“BIG JOHN!” Utter those words to any of the kids in my old neighborhood in West Orange, Texas around 1984 and they would either burst with excitement or shiver in fear. Big John was a very polarizing character you see. Looking back, that is an impressive feat for an alligator garfish that allegedly lived...
Prior to 2005, the biggest catfish I ever caught was a 50-pound class blue. Then my wife Lisa and I went to Spain. We had the incredible opportunity to catch Wels catfish in the Segra River ad I realized my lifelong dream of catching one of these beasts. This one was seven feet long...
As of today “noodling” or hand fishing is legal for catfish. Do you plan on taking a “noodling” trip? It is something I want to cover for TF&G but not so sure I want to stick my hand down in a hole that could be occupied by an alligator snapping turtle. So, will you...
I recnetly came across an old scrapbook from my distant past. It contained photographs my Dad and I cut from outdoors magazines like Sports Afield, Outdoor Life and Field and Stream in the late 1970s and early 1980s. At the time I never knew if I would be able to pursue the amazing animals...
Catfish are an extremely popular species in the Lone Star Rate. Ranking only behind largemouth bass and crappie in terms of angler pursuit, they are a mainstay catch in freshwater. Along with the popularity of catfish, come a number of myths and misconceptions. Let’s tackle some of them right now. #Anglers noodle giant flatheads...
Just got back from a fun fishing trip with my buddy Darren Gardner, his daughter Chelsea, son Seth and brother Alvin. In a way this was sort of an historical trip as I don’t think I or anyone else with me has ever been out-fished at such a high ratio. I caught like two...
For anglers willing to work hard to catch one or two REALLY big blues, the deep water around the spillway offers some of the best fishing. There are many legends of super-sized blues (the size of a Volkswagen) prowling this area and while those stories are highly suspect, fish in the 50 to 75-pound...
BIG JOHN! Utter those words to any of the kids in my old neighborhood in West Orange, Texas around 1984 and they would either burst with excitement or shiver in fear. Big John was a very polarizing character you see. Looking back, that is an impressive feat for an alligator garfish that allegedly lived...
Running trotlines around structure like sunken logs and hills around the channel can be highly productive. for big flathead (yellow, opelousas) catfish. The best live bait by far for this method is live bullheads (mud cats, pollywogs). Flatheads do not mind eating their close cousins and anglers sometimes find small flatheads on their lines...