Blue Catfish Missouri River

Lifetime Fishing Permit residents only.

Blue catfish missouri river. Aug 01 2019 Blue cats exist naturally in the Missouri River upriver as far as Onawa and are occasionally seen in the Mississippi River north of Keokuk. Blue Channel Cat. Military Reduced Cost Permit.

Their numbers have declined in the Mississippi River upstream from the mouth of the Missouri River but they are still taken in those waters by savvy anglers especially in the tailwaters of the locks and dams. The channel catfish bite usually stays good most of the summer and flathead action is especially good also. When pursuing blue catfish in the Mississippi River Chris Morrow an avid catfish tournament angler from Troy suggests concentrating on lock and dam tailwaters during early spring when water temperatures range from about 50 to 60 degrees.

Whenever there are mature populations of the Blue Catfish you should be able to find some 50 pounders quite easily. Blue catfish are common in both the Missouri and Mississippi rivers throughout the state of Missouri. Set an anchor so that the boat is just within casting distance of your target location.

The blue catfish bite can be tough during the late summer when the water gets really warm especially in bodies of water with a thermocline. White River Border Lakes Permit. Fishing with live or dead fish as bait attracts the blue catfish.

As we mentioned earlier Blue Catfish can be typically found in the Mississippi river basin. The blue catfish is a big-river fish preferring swift chutes pools with noticeable current and silt-free substrates. Post spawn blue catfishing also offers some excellent angling opportunities as well.

There are also good populations of blue catfish in Lake of the Ozarks and Truman Reservoir. During the 1970s and 1980s they were introduced to the James Rappahannock and York river basins in Virginia as a new recreational fishery. Blue catfish are native to the Mississippi Missouri Ohio and Rio Grande river basins.