John K. Flores: May is a great time for catfishing here

When the month of May rolls around and things begin to heat up, so does the catfishing action in the Atchafalaya River and most tributaries between it and the Calumet Spillway. Moreover, whether chasing blue catfish, flathead catfish or channel catfish, there’s a few things to keep in mind.
Big blue catfish like deeper waters, while smaller blue cats prefer shallow water. Big flathead cats also prefer deep water, where channel catfish tend to prefer more shallow skinny waters further upstream from the bigger blue and flathead catfish.
Both blue catfish and flathead catfish spawn from mid-May through June when the water temperature reaches 70 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. And though you can catch big catfish in the spring, they’re more active later in the summer, particularly July and August after the spawn.
Morgan City resident Ernie Roe loves to fish catfish and specifically targets big catfish. Just last week the retired boat engineer caught two nice blue cats in the 25-30 pound range.
Roe said, “In May both the blue cats and flathead cats are together. Right now, they’re both in about 45 feet of water in the river, but the blue catfish will go deeper in June, where the flatheads will mostly stay in the 45-foot range.”
The debris and current in the river are hazardous right now,” Roe continued, “so I suggest fishing the tree lines for 1 to 3 pounders along the river and local lakes.”
Another thing to keep in mind is bait. Though catfish aren’t necessarily picky eaters, there are a few baits that work better under certain conditions. For example, river shrimp are an excellent catfish bait and can be caught by hanging a bushy myrtle tree limb along the bank, where it’s submerged in the shallow water.
As the moving water passes through the “bush-line” line, the river shrimp get caught in its twigs and small branches.
River shrimp prefer shallow locations with smooth, sandy bottoms. What’s more, so do the smaller pan size catfish, whether blue or channel cats, who gorge themselves on river shrimp.
By contrast, both big blue catfish and flathead catfish like big, live baits, according to Roe.
Roe said, “My favorite baits are mullet, shad, and slicks and there are a couple of reasons I like to use live bait. One, a live bait is always better than a frozen bait. And two, a live bait is going to have a good oily scent on it. Once they’re frozen, they lose a lot of the oil scent. It’s also better to have the size and fresh quality of bait you want. I like mullet that range between 7 and 10 in length.”
Where to go catfishing is not a challenge in St. Mary Parish. Just south of Jesse Fontenot Boat Landing in Berwick is Fools Point, Chicken Island Pass, and right where the Atchafalaya River and Bayou Shaffer meet. In these three locations, you have both shallow and deep water fishing. You have sandy bottom and muddy bottom.
To the west you have the Calumet Spillway. Along the spillway there are numerous fishing locations all the way down to the Wax Lake side of the Atchafalaya Delta Wildlife Management Area. Big Lacassine Bayou near Belle Isle Lake is productive and so are Big and Little Beach Bayous, particularly at the mouth of their outlets where good catches of catfish can be had in May.
One of the areas Roe recommended is Lake Palourde.
Roe said, “Lake Palourde is only about 8-feet deep. They’re catching a lot of catfish on the north end of the lake right now.”
Finally, bank anglers should definitely fish the river fronts in Morgan City and Berwick. Catfish can be caught fishing from the bank at the Jesse Fontenot Landing. And finally, for a good family outing, fish catfish off the fishing pier at the Burns Point Landing down La. 317.
Burns Point Landing has restrooms, a boat launch, and a playground for children. It also has overnight camping for RVs, and pavilions with grills for cook outs.
Besides mullets and river shrimp, other good catfish baits are saltwater shrimp, nutria liver, big nightcrawler worms, and commercial stink baits. In short, catfish eat just about anything.
Tackle to catch catfish is all over the board. Roe uses heavy offshore fishing gear and outriggers on his boat. But catfish have been caught on everything from a kids “Snoopy” fishing pole to big game fishing tackle. In short, use what’s best for you and your budget. You’ll figure it out.
If the fish is too big for your tackle, you’ll have a good story to tell. Whatever you do, plan to get out. May is a great month, it’s still not too hot, and there’s plenty of catfish to catch!
John Flores is the Morgan City Review’s outdoor writer. He can be contacted at gowiththeflo@cox.net.