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hooked 24 Houseboatmagazine.com Late summer offers some of the warmest waters of the fishing season, when many popular gamefish species become lethargic and catching anything consistently can become a real challenge. Sure, night fishing can offer great action, but many of us are just not hard-core enough to stay out long after the sun has set and face the challenges of fishing and boating after dark simply to get something to tug at the other end of our fishing lines. While bass, trout, crappie, salmon and walleye seem to go on a hunger strike, some fish species positively thrive when waters warm beyond the mid-70s. One of those is the catfish, and these bewhiskered battlers can be found in practically every water in every state in the Union. From yellow-bellied bullheads to gigantic flatheads known as "shovelheads," catfish of every size are within a short drive and a long cast of just about every boat owner in America. As with avid species-specific anglers everywhere, cat fanciers can make their sport appear to be more a sci- ence than a sport, but the truth is that there is no secret to catching catfish consistently. Catching BIG cats on a regular basis is a considerable challenge, but across most Big Game Cats You Caught What? Catfish like this Ohio state record, 96-pound blue cat, can be caught during the hot summer months by patient anglers using the right baits. (Photo by Tom Cross) By Dan Armitage