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Trophy Or Fryer Catfish? Your Choice!

Lake Tawakoni catfish guide Tony Pennebaker with one of many ‘eater’ size catfish landed this past week. Trophy blue catfish are biting well but on this trip, Luke was after the makings of a big fish fry and that’s exactly what Pennebaker produced.
Luke Clayton
Lake Tawakoni catfish guide Tony Pennebaker with one of many ‘eater’ size catfish landed this past week. Trophy blue catfish are biting well but on this trip, Luke was after the makings of a big fish fry and that’s exactly what Pennebaker produced.";s:3:

As I walked up on the dock this past week at Lake Tawakoni Marina, I was greeted by catfish guide Tony Pennebaker. I could tell by the expression on his face that he had something humorous on his mind. “Fryers or trophy” he asked as I walked up to his guide boat. “Knowing you, Luke I think I already know what your answer will be!”

Yep, Tony has me all figured out. While I thoroughly enjoy doing battle with big blue catfish, especially during the winter months when the fish are most aggressive, I also enjoy a big fish fry of catfish fillets caught from cold, clean waters. I opted to go for ‘eater’ catfish.  I knew the odds were very good that we would catch all the catfish weighing between two and ten pounds that I needed for a big family fish fry and besides, the bite would be faster for the smaller fish.

Fishing for giant blue catfish is much like hunting for big  whitetail bucks, it’s often a waiting  game followed by a few minutes of intense heart pounding action. Although the rigs Tony uses when targeting trophy class blues is a bit different from the rigs used for ‘skillet’ fish, it was entirely possible for us to catch a giant catfish while targeting the smaller ones.

As Tony eased his big pontoon guide boat out of the marina, we  noted that the wind had changes to the south, a day before the first cold snap of the fall had blown in. With dropping water temperatures and lighter winds, this promised to be a good, albeit chilly morning of catfishing.

As we headed to a section of the lake with standing timber, thousands of cormorants left their roost trees, heading to find their morning breakfasts in the form of tasty shad. Tony and I knew these fish eating birds had left their droppings in the water around the trees they had spent the night in. We also knew the waters would be chock full of catfish that feed on the birds dropping. We weren’t actually fishing directly under the cormorant roost trees as fishermen often do in the winter months but in little pockets of open water close to the trees.

With the big pontoon boat stationary under anchor and two power poles pushed into the mud in the shallow water. We were ready to begin catching. It’s hard to beat fresh shad for catching blue catfish in Texas waters and we soon had seven catfish rods rigged with modified (short)  Santee Cooper rigs and circle hooks baited with chunks of shad. The floaters on the Santee rigs provided just enough buoyancy to keep the baits just up from bottom.

Tony’s prediction of fast action came early in the trip with three of the baited rods out, the first strike of the day came and a chunky blue catfish was in the live well. The remaining 4 rods were then baited and baits positioned in a fan shaped formation around the bow of the boat. I am a firm believer that the more baits in the water, the quicker the scent is dispersed and the better the action, especially in cold water. Usually there is a brief ‘lull’ when catfishing and the bite often intensifies the longer the baits and scent is in the water. Not so on this trip, the cormorants that overnighted in the higher limbs of the standing timber had already attracted the catfish; they were there and in a feeding mode when we arrived. It was all about fishing at the right place at the correct time.The bite began as soon as the first bait was placed in the water and didn’t stop until the quota for the upcoming fish fry was reached.

My choice to target eater size catfish during a period when the big ones are on the best bite of the year might be a bit rare. Most of Tony’s clients opt to spend their time on the water targeting the fish of a lifetime and then targeting the eaters.  Although we didn’t connect with a trophy class blue catfish while targeting the skillet fish, it is very common to catch one or more big ones mixed in with the huge schools of smaller catfish. But, specifically targeting the jumbo size blues does differ a bit from fishing for table fish.
 

Tony employs planer boards and a slow, controlled drift/troll when going after the big fish The planer boards insure the baits are evenly dispersed around the stern of the boat and that baits are set at varying distances out from the boat The trolling motor is used to keep the boat heading in the desired direction rather than depending strictly upon the wind. This method insures the baits are kept at the desired depths and on structure holding fish.

Back at the cleaning table after the trip, Tony gave some great tips on insuring your catch becomes the best table fare possible. After the fish are filleted, it’s important to wash them thoroughly in fresh water.  Tony keeps running water on the fish until the ‘foam’ bubbles disappear. The oil from the fillets creates a slight film on the water surface which creates the bubbles or foam and the continuous spray of fresh water removes those oils.

I can attest to the fact that these catfish caught from cold water and cleaned properly provided for some mighty tasty fried fish at our family get together. The choice is yours to make; go after the big fish of a lifetime or opt for a limit of some of the best eating in fresh water. Or… possibly do both! Yes, folks the catfishing is as good as it gets right now at Lake Tawakoni. Guide Tony Pennebaker with Thunder Cove Guide Service can be reached at 903-474-3078.

Join Luke on Dec 14 in Greenville for the “Winter Outdoor RON DE VOUS. For more information or to reserve booth space, contact Randy Koon at 903-456-3048.

As KETR Operations Manager, Kevin Jefferies is responsible for making sure you hear what you’re supposed to be hearing on FM 88.9 and ketr.org.
Outdoors writer/radio host/book author Luke Clayton has been addicted to everything outdoors related since his childhood when he grew up hunting and fishing in rural northeast Texas. Luke pens a weekly newspaper column that appears in 34 Texas newspapers and is Editor at Large for Extreme Hog Hunter Magazine, Bowhunting Adventures and East Texas Outdoors Magazine and field editor for Dallas Safari Club "Camp Talk" publication. Luke is on the pro staff of Mathews Bows, Smokin' Tex Electric Smokers, and GhostBlind. Follow his columns and listen to his weekly radio show throughout the year and you'll surely get exposed to many facets of the outdoor life.
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