The Catfish Hunters- Techniques, Science, and Personal Bests, by Jake Bussolini and Mac Byrum. Author House, 2011, paperback, 311 pages, $18.00

OK, so I’m not a catfisherman. And when I saw the cover of this new catfish fishing book my thought was, “You must be kidding me.” The cover photo is terrible, and the price isn’t even on the book.

In the book there are lots of mistakes in spelling and grammar. It does not have an index.

Having gotten all the negatives out of the way, The Catfish Hunters is a darned good book if you have any interest in catfish at all, especially channel cats, flatheads, and blue cats. For starters, the authors have compared detailed catch records to predictions made by the Solunar Tables. Their conclusion? Flipping a coin is more accurate at predicting fish behavior. I agree completely with their final take on that subject- the best time to go fishing is whenever you can.

They also take a hard look at best times of the day to fish. Morning and evening have traditionally been viewed as the best times to fish. Bussolini and Byrum shoot that long-standing myth down, again by using years worth of detailed catch records.

They take a look at catch and release fishing. Using university studies the authors suggest that C&R results in “hook avoidance” by fish, resulting in less healthy fish and poorer quality fishing. It’s an interesting idea that’s bound to raise some controversy in angling circles.

They examine tackle and rigging for cats. They look at boats and how to rig them for the most efficient catfishing. They like using electronics and have many screen shots showing what the bait schools and catfish look like, so when you’re out on the water you know what you’re looking at, having seen it before in these pages. It’s a very nice addition.

One of the techniques they like best is trolling with multiple rods, some of which are rigged with planing boards. They run eight lines while doing this, like offshore anglers after dolphin or billfish.

They look at baits. One of their favorites are chunks of boneless chicken breast marinated overnight in garlic powder. They certainly use more traditional baits such as live and cut baitfish, stink baits, earthworms, and crawfish. They didn’t mention hot dogs!

They discuss safety while on the water, a subject dear to my heart.

The book also covers other fishing techniques than trolling, handling cats, using topographic maps (remember those?), the effect of changing seasons on cats, and more. It ends with detailed discussions about fishing specific bodies of water, including Monticello Lake, Lake Wateree, Lake Norman, the Santee-Cooper Lakes, and several others.

All in all it’s a fascinating, well researched book, and even with the errors still very readable. For anyone interested in fishing for catfish, or any student of angling, The Catfish Hunters is a book well worth reading.

John Kumiski