R.R. “Catdaddy” Shumway holds a 5- to 6-pound channel cat caught by himself and Josh Rouse. Photos by Josh Rouse.
Winter is already rearing its ugly head, meaning catfish and other species of fish are using the last month or so before the hard-water season to fill up on any bit of food they can.
With that in mind, I was excited when local fishing guide R.R. “Catdaddy” Shumway asked me to go fishing with him at Banner Creek.
It was a cold morning, with lows in the 30s, and rain was forecast to hit during the afternoon. We got out to Catdaddy’s soybean hole around 9:30 a.m. and tied up next to a submerged tree. We tossed out some dough bait and sat in the cold wind for about an hour with little action, only a couple light bites.
Catdaddy was starting to worry we wouldn’t catch anything, but I said I thought the sun would help us out as soon as it got a little higher. I checked my Fishing Calendar app and saw that a major bite was supposed to kick in beginning at 10:27 a.m. and lasting until 12:27 p.m.
I told him my phone said it would start at 10:27, and he said “Well, I hope you’re right.” I don’t think he believed me.
It was a cold morning, with lows in the 30s, and rain was forecast to hit during the afternoon. We got out to Catdaddy’s soybean hole around 9:30 a.m. and tied up next to a submerged tree. We tossed out some dough bait and sat in the cold wind for about an hour with little action, only a couple light bites.
Catdaddy was starting to worry we wouldn’t catch anything, but I said I thought the sun would help us out as soon as it got a little higher. I checked my Fishing Calendar app and saw that a major bite was supposed to kick in beginning at 10:27 a.m. and lasting until 12:27 p.m.
I told him my phone said it would start at 10:27, and he said “Well, I hope you’re right.” I don’t think he believed me.
Moments later, ol’ Catdaddy’s pole bent over double and he reeled in a keeper-sized channel catfish.
“10:27!” we both exclaimed.
Several more bites hit in rapid-fire succession after that. Shumway pulled in another keeper, I pulled in a smaller one that I threw back and then we both hooked into a big channel cat that must have weighed between 5 and 6 pounds.
“We’ve got him hog-tied!” Catdaddy said as we both reeled in the heavy fish.
The bite slowed for about 10 minutes, then picked up again, and Shumway plucked several more out from the trees. I had quite a few bites, but the fish kept spitting out the hook as soon as they’d hit. We both missed on a ton of good strikes because they were so finicky. Nevertheless, I was having a fun time watching them hit our poles so quickly after casting. I wasn’t ready to go.
In all, we pulled nine keepers from the spot before the rain clouds started to move in and the temperature dropped back down.
We made our way back to the boat ramp with an old U.S. Post Office mailbag full of catfish in his 25-foot flat-bottom boat, and Catdaddy was even nice enough to fillet them up and put them in a Ziplock bag for me.
“It went slow in the beginning, but real fast as soon as you mentioned the catfishing app, as soon as you said that, ol’ boy, the fish turned on like Donkey Kong, boy,” Shumway said at the cleaning station. “The bells was ringin’ and the cats was jumpin’.
“I could not believe it. Just as soon as you said that, bam, we caught the big one and a couple two, three other ones and the poles was just bendin’. I tell ya, that’s the craziest thing that’s every happened to me out fishing, anytime, anywhere, for a guy to tell me, ‘Well my fishing app says they oughta be biting just any moment now,’ and boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. I went ‘Aww man, I don’t believe it.’ ”
After our fishing outing, I drove back to Topeka and stopped by my Grandma Rouse’s house with the bag of 18 beautiful, white fillets — Catdaddy gave me his, as well. She fried them up in the skillet and, with the help of my uncle, Dennis, we polished off 16 of them. We saved the two big fillets from the 6-pounder for grilling later. They were some of the best-tasting catfish I’d ever had, and I had a great time fishing, as well.
“10:27!” we both exclaimed.
Several more bites hit in rapid-fire succession after that. Shumway pulled in another keeper, I pulled in a smaller one that I threw back and then we both hooked into a big channel cat that must have weighed between 5 and 6 pounds.
“We’ve got him hog-tied!” Catdaddy said as we both reeled in the heavy fish.
The bite slowed for about 10 minutes, then picked up again, and Shumway plucked several more out from the trees. I had quite a few bites, but the fish kept spitting out the hook as soon as they’d hit. We both missed on a ton of good strikes because they were so finicky. Nevertheless, I was having a fun time watching them hit our poles so quickly after casting. I wasn’t ready to go.
In all, we pulled nine keepers from the spot before the rain clouds started to move in and the temperature dropped back down.
We made our way back to the boat ramp with an old U.S. Post Office mailbag full of catfish in his 25-foot flat-bottom boat, and Catdaddy was even nice enough to fillet them up and put them in a Ziplock bag for me.
“It went slow in the beginning, but real fast as soon as you mentioned the catfishing app, as soon as you said that, ol’ boy, the fish turned on like Donkey Kong, boy,” Shumway said at the cleaning station. “The bells was ringin’ and the cats was jumpin’.
“I could not believe it. Just as soon as you said that, bam, we caught the big one and a couple two, three other ones and the poles was just bendin’. I tell ya, that’s the craziest thing that’s every happened to me out fishing, anytime, anywhere, for a guy to tell me, ‘Well my fishing app says they oughta be biting just any moment now,’ and boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. I went ‘Aww man, I don’t believe it.’ ”
After our fishing outing, I drove back to Topeka and stopped by my Grandma Rouse’s house with the bag of 18 beautiful, white fillets — Catdaddy gave me his, as well. She fried them up in the skillet and, with the help of my uncle, Dennis, we polished off 16 of them. We saved the two big fillets from the 6-pounder for grilling later. They were some of the best-tasting catfish I’d ever had, and I had a great time fishing, as well.
With the winter setting in, Catdaddy will now start drifting for big blue cats instead of fishing bean holes, meaning the opportunity to catch some true river monsters is still available for those who are interested.
Catdaddy has been guiding since 1982 and has been featured in In-Fisherman Magazine and Catfish Insider. He also is featured on the WIBW-AM (580) radio show “The Revolution with Jim and Trav” between 6 and 7 a.m. each Sunday.
For more information on fishing with Catdaddy, give him a call him at (785) 357-0934, go to his revamped website at http://www.catdaddyguideservices.com/ or check out his Catdaddy Catfishing Adventures Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/y92au8jd/.
Catdaddy has been guiding since 1982 and has been featured in In-Fisherman Magazine and Catfish Insider. He also is featured on the WIBW-AM (580) radio show “The Revolution with Jim and Trav” between 6 and 7 a.m. each Sunday.
For more information on fishing with Catdaddy, give him a call him at (785) 357-0934, go to his revamped website at http://www.catdaddyguideservices.com/ or check out his Catdaddy Catfishing Adventures Facebook page at https://tinyurl.com/y92au8jd/.
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