Veteran anglers like hot-weather fishing primarily because the biggest fish are more likely to hole up longer -- that is, remain in those deep-hole areas for longer periods of the day. At night, of course, warm-weather cats are more apt to prowl the shallows, and some anglers prefer summertime fishing for that reason alone, arguing that big shallow-water catfish on the prowl are more-willing biters. That’s debatable: Big cats are opportunists that, on the move or not, can seldom resist a properly presented bait.

Georgia has plenty of big catfish of all species -- quite enough to provide a viable fishery. That understood, just where does one go to find them? Obviously, the local pay-by-the-pound catfish pond is not a prime destination.

Indeed, big cats can show up in practically any fishing hole, but big cats in consistently strong numbers don’t. Certain waterways have good track records and reputations, and these are the places a trophy catfish angler should target for his best chance at success.

For those seeking big blue cats, all roads lead (according to most anglers and fisheries biologists) to the Coosa River in northwest Georgia. Easily accessible from Rome, a favorite stretch of the river for trophy-cat fishermen is from Mayo’s Bar Lock and Dam downriver to the Alabama state line. Along this reach one finds plenty of river bluffs that drop steeply off into deep water. Here as well are good deep creek mouths and a lot of outside river bends -- all places where the current over time has carved out the deep, dark holes the big blues love. Here, 30- to 40-pound blue cats are not too uncommon, with fish in the 40-plus-pound range showing up from time to time.

The Andrews Dam tailwaters, in southwest Georgia, might be an up-and-coming trophy blue cat stream, though it’s really too early to proclaim that. For several years now, more and more blues of better than 10 pounds have been brought to hand downstream from the dam. This is a large tailwater area that holds many fish, and the new state record provides good evidence that quite a few more monster-class blues could be out there. It bears watching with interest.

The best chance for a trophy blue cat on a reservoir is likely found at Clarks Hill. Besides the 1979 state record, several large blues have been taken there in recent years. Remember, though: A large reservoir often proves more difficult to fish than a river, especially for a newcomer. It takes a lot of searching on a reservoir to pinpoint where the big cats lie in wait.

With the channel cat’s broad range, it stands to reason that there are now more areas in the state in which to find a big one. That’s more or less true -- and, frankly, if some of the larger streams in the state are little known for producing big channel catfish, that could be because folks just aren’t fishing for them there. For example, scores of 20-plus-pound channel cats have come from the Andrews tailwaters during the past 30 years, with a number of larger ones showing up as a bonus; farther up the Chattahoochee River near the Walter F. George Dam tailwaters, big cats are not as often heard from. Same river, two similar expansive tailwater fisheries -- and more big catfish in one than in the other? Not likely. The cats simply aren’t the favored targets at one that they are at the other.

Big channel cats are also pulled from the Coosa with some regularity. Someone going there for the blues can expect to find the closely related channel cat in some of the same holes.