Outdoors With Kevin Fox: Early Spring Bank Fishing

I’ve been getting ready for spring for the past couple of weeks, and about the time I think it’s here, that stupid groundhog has to flex his forecast muscle and prove he was correct about six more weeks of winter. I was talking with family in South Carolina recently and told them I like the Midwest because of the change of seasons—sometimes you can see all four seasons in a single week. But spring is coming. The turkeys are already gobbling a little, and I’ve heard they are strutting as well. Besides, I had robins in my yard last week, so who knows what will happen.

When I say I’ve been getting ready for spring, it’s more a labor of love and anticipation. I’m not talking about getting the lawnmower ready. No, I’m talking about getting my fishing gear ready. I’ve put new fishing line on my catfishing rigs for fishing on the Mississippi River. Last year I had an absolute riot fishing in the river and did a lot of it. I tried to hit the big river at least twice a week from my father’s old jon boat. I had two friends who had time to go with me, so I went.

I know when I say this it’s not 100 percent true, but I need the river to get warmer for the type of action I’m longing for. Some warm spring rains will help do just that. My pond needs moisture in any form it comes— although I would rather it be rain!

However, there is no need to wait until the big river warms up to where I need or want it to be. Smaller rivers such as the Fox or Wyaconda will warm up first, and action can be found there. As I mentioned, I love fishing from Dad’s jon boat, and it holds many memories of Dad and my brother Kent. That said, my first fishing memories come from sitting along the bank of the Fox River with Dad and catching an assortment of fish such as carp, perch, and our target fish, channel catfish.

It wasn’t Dad’s old saying—I’m sure— but he used it often: “When the maple buds get about the size of a squirrel’s ear, you can start catching catfish.” It holds true, but all it really means is you’ve had enough warm days for the trees to start budding and, of course, the water has warmed as well. I enjoy bank fishing almost as much as I do fishing from the boat, but it does mean a little change of gear.

The catfish gear I use on the bigger river is heavier—big rods spooled with heavier line—while on the bank I’ll probably be using ten- or twelve-pound test. Depending on the current, I will also be using less weight. On the Mississippi, a lot of catfishing is done with a lightweight wire hook that will often straighten out if it gets hung in cover before the line breaks. This is important because when you are reeling in the line you are sure to run into unseen tree roots or debris. It just goes with the territory you are fishing.

Using different gear also means I don’t need to transport as much equipment. A bucket you can sit on will carry just about everything you need— hooks, sinkers, a way to remove the hook if the fish swallows it, and a stringer or basket to keep your fish alive until you carry them back to your vehicle or home. If you’re that kind of guy or gal, an old towel or roll of paper towels is handy to wipe your hands on.

For bait, it’s hard to beat nightcrawlers or regular worms. With warm spring rains we should begin seeing nightcrawlers very soon. When I was a kid, I used to carry a small folding shovel like a GI shovel and dig worms while I fished, putting them in a coffee can I picked up from the trash when I left home. But the first thing I did when arriving at the river was turn over small logs or bark on the ground and pick up any worms lying underneath.

Using worms, I would catch all manner of fish—perch, carp, and channel catfish. I was after catfish, but I loved the way carp would put up a fight. Dad had a commercial fishing license, so we normally had all the buffalo and carp we needed to eat, but catfish were a different matter. Dad loved the smaller ones that, with the head off, would fit in a cast-iron skillet. He even liked eating the crunchy tail.

Other bait I’ve used in the spring includes chicken gizzards cut up, which stay on the hook better than livers. I’ll usually fish two rods. If the fish are biting well, both will be rigged with whatever they’re hitting. If they’re finicky, I may use worms on one rod and cut bait on the other until I figure out what they prefer.

I have a friend who lives near the Wyaconda River, and he says we’re just about there with the water temperature. He fishes a section of the river that has runoff and is therefore warmer than the main body. A few degrees can make all the difference in the spring.

While people normally think of fishing early in the morning, in the spring I prefer the afternoon or the warmest part of the day. First of all, it’s more comfortable, but the sun has been hitting the water longer, so it may be slightly warmer, especially in shallow areas. I look for a shallow, dark section such as a mud flat with a deeper pool nearby where fish can move back and forth to feed.

I also look for fish around cover, which is another reason for those lightweight wire hooks. Even with them, though, plan on losing some tackle. I sometimes tie a lighter line leader onto a swivel with a sinker slide above the swivel. Hopefully the lighter leader will break before the main line does, and I won’t lose everything—including the hook and sinker.

Fishing in the spring in colder water can also bring about some of the lightest bites you’ll get all year. I’ve had carp hit bait and just run with it, and I had to be fast to grab my rod before it went into the water. More often, those cold-water catfish will nibble so lightly you begin to wonder if it was a bite at all.

For that reason, my bank fishing rods aren’t the stiff ones I use on the river. Instead, they’re medium- to light-action rods with a fast tip that reveals the slightest bite.

But few things in fishing are carved in stone, so be ready for whatever happens.