Late Summer Catfishing

Historically speaking, August is always one of my favorite months to fish. With the spawn over, the catfish bite is usually on fire. This month often brings good numbers of fish as well as many fish in the 20-30lb class with some whoppers mixed in too. While August 2019 didn't quite live up to the standards set in previous years, it still turned out to be a memorable month.

43.25" Flathead Caught While Drifting

I had some great days of fishing and ended up catching three fish over 40 inches including a beast of a flathead which is pictured above. I also had some days where the bite was just dead and even had a couple skunk trips which is pretty rare for me during this time of year. While it is impossible to know for sure, I am inclined to believe part of my struggles on the bad days were due to the fact I have been anchoring in one spot for the duration of my trips this year. This year long experiment has gone extremely well up the post spawn time period but my success has slacked off recently.

Typically, I am drifting or trolling exclusively this time of year which allows me to cover a ton of water and almost guarantees catching some fish on every trip. While I had some great trips for size and numbers this month, there were some days when I was just either in the wrong spot or was in the right spot at the wrong time. Regardless, I can't complain about the month as a whole.

In addition to the big fish, I also caught another piebald catfish. Piebalds are pretty rare. This was only the second one I have caught in my life and the first one caught here in Tennessee. My first piebald came on a trip in North Carolina with Zakk Royce a couple years ago. I also had a unique experience where I hooked into a largemouth bass on a piece of cut bait. The bass followed my bait up as I was reeling it in and ended up eating it right at the side of the kayak. It popped the hook before I could land it but I was able to get some video footage of the encounter.

Overall, August 2019 will go down as a memorable month. From the big flathead to the unique catches, I had a lot of fun this past month. As fall approaches, I am excited to be able to get back to fishing some places that have been inaccessible due to the summer pleasure boat traffic. It is going to be a great fall season. I can't wait to see what I pull up from the depths.