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Location

Where Do Catfish Hide?

The right bait and rig mean nothing if you're fishing an empty spot. Here's where catfish actually hold — and where the real giants are hiding.

Every dam has catfish in it. The difference between a slow day and a great one usually isn't skill or gear — it's whether you're fishing where the fish actually are. That comes down to two main types of spots.

Drop-Offs — Where the Big, Big Catfish Live

If you want to target serious size, this is the spot. Find a drop-off — where the bottom shelves down into deeper water — and put your bait right on the edge, just before it drops. That's where the biggest catfish sit.

The really big ones, the 30, 35, 40kg-plus fish, tend to be lone wolves. They don't swim in schools like the smaller catfish do — they hold alone, usually in that deep water off a drop-off. If you're serious about targeting a genuine giant, this is the type of spot to focus on.

You don't have to fish this from the bank either. If you've got access to a boat, getting out to a drop-off you can't reach from shore opens up spots that most bank anglers never touch.

Shallow Water — Good Numbers, Solid Size

If you're after a good session rather than one specific giant, shallow water works well too — especially with a popper. You won't typically get the true monsters here, but 15, 18, even 20–25kg catfish are very catchable in the shallows with the right approach.

Structure Worth Fishing

Beyond depth, look for:

• Drop-offs — the single best structure for big catfish
• Fallen trees — catfish use them for cover
• Areas where birds gather — spots where birds are dropping fish or feeding nearby often hold catfish too
• Rocky areas — not the top pick, but catfish do bite here

Does Water Clarity Matter?

Not really. Murky, brown water produces just as well as clear water — most of the catfish caught are in murky conditions, and that holds true across different waters, brown or otherwise. Don't avoid a spot just because the water looks dirty.

The Middle Ground to Avoid

If you're choosing between depths, the awkward in-between zone — roughly 5 to 7 meters — tends to be the weakest water. Either go shallow for numbers, or find that drop-off into 8 to 14+ meters for the big ones. The water in between isn't where catfish concentrate.

A Mistake Worth Avoiding

Two things trip people up here. First, not knowing where to look at all — not realising catfish favour drop-offs for size or shallow water for numbers, and fishing blind instead. Second, and just as common: fishing the right spot the wrong way. You can have the perfect bait on the wrong rig, or the perfect rig with the wrong bait, and still go home with nothing — even standing on a spot that's genuinely holding fish.

Any Dam Can Produce

There's no dam without catfish in it. Bloemhof Dam and the Orange River are both known for producing big fish, but really, any dam can hold big catfish — it comes down to knowing where to look. Learn to read the depth and find the drop-offs, and you'll find catfish wherever you fish.