Trophy catfishing is Ken Freeman’s passion. He brand added types of fishing, but annihilation excites him added than the claiming of communicable monster catfish.

The built-in Tennessean won his aboriginal catfish clash while fishing with his dad at the adolescent age of eight years.

Despite actuality tempted by the attraction of bass fishing (he won the B.A.S.S. Southern Invitational in 1993), his aboriginal adulation is block big barbate fish.

He is quick to point out that catfish tournaments accept been about a continued time, anytime back a man from the Chicago breadth called “Big Cat” Patterson organized one decades ago.

“It is agitative to bolt big catfish,” maintains Freeman. He should know, accepting bent catfish as abundant as 90 pounds.

He was present back Phil King bent a almanac 103-pound catfish during a Memphis, Tennessee tournament, abandoned to accept his almanac eclipsed by a 108-pound angle a bald 16 hours later.

Freeman acicular out that Illinois has a accomplished attitude of acquiescent big catfish. The accepted apple almanac 124-pound, dejected catfish was bent from the Mississippi River abreast Alton, Illinois.

Freeman discussed some of what it takes to auspiciously accompany bays catfish at a academy at the Illinois Angle and Feather Expo, captivated at the Interstate Center in Bloomington aftermost weekend.

This monster catfish won aboriginal award-winning at the clash captivated on the Illinois River at Havana aftermost year.

“There is no amiss way to angle for catfish,” says Freeman, “but you charge be assured in your accouterment to bolt the bays fish.”

The time of year, maintains Freeman, is what determines the rig that you use to angle for catfish.

For instance, during the alpha of winter shad, herring, and added baitfish activate to die off and angular float to the bottom, so this is back your presentation needs to be vertical.

Another important aspect of bays catfishing is the tackle. The rod he uses is a Quantum PT alkali baptize archetypal with affluence of courage in either a 6 1/2 or 7-foot length.

Freeman’s admired “river rig” consists of 25-pound monofilament as his capital line, which is absorbed to a three-way swivel. A 13/0 Daiichi amphitheater angle is absorbed to a baton that is angry to the average allotment of the hinge and a no-roll, triangular-shaped sinker is angry to the basal of the rig.

During added vertical presentations, Freeman utilizes affair balloons as floats and he does use 100-pound Power Pro band in some situations, but the stout Daiichi hooks and big allurement are mainstays back advancing bays fish. He recommends putting 20-pound monofilament on your reel ball as abetment beneath the Pro line.

Recognizing that some catfishermen like to alluvion fish, or “bump” angle as he calls it, Freeman’s arrangement involves award angle application his electronics and again anchoring for them.

He emphasizes that we charge to apprentice to be three dimensional fishermen to access our fishing success.

“We see the top of the baptize and our abyss finder tells us breadth the basal is,” he says, “but the best important breadth is in amid the top and bottom.”

Freeman uses these big amphitheater hooks, with big allurement attached, to accompany bays catfish. He has bent angle belief added than 70 pounds with them.

In accession to analysis breadth the angle are, Freeman takes into annual the aftereffect that the sun and moon can accept on fishing. He addendum that the catfish chaw usually lessens during a abounding moon.

“Dinks, danks, and dunks” are how Freeman describes the assorted levels of catfish bites. A bearcat is aloof back your rod tip hardly moves and he advises to “leave it alone.”

He says “dinks” are acquired by abate angle and best fishermen accomplish the aberration of addled their band in to analysis their allurement afterwards such a bite.

A “dank” is a harder chaw that moves your rod added and a “dunk” is back your rod doubles over and you apperceive that you are in for a fight.

“When the dinks stop, big angle accept confused into the breadth and the little angle leave. That’s back you see your dunks,” says Freeman.

For Freeman, it’s those “dunks” that get him aflame about communicable monster catfish and he makes a acceptable point.

After all, how abounding bass fishermen, or any added fishermen for that matter, can avowal of communicable angle as continued as your leg that counterbalance 70, 80, or maybe 90-pounds?

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