Masters' Secrets of Catfishing (Fresh Water Library) (Paperback)

by John E. Phillips (Author) "Although more than 1,000 kinds of catfish that make up the family Ictaluridae are found across the world, 28 species live in the United States,..." (more)
Key Phrases: Red River, United States, National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Larsen's Outdoor Publishing (November 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0936513446
• ISBN-13: 978-0936513447
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,540,535 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Like many fine catfish baits, this book stinks and smells., July 8, 1997

By A Customer

This is a very disappointing book. Anyone who has read Phillips' columns in magazines such as Southern Sporting Journal will recognize many passages that have been lifted almost verbatim from his other writings. There isn't much new here, there aren't really many secrets shared, and the presentation isn't all that masterful.

Phillips writes in very general terms about tools and tactics that can be used to fish for catfish, the second most popular target for American anglers. He avoids details to a fault, for instance glossing over the fact that tactics well suited for catching blue catfish aren't likely to work well when fishing for flatheads, and vice vera. The important discussion of catfish baits is similarly sweeping. Judging from this book, one might think that all it takes to catch a catfish is a smelly bait. Nothing could be further from the truth. Stink baits certainly will work for bullheads and smaller channel catfish. But larger cats, especially flatheads, have a pronounced preference for live baitfish, such as shiner minnows, and generally ignore any other offerings.

There are other problems, as well. While Phillips does an excellent job of explaining how to fish for catfish in tailraces, the leader is left to infer that tailraces are areas below a dam fed by cool water from the bottom of the lake above the dam. Similarly, he leaps into an interview with Carl Lowrance (inventor of the depth finder) about fishing the thermocline (a zone of transition between warm and cold water that occurs up in large lakes in the summer) without telling the reader what the thermocline is or how to locate it.

The book isn't wholly without merit. For example, Phillips devotes an entire chapter to the excellent channel catfish fishery on the Red River of the North. This fishery is often overlooked by anglers in the eastern US. (Still, one wishes he had provided as much detail about other well-known catfish fisheries, such as the Santee-Cooper system in South Carolina). For another, the section listing several tasty recipes for cooking catfish is quite useful. Last, and by no means least, Phillips' folksy writing style is fun to read, even when it isn't conveying much useful information.

There are better sources of information about fishing for catfish. Channel Catfish Fever, edited by Doug Stange of In-Fisherman magazine is one such source, while In-Fisherman's annual Catfish Guide is another.

3 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars PAR EXCELLENT !, November 27, 1998

By A Customer

This book is about tactics, strategy, as well as experts past and present.

This book is an easy read for the novice or Sante-Cooper professional.

Bullhead, Flats, Arkansas Blues, Fiddlers, are all included.

Thank you Mr. Phillips!