My son wants to catch a monster catfish in the Mississippi.

Drive over to Natchez and put in. I've caught some absolute giants over the years.

Man it's pretty hard not to catch catfish in the MS. Greasy chicken should make for good bait. I wouldn't drive an hour to another place before you get your bearings on how to catch them where you're at. It's not the spot, they are there.

The keys for me were heavy weight, a wide gap hook (circles just never did it for some reason), durable bait with some kind of oil present (sounds like you have this covered), and throwing as far out into the current as I could. The goal is to get it to moving water that can carry the scent, and have enough weight for the bait stay there until they find it. Don't make them hit a moving target, and ignore your inner bass fisherman who thinks that swirling water near the bank looks like a good spot, you want straight flow.

Find drop offs and variances in current


And I like the big circle hooks

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And I like the big circle hooks

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I never could get circle hooks to work. I was using 5/0's and it was like they would pick it up and investigate but not take it. Switched to a wide gap worm hook and every rod bend was a hookup after that. Several fish hooked in the pad, it stuck them even if they were just checking it out.

Go up to St. Francisville and come back down towards Thompson creek

Freespool a live bream

My Uncle fishes catfish commercial. They use circle hooks. When they catch small hard head catfish cut into 1" lengths for bait. They average about 450-600 lbs a trip.

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Put a heavy weight 6oz's to 16 oz's, come up about 14" and make a loop knot. #5 circle hook, but you need to learn how to tie one first.

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I'm curious, what line do you use? Also what weight and length rod?

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I'm curious, what line do you use? Also what weight and length rod?

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Braid line in the 65lb class. Heavy rod and reel. 7'rod for casting with a spinning reel best.

Weight depends on current. You have to get it set on the bottom without the current pulling it down river.

Catfish feed more I eddies.

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Catfish feed more I eddies.

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I always knew this to be true until I fished the big river. It's a different animal. I spent two hours starring at my rod tip throwing to eddies near barges before I said hell with it and chunked it as far as I could get into the main channel. Within 10 minutes I had a bite, I think with that much water moving it helps if they can take a straight line to it. Just what worked for me.