Lake Tawakoni Fishing Guide-Catfish Spawning Season Tips

If you are tired of getting shut out this spring, read the Lake Tawakoni Catfish Tips-Spawning Season blog and start catching!  The #1 Blue Catfish Guide on Lake Tawakoni, Tony Pennebaker gives anglers the good stuff on how to put more fish in the net this spring spawning season.

Catfishing at Lake Tawakoni-Blue Catfish Spawning Season

Lake Tawakoni Blue Catfish will spawn this Spring when the water temperatures reach 70 degrees. We are very close to that magical temperature now. The male fish will choose a bedding site in dark secluded areas with logs and rocks. The male will lure the female into the bedding site where she will lay eggs. The male will fertilize the eggs, chase off the female, and guard the eggs. The fry hatch in 6-10 days and will stay near the nest with the male for 3-4 days. The Blue Catfish fry will then wonder out and become sexually mature at 24 inches long. Studies show the average lifespan of a Blue Catfish is 20-25 years.

Lake Tawakoni Blue Catfish Quick Hits

The Blue Catfish has a rounded anal fin with 24-29 rays.
Blue Catfish often get confused with channel catfish.
Blue Catfish are bottom feeder 90% of the time.
Catfish DO NOT Sting.
Adult catfish are usually lone wolf creatures.
Blue Catfish have an advanced sense of smell and taste.
Blue Catfish lay their eggs in crevices. Look for Rocks and or downed logs.
Juvenile Blue Catfish eat insects and small fish.
Blue Catfish never stop growing; the larger the fish, the older it is.

Blue Catfish prefer deep water and some current, but you can always find them if you locate the shad population. Lake Tawakoni Blue Catfish eat anything and everything they can, but prefer threadfin and gizzard shad.  The best Catfish Bait for Lake Tawakoni is fresh caught shad, never frozen.

Catch more Blue Catfish Before, During, and After The Spawn

Most anglers love the spawning season and catch big fish and big numbers, but catfish can become difficult at best! Your Blue Catfishing success on Lake Tawakoni can get very tough if you do not understand the spawning season! 70 degrees is the magic number for Blue Catfish, and remember they prefer to lay eggs in crevices like rocks or logs. The spawn may occur earlier where creek water warms the shallow lake water! So shallow water where creeks dump into Lake Tawakoni could have spawning Blue Cats before the main lake. If you want to improve your catch rate look for feeder creeks on Lake Tawakoni. Blue Catfish will be staged here preparing for the spawn.

Lake Tawakoni Fishing Guide-Catfish Spawn Tactics

If you are tired of getting shut out this spring, read the Lake Tawakoni Catfish Tips-Spawning Season blog and start catching!  The #1 Blue Catfish Guide on Lake Tawakoni, Tony Pennebaker gives anglers the good stuff on how to put more fish in the net this spring spawning season.

Catfishing at Lake Tawakoni-Blue Catfish Spawning Season

There is a sharp dropoff in catch rates during the spawn because male Blue Catfish eat very little while protecting the spawning bed! The good news is this nesting lasts only 2-4 days! Most Texas Lakes will not have all fish spawning at the same time, so you could have one area of Lake Tawakoni in pre-spawn, one spot active spawn, and another part of the lake post-spawn.

Yes catching blue catfish on Lake Tawakoni will take some work! Once again magic advice from a fishing guide, if you are not catching fish in 20-30 minutes……MOVE! One area of Lake Tawakoni could be on spawning lock-down, but the next area could be game on! Cover water for more success! The best fishing often is in tributary streams, as the water temperature warms, catfish migrate upstream into tributaries to spawn.

Target Spawning Hot Spots-Lake Tawakoni Blue Catfish

Tributary mouths are spawning areas for Catfish, and they can produce the best fishing of the year. When we get a big spring rain the creeks dump warm water into Lake Tawakoni and Blue Catfish will hang out close to the current in heavy cover like trees, humps, or holes and ambush shad!

Use the current and cast upstream and drift you cut bait to the feeding Blue Catfish. Look for the rocks on Lake Tawakoni and you will find ALL Catfish species spawning in the crevices. Pay attention to the Dam Rip-Rap rocks. Find underwater points or where rocks go from big to small. Maybe a log or pipe is stacked on the rocks, Blue Catfish love these spots. Cast your bait to the rocks and fish it on the bottom for success!

Lake Tawakoni Catfishing During the Spawn

Thanks for reading our blog lake Tawakoni Catfish Tips-Spawning Season.  Fishing for catfish during their spawning season can be very frustrating.   Improve your odds and learn how to catch catfish from Guide Tony Pennebaker.  Tony loves to teach clients how, why, and when to catch Blue Catfish on Lake Tawakoni.  For more information please follow Blue Catfish Guide on Lake Tawakoni, Tony Pennebaker.  Don’t forget to Like Us on Facebook and check out our pictures on Instagram!

About The Author

Meet Lake Tawakoni Fishing Guide Tony Pennebaker!  Tony is the owner-operator of laketawakonicatfishguide.com and Thunder Cove Guide Service.  Tony targets trophy blue catfish from November to March and puts big fish in the net!  Spring and summer you will find Tony chasing Channel Catfish!  Lake Tawakoni Fishing Guide Tony Pennebaker has over 30 years experience fishing Lake Tawakoni and now is a full-time guide! Tony loves to show clients why Lake Tawakoni is the Catfish Capital of Texas!

Source: Lake Tawakoni Fishing Guide-Tony Pennebaker

Contact Information 

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2201 E Rabbit Cove Rd.
West Tawakoni, TX 75474
903-474-3078
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