Robert Stanley reared back and set the hook and tied into a fish that felt like a small whale! After an epic battle, Stanley finally wore the fish down and landed him with the help of Capt. Bob Crosby. The big blue cat was caught recently on the Big Muddy and it’s indicative of the size of the fish that can be caught now.
“As the water temperature falls down to 50 degrees the big catfish start congregating in the deep holes,” Crosby said. “I’ve been anchoring in holes 40-feet deep to 200-feet deep and we are catching lots of big cats. We’re fishing the soft currents because the fish are lethargic in cold water and they’re not holding in the swift current like they will during the warmer weather.”
Stanley, of Oak Grove, La., caught an 80-pound blue cat and his wife caught a 42-pound flathead on a trip to the Mississippi River near Vicksburg.
“We anchored over a submerged treetop that I had marked on my depth finder and caught the flatheads, too,” Crosby said. “We caught a total of 15 fish that day, the two big ones and two more in the twenties.”
Unique winter-fishing excursion
Most of the traffic has left the river by January and February and it’s not uncommon for anglers to catch catfish running from 20 pounds to 40 pounds, as well as an occasional 60- to 80-pounder. I’ve been on several trips with Crosby and have seen two, 80-pound-plus cats caught. I’ve caught a couple of 50 to 60 pounders myself. Another Mississippi River guide, David Magness, caught a 45-pound blue catfish while fishing with Crosby.
If you are looking for a unique fishing experience with the chance to catch a monster catfish on a rod and reel then look no further than Capt. Bob Crosby and take a trip with him to the Mississippi River near Vicksburg this winter.
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