Fall can be one of the very best time periods to target channel catfish on river systems where cooling water temperatures create very predictable patterns. Brad Durick has earned a reputation on the Red River as a nuanced and consistent, fulltime guide who spends many days on the water. According to Durick, these basic river patterns are happening up north right now but as fall progresses, many of these patterns can be applied to other river systems further south.
A general trend in the fall is low current although that can obviously change overnight with rainfall. This particular fall of 2022 has been dry and the Red River in particular has been relatively low. With low water levels in mind, many late summer patterns will revolve around the primary channel and faster current, but things begin to change as water temperatures creep down. The basic cooling or warming trend will have a great influence on how channel catfish set up in regard to current. Unusually warm spells in the fall that pick water temperatures up will often move channel cats back out into faster water but the cool nights lately have kickstarted some classic fall patterns and many of these patterns will hold through the fall until the water temperatures drop below fifty degrees and these fish start to pull into deep, wintering holes.
“River bends are really important right now and we are finding catfish holding off the current. The inside of the bend often features the right current velocity where the current drops way off. These off current bends hold a lot of catfish as the water temperatures drop during the fall,” explains Durick.
While mornings have been fishing really well the last few days, another trend Durick observes is that afternoons can begin to fish much better as fall progresses.
The presentations are classic river catfish tackle with a two-to-three-ounce river weight ahead of a fourteen-inch snell with a 7/0 circle hook. Durick uses 30-pound Berkley Big Game monofilament for his main line and snell. A heavy-duty ball bearing snell is used between the main line and snell with a bead or half inch piece of surgical tubing placed between the weight and swivel to protect the knot.
Cut bait like fresh sucker will catch fish through the fall but amphibians like leopard frogs and salamanders can be deadly for big catfish this time of year. Both frogs and salamanders will make their way back to water to hibernate in the fall and both works extremely well. Durick will typically kill salamanders before using as bait as they will sometimes wrap up in snags or bury into mud if alive. Durick recommends cutting large salamanders in half and hooking through the head. Frogs are hooked once through the top of the head and then the hook is slid to run back through the back end of the frog so that the frog is double hooked. Durick than likes to take the back legs of the frog and run the legs onto the hook so that the frog can’t swim or burry themselves into the mud. Durick notes that some anglers will actually cut the back legs off the frog near the joint which adds extra smell in the water.
Fall catfish opportunities can be tremendous and some rivers like the Red River are notorious for producing trophy caliber fish each fall. Compared to other times of year where flooding and high water can create challenges, fall patterns can be fairly predictable and constant. Often overlooked, fall on the Red River and many other major river systems can provide some of the very best fishing opportunities of the year. Off current locations in the primary river channel on inside bends produce for Durick and amphibians like frogs and salamanders can be the key to putting big fish in the boat but also note that some of this intel can also be applied to shore fishing as well.
