Catfish Fishing in Cloudy & Overcast Conditions (+10 Tips)
Sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate when you are out fishing for catfish but overcast and cloud cover can actually be great for fishing. Believe it or not, this weather type is great for fishing action and you will probably catch more and bigger cats as a result.
Are cloudy days and overcast conditions good for catfish fishing success? You can have great success fishing for catfish under cloudy skies and overcast conditions because cooler temperatures and reduced light will cause catfish to venture out of deeper holes in search of food. This can be a great time to go fishing not just for catfish but many species of gamefish.
Check out this link here to view my complete catfish fishing gear recommendation list, including rods, reels, baits, gear, etc. I have field tested a lot of catfish gear and these are my recommendations.
Catfish & Gray Skies
Best Time of Day to Catch Catfish (Clouds & Overcast)
The best time of day to catch catfish under these conditions is normally early morning and late afternoon though fish will bite all day long. You can also catch catfish at night during the spring and summer.
For a complete article on the best time of day to catch catfish (all species) in every given season, please check out this article I wrote.
Best Baits for Catfish
The best catfish bait is what catfish eat on a daily basis. A lot of anglers like fishing with stink “punch” baits but I find them to be messy, nasty to handle, disgusting, and only good for smaller channel catfish. If you want to catch bigger catfish, go with fresh natural bait.
Shad and bluegill are my personal favorites. Let’s break down catfish by species to see what is the best bait for cloudy conditions. If you want to learn what the best baits for catching big catfish is in every season, you need to check out this awesome article I wrote.
Channel Catfish
Channel catfish will be the smallest of the big 3 North American catfish and will prefer smaller baits. A lot of anglers use worms and stink baits.
I don’t care for stink baits unless you just want to catch small channel cats. If you want to catch big channel cats, go with clam meat, anchovies, or cut shad.
I really like using cut shad if I can catch some. If not, anchovies work great. Chicken liver is great too though a little messy. All of these baits work great under clear skies or cloudy skies.
Blue Catfish
My favorite bait to catch blue catfish with is cut shad. They will eat whole live shad and whole live small bluegills but you have to remember they have fairly small mouths despite their large size.
On cloudy days, nothing beats cut shad that is bite-sized for a 30-pound blue catfish. Rig them with circle hooks in the 3/0 to 5/0 size range. I think shad is the best blue catfish bait out there. It is by far my favorite.
Flathead Catfish
Flathead catfish have the largest mouths of all North American catfish so you can bet they want to eat big food. You can catch flatheads using cut bait but you will catch bigger flatheads using whole living bait. In most waterways, live bluegills are the best flathead bait.
Live shad can be very good too though shad are tough to keep alive after netting so that may not be an option. I have even used small carp and bullheads as flathead bait and caught nice fish.
Make sure to check the legality of using live bait like first though. Speaking of bluegills, to learn how good a catfish bait bluegills are and how to fish with them, please check out this article I wrote.
Bullheads
Bullheads are not true catfish but they are very close cousins. They are essentially small catfish without forked tails. For bullheads, I love fishing with worms and with baitfish. Minnows are my favorite big bullhead baits.
Minnows in the 2-4 inch range are great for big bullheads. Another bait that works great for catching big numbers of bullheads is a small piece of Slim-Jim. Believe it or not, they definitely will catch you bullheads.
Do Stink Baits Work for These Conditions?
I don’t care for stink baits. They are messy, nasty, and a pain to deal with. They also only really catch small channel cats. If you want to catch big catfish in overcast conditions, I would stay away from stink baits and use natural baits like live or dead shad, bluegill, and clam meat.
Anchovies and chicken liver are good too. For a complete breakdown of why I oppose stink baits and much better options for you that catch big catfish, check out this article I wrote.
10 Tips for Catfish Success
1. Location is Key
This is probably the most important thing I can teach you about catching catfish. Location is the driver of your success. If you are not fishing on the right spot, it won’t matter if you are using the greatest bait, you won’t catch fish.
Likewise, if you are using a mediocre bait but fishing in a perfect spot, you will catch fish all day long. Finding good spots is at least 85% of your success in fishing for catfish. Get this right and everything else falls into place.
2. Use Natural “Fresh” Bait
The best bait for catching catfish is fresh bait that catfish are already eating on a daily basis. This is especially true for big catfish.
You can catch small dink channel cats on worms or stink baits, but if you want to catch big channel, blue, or flathead catfish, you need to feed them what they are eating.
That could vary from lake to lake and river to river. More often than not it is shad, bluegill, carp, crayfish, or clams. Find out what it is and give them that to catch big catfish in good numbers.
