Great Way To Fish Without The Summer Heat Is At Night For Catfish

Maybe its too hot in July and August to fish for some people or there is too much boat traffic. Have you ever thought of catfishing at night?

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Michigan Catfishing

Summer in Michigan can get really hot and depending upon what body of water you are nearby, the boat and people traffic could be overwhelming if you plan on doing some fishing.

Fishing for catfish is a great way to not have to deal with the scorching heat of the sun and the boat traffic can be almost none at night depending upon where you choose to fish.

What Do You Need to Catfish?

Yes, you can catch catfish during the day, but to avoid the heat and boat traffic, at night is the way to go.

Catfishing is something that is easy, you don't need hi-tech tackle or even a boat to catch them. Just a good rod and reel with some heavy line, sinker, and a hook is all you need.

All you need is a #6 size hook like the one above but depending on your situation you could use #2, #4m #6, or #8 size hooks. #6 hooks are just a good all-around size. Anywhere from 12 to 17-pound line but if you are in an area where there are some giants then using a 30-pound line is definitely the way to go. A good stiff rod with a decent reel that will hold a thick line is a plus.

As far as bait goes, chicken liver is my all-time favorite to use. I buy the cup full in the meat department and freeze it. By the time I am at my spot to fish they are thawing but still solid and easy to put on a hook. You may or may not need a sinker. That will depend on if you are river fishing for them or need to cast out further to get where the fish are if you are shore fishing. You can also use worms, night crawlers, and there are tons of pre-packaged catfish baits out there that some people swear by but stick with the chicken livers.

Some of Michigan's Best Catfishing is in The Grand River in Grand Rapids

The Grand River is 260 miles long and it's filled with some of the biggest catfish in the state of Michigan. Some of the real big cats are caught between Lowell and Ada if you are looking for the giants. You can even get size nice big cats between Grand Rapids and Grandville in the deep holes. If you are looking for eaters, you can find great catfishing for channel cats all throughout the entire river system. I have found that the backside of rapids when you can find them can be excellent places to start looking for eater-size cats.