GOING FISHING
With so many catfish forced into current breaks by the flowing water, finding fish is not difficult. Every outside bend, point and logjam holds great potential. Look for deep washout holes in bends, and eddies below each point or logjam. Other productive breaks are not as easy to spot, as a small cut in the bank will often hold fish.

"Since it's so important to find any kind of break, look for stumps, either individually or in rows," Greene added. "There are a lot of stumps 10 to 15 feet off the bank near Abby Creek. When they are not generating, the stumps are exposed; otherwise, the stumps are a couple of feet below the surface.

"Fish the stumps by sticking a set pole in a crack on top of the stump at a 45-degree angle. It's important that your bait is behind the stump where the water is slack. You will wear them out!

"For other current beaks, use a limb line if there's a green limb overhanging the eddy," Greene continued. "If not, jab a set pole in the bank. Approach the limb or bank with your gear ready. It makes it easier for your partner, who must maneuver the boat in the strong current."

Garrett and Greene set their gear so their baits hold just inside the current break where the water slows. The former fishes his bait two to five feet below the surface, while the latter keeps his baits a few inches above the bottom. However, when Garrett's target species is the flatheads below the Andrews Lock and Dam, he fishes his live bait on the bottom.

Greene, who only fishes the upper pool, said his technique produces a mixed bag made up of 80 percent channel, 15 percent blue and 5 percent yellow (flathead) cats.

"Yellows hold tight to the bottom and structure," he said, "while blues and channels hold behind the structure, but not as tight.

"If you put out 25 poles and a dozen limb lines," Greene offered, "you will stay busy. With the generators running and with good fresh bait, by the time you get them set out -- it may take a couple of hours -- it's time to run them. You will pick up a number of fish on the first trip."

Between runs, the catmen fish with their casting rods in current breaks not occupied with limb lines and set poles. These are the areas where it is difficult to set their other gear. If the fish are actively feeding, they may fish with their rods for less than 30 minutes before making another run.

For a relaxing time on the lower Hooch when the water is not flowing, Garrett switches gear to drift cut bait below 30 to 40 floats. His technique works throughout the year but is most productive in the summer, when catfish are nearer to the surface in the well-oxygenated water.

"If it's a calm night," Garrett said, "spread your floats out over a distance of two or three miles. When the wind is blowing, drift them in a group so you can watch over them. You may also want to align the floats before they drift over a point or flat.

"If the fish are biting, I let my floats drift for five or six hours. If not, I pick them up and move after two hours. I have gone, planning to only fish for two hours, and the fishing was so good that it would be daylight before I stopped."