One way of catching catfish is watching a brightly colored cork bob until it disappears. That’s how Chad Ferguson catches a lot of channel. Ferguson is a Dallas-area fishing guide who works hard to keep his customers in the strike zone.

“I’m fishing with C.J.’s Catfish Punch Bait under a slip cork in shallow water, and there are still plenty of fish shallow,” says Ferguson. Punch bait is a commercial product with a strong odor to attract the fish, and the bait adheres well to a treble hook.

“We’re covering a lot of water until we catch that first fish,” said Ferguson. “When you catch one, that usually means you can load the boat. Start shallow and move deeper if you don’t find them shallow.”

One of Ferguson’s favorite lakes is Cedar Creek. His guide service information is at txcatfishguide.com or call 817-522-3804.

Catfish fishing guides Michael Littlejohn and his wife, Teri, like to use whole grain fermented wheat to bait catfish into their fishing holes. A catfish’s sense of smell rivals that of a shark. By baiting spots daily, anglers can attract fish from long distances and keep them near the baited area.

On # 6 treble hooks the Littlejohns fish with cheddar cheese punch bait. “Ninety-five percent of the time, we limit out on nice channel and blue catfish,” said Michael. He and his wife are best known for catching giant blue cats, and one of their clients set a new Lake Tawakoni record on Feb. 15, 2014. The fish, caught by Jody Jenkins of Wichita Falls, weighed 871/2 pounds.

Littlejohn said they use light tackle to make the fight more enjoyable when catching smaller, eating-sized catfish this time of year. More information is available at tawakoniguideservice.com or call 903-441-3937.

At Lake Fork, which is best known for big bass, fishing guide Stan Kuhn baits his fishing spots with range cubes (livestock feed) and uses Ernest Poletown Catfish Bait to catch the fish. Kuhn catches lots of them. In June Kuhn’s boat tallied about 1,000 catfish. Last year, he set a yearly record with over 4,700 fish.

“Summer is the best time to catch numbers of catfish,” said Kuhn. “Right now, the fish are pretty deep at Lake Fork. I’m catching them in water about 35 feet deep.” Kuhn’s website is thecatfishguide.com or call him at 903-383-2921.