Feeding Habits

Iowa is blessed with nearly 20,000 miles of interior streams that are virtually loaded with channel catfish. These streams contain the most under-utilized fisheries in the state. Low fishing pressure on these rivers is due mostly to the relatively poor access provided by public facilities and the more difficult and challenging fishing conditions presented in flowing water. For those fishermen that persevere, these streams offer some of our most unique outdoor opportunities. Whether bank fishing, wading, or fishing from a boat, Iowa rivers and their stream corridors offer an unexcelled nature experience. With few exceptions, a trip to the “old fishing hole” in any major river will usually be accompanied by solitude.

Catfish fishermen, those that are “dyed-in-the-wool,” enjoy the beauty of a stream, but they aren’t fooled by the tendency of the river to hide catfish. The experiences of these anglers over the years have shown that catfish are not evenly dispersed over the stream bottom; rather they are concentrated in certain areas, and the success in putting fish on the stringer depends on their ability to search out and find the reaches that hold fish. In fact, some of the more knowledgeable catfishermen feel that 90 percent of the fish are concentrated into 10 percent of the habitat. One of the best ways of improving your catch of catfish is by closely observing the characteristics of locations that produce fish – or likewise do not produce fish. Some careful observations and the tried and proven techniques of trial-and-error will make any angler a good stream catfisherman.

Stream Fishing

Stream habitats that concentrate fish are riffle areas just above pools, cut-banks, snags, rocks, and other submerged structures that are located in the stream. The outside edge of river bends usually has a cut-bank and deep water which hold large catfish populations. On the other hand, the inside portion of river bends always contains shallow water and sand bars with little habitat diversity, which in combination produce poor fishing. The accompanying illustration points out some of the typical catfish habitats found in an Iowa river.

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