Mon 24 Aug 2009
While Big Bear Lake is known as a first class Trout Fishery, one of the lakes best kept secrets is the outstanding fishing for Catfish! Without question, your best chance to catch a fish from 5 to over 20 lbs. is to fish for Catfish. The lake has three different species of Catfish: Blue, Channel, and Bullhead. Every year, fish over 20 lbs. are pulled from Big Bear Lakes cool waters, and this year was no exception. On May 25 th, Kevin Bremer pulled in a 27.82 lb. Whisker Fish near Gilner Point, using a Hot Dog for bait.
Because even a 5 lb. Catfish will really “pull yer string” as they say, you will have a much better chance of landing a big fish if you use a medium, to heavy fishing rod, and at least 10 lb. line, and many Cat Fishermen prefer to use 15 to 20 lb. test monofilament.
The best time to fish for Catfish is usually from Sun Up until about 10 am in the morning. Then again from about 4 PM until the next morning. Early and late in the day, and all night, the fish will normally be in waters from 5 to 12 feet deep. During the middle of the day, you might catch them as deep as 30 feet.
Lots of quality Catfish are caught from shore every season, however, I prefer to fish from a boat, because a boat makes it so easy to change your fishing location. Catfish are very aggressive feeders, so if there are any fish in the area you have chosen to fish, you should start getting bites right away. I will only spend about a half hour fishing a spot, and if I haven’t had any luck, I will move to a new location.
There are lots of different rigs you can use to catch these fish, but a real good rig is to use a sliding sinker rig, like you would use for Trout, except with heavier line, and a hook big enough for the bait you decide to use.
One of the toughest decisions you have to make when you are going after Catfish is-What bait to use? Catfish are not usually picky eaters, and the list of baits that will work is almost endless. Here is a list of some of the most popular: Night Crawlers, Mackerel, Hot Dogs, Crawfish, Sardines, cheese, prepared & stink baits, shrimp, Meal Worms, marsh mellows, and chicken livers.
You might catch a catfish just about any where on Big Bear Lake. Best places to try are points, flats near drop offs, and in the bays.
Popular Cat fishing spots are Standfield Cutoff, Juniper Point, Eagle Point, Grout Bay, Gilner Point, Metcalf and Boulder Bays.
Catfish are also great to eat. The best eating size is fish from about 2 lbs. to 6 lbs. The big ones are not very good to eat, so you might consider letting them go to fight another day!
