first 3,000 to sign up and you will receive a fisherman’s gift bag.
The bag includes:
- Hooks (Daiichi)
- Reel grease (PENN)
- FloatHi GLO (snap-on float)
- Lures from Charlie Brewer’s Slider Co. and Don Bett’s Spin Baits
- Hydrosonic Fish Call (CAGI)
- Florescent worm feed
- Floating key chain from Seminole County
- Waterproof Polk County Lakes Map
- Largemouth Bass decal from Advanced Graphics
- Coupons