A Look Back At May 2019

While the month of May isn't technically over yet, it might as well be as far as I am concerned. Most of the catfish here in East Tennesee have moved onto the nest to complete their yearly spawning ritual. Historically speaking, May has always been one of my better months for catching catfish. It is during this month that blues and flatheads are both feeding heavily as they get ready spawn. May 2019 did not disappoint.

While I normally spend the month targeting blues, this year I decided to focus my energy more on flatheads. My efforts were rewarded with several nice flatheads. The fish pictured above and below this paragraph being the two biggest of the month. The top one fell to small chunks of threadfin shad while the bottom fish chose a fresh skipjack head. Both came from the same location which was at the end of a bar in 30 feet of water. 

The big catfish bite will slow down for the next few weeks but I will continue on doing what I do. The action from the small catfish will keep me entertained while the big fish are on the nest doing their thing. I can always count on some striped bass to tug on my line this time of year as well. The month of June is always a hard time to catfish here but it won't be long before its time for blackberry cobblers and a post spawn feeding frenzy. I am already looking forward to it.