MEEMAN-SHELBY STATE PARK LAKES
Another of my favorite catfishing destinations in West Tennessee is Meeman-Shelby State Park, a beautiful area on the Mississippi River 13 miles north of Memphis. The 13,000-acre park's two lakes -- Peirsol (12 acres) and Poplar Tree (132 acres) -- provide opportunities to catch some dandy channel catfish, and there's no need even to bring a boat. Rental johnboats are available at the park boat dock, and you also can fish from the pier or bank. Personally owned boats with electric motors are allowed on the lake for a small launch fee, but no gasoline motors are permitted.

A small spinning or spin-casting outfit is ideal for the eating-sized cats in these lakes. I keep mine spooled with 6- to 10-pound-test monofilament. Any catfishing rig can be used, but my favorite, a slip-sinker rig, is easily made by placing a small egg sinker on your main line above a barrel swivel tied at the line's end. Add an 18-inch leader to the swivel's other eye, and tie a hook (1/0 to 3/0 bait-holder, octopus or Kahle) to the end of that. Bait can be some worms or minnