Blue Catfish

The Santee Cooper lakes blue catfish were stocked in the years 1964 and 1965 and were obtained from Arkansas in exchange for striped bass fry produced at the Moncks Corner hatchery. A total of 825 fish weighing around a pound each were released into Lakes Marion and Moultrie.  Today, blue catfish weighing 30-35 pounds are a commonly caught. In the spring and summer of 1979 the lake (state) record was broken five times.

Typically, blue cats inhabit deep water holes, drop-offs and channels . April through October are the best months for the largest blue catfish catches. Using cut herring, gizzard shad, mullet, night crawlers or commercially prepared baits are the best bets. Blue catfish are principally bottom feeders but you can catch an occasional fish trolling small lures or jigging spoons.

Large blue catfish feed on shad, herring and other schooling baitfish so they are on the move, cruising open water habitat more than other cats. They also favor areas of heavy current and swiftly moving water.  When water temperature falls below 40 degrees, blue catfish become inactive. However, this isn't very long. Blue catfish gather near the deepest well-oxygenated bottom structure available in large feeding schools during winter and these schools often contain trophy-sized fish.

Small blue catfish often are caught on stink-baits and chicken livers, but not as readily as channel catfish.

The world record, International Game Fish Association's 20-pound line class is 109.25 pounds, caught in the Cooper River, Moncks Corner by George A. Lijewski in March 1991.

They are one of the strongest fighting freshwater fish and considered excellent table fare. In fact, we specifically target trophy blue cats for our clients. There are few other species that offer a legitimate shot at a 100-pound fish.