Billfish Pachanga becoming a staple Bait and Switch

Catfish bite steady on live bluegill, cut bait, punch bait

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Anglers across the state are catching catfish in a variety of areas. Strong numbers of eating-sized channel and blue catfish have been providing consistent action in rivers, lakes, creeks, sloughs and stock ponds. While bluegill has been the bait of choice for those who have been able to catch them, fishermen willing to brave the heat are seeing a fast bite with several different offer-

Catfish enthusiast Jerry Garcia has found recent success chasing blues and channels on Lake Worth, noting the efficiency of using bluegill during evening and nighttime hours in 3-4 feet of water around stumps.

By Eric Pickartz

For Lone Star outdoor newS

The Billfish Pachanga Fishing Tournament out of Port Aransas was held a few weeks ago and produced some impressive totals, but the real winners were conservation and community.

Five years removed from its inception, the Billfish Pachanga tournament has seen drastic growth and success, quickly turning into a regional staple.

Co-founder Gabe Goodman and his partner started out of their dockside restaurant, Virginia’s on the Bay, which now hosts all of the tournament’s on-shore events.

“It’s been a very grassroots campaign, and we’re on the ground, setting things up and

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“I’ve caught some blue catfish up to 20-25 pounds, but most of the fish have been in the 15- to 20-inch range,” Garcia said. “Cut buffalo has also produced steady bites when I haven’t been able to get bluegill for bait. Nothing seems to catch the big ones, however, like

Meanwhile, along the Rio Grande River near Laredo, Sergio Rivas has been catching quite a few blue cats and the occasional flathead while bank fishing. Most of what he has been catching have been between 5 and

“Live bluegill has by far been the best bait, but cut shad, cut carp, and cut tilapia have also been producing bites,” Rivas said.

Lake Fork fishing guide Russell Rollins has found the most consistency with channel cats this summer, noting large schools in about 25 feet of water near the edges of creek channels. Most of the fish he has caught have been concentrated 4-5 feet from the bottom in the “I’ve had the most luck tying my boat off to a tree and positioning it over a school of fish,” he said. “From there, my anglers have been dropping punch bait straight down, and catching channel cats as fast as they

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