3. Ditch the Smelly Stuff
Let me admit that stink baits will catch you some catfish. But if you want to catch big catfish, stink baits are not your best option. You would be much better off fishing with natural fresh bait that big cats are already eating.
I said this earlier and I believe it, stink baits are better at catching fishermen than catfish. Plus they are just plain nasty to work with and they will stink up your vehicle and gear. I don’t like working with stink baits at all but if you do, go for it.
4. Circle Hooks Over J-Hooks
When it comes to catfish hooks, I strongly recommend circle hooks. Not “octopus” hooks but legit circle hooks. Catfish have a nasty habit of swallowing hooks resulting in throat or even gut hooked fish.
If you plan on killing the fish, this is fine. But if you catch and release like I do, this is terrible. Circle hooks are designed to rotate inside a catfish’s mouth and catch right in the corner of the mouth for a perfect hookset that is easy to remove.
The trick to using circle hooks is not to set the hook. Doing so will result in not hooking the fish. Instead, let the fish hook itself.
Wait for the rod to bend down and stay down for 2 seconds then reel up a couple turns until the rod bows over. You now have the fish firmly hooked and that hook is not coming out.
5. Analyze the Topography of Shoreline
One of the best things you can do to find catfish is to see what the shoreline looks like. Is the shoreline flat or steep. You can bet that whatever it is on land, so it will also be in the water.
If the bank is steep with trees, you can bet the water depth drops off quick into deep water with plenty of sunken trees for cover.
Likewise, if the bank is flat, you may have to go far from shore to find any deep water. Catfish usually prefer deeper water near shore as opposed to the flats. This will help you find better fishing spots for your next venture.
6. Be Patient in Summer
In summer, I recommend waiting at a “good spot” for 2 hours before moving. No bites within 2 hours, more elsewhere. But definitely wait that much time.
During the summer, catfish are foraging around for food and scattered around the lake. It will take them a while to find your bait. But if you don’t get any bites in 2 hours, you’re not in a good location.
7. Don’t Be Patient in Winter
Winter fishing is the exact opposite. Do not wait for bites. In winter, catfish will head for deep wintering holes near shallow water inlets. If your lake has 8 deep holes of this caliber, every catfish in the lake will be in one of those 8 holes.
This means catfish will be jam-packed into those spots. If you are fishing on one of those holes, you will get bites pretty quick. I recommend waiting 15 minutes. If you get no bites in 15 minutes, you are not in the right spot. Move somewhere else until you do get bites.
8. Sunrise & Sunset
Catfish bite all day and all night long. During summer, I prefer to fish near sunrise and near sunset. This is when I have the best luck, especially for big flathead catfish.
On cloudy and overcast days, catfish will bite all day long but you will definitely notice increased success when you fish dawn and dusk. I recommend testing this out.
9. Day vs. Night
Most fishermen catch catfish during the day because that is when they can be on the water. And daytime catfishing can be great if you find the location. But do not ignore the nighttime bite.
Once you learn to ignore the mosquitos and the cold, nighttime fishing can be amazing for catfish. Because cats don’t rely on their vision to find food, they have no trouble feeding at night. They will find their way to your bait in the dark..
10. Use Electronics If You Have Them
If you have a boat with electronics, they can be a valuable tool for finding good fishing spots. This can be especially true on overcast days when catfish are more spread out.
Fishfinders, graphs, and charts can really help you pinpoint good locations with plenty of forage for catfish to dine on. You can find catfish without electronics but they sure will help if you use them right.
To learn the best barometric pressure for catfish, check out this article.
Cloudy & Overcast Effects
Winter Time
I have found winter catfish action to be better under cloudy skies. Catfish really seem to be in a feeding mood during these times. But I have read accounts from other anglers who have the opposite results in winter so test it out yourself.
Nighttime
Cloudy weather at night really hasn’t made a big impact for catfish fishing for me. Catfish don’t need moonlight to hunt. I have had pretty good success on full moon nights and also cloudy nights. Try it out for yourself and see which one is better.
Sunny vs. Not-Sunny
I find cloudy weather is better for catfish fishing than sunny weather. The cloud cover makes it more comfortable for catfish to swim around looking for food in shallower water.
Final Thoughts
Catfish angling can be very good during overcast or cloudy conditions. The cooler water temperatures afford catfish freer reign into shallow water and more comfortable swimming in the middle of the day. Furthermore, it means baitfish like shad will be more active and catfish will be following them closely to feed.
That said, since catfish rely more on smell and feel to locate food as opposed to sight, the reduced light won’t afford them any real advantages in hunting.
From my experiences, cloudy conditions won’t make a huge difference for your fishing success but it will make fishing a lot more comfortable and enjoyable for you. Sure beats sitting out in the midday sun roasting. Click here to see a breakdown of the best weather for catfish.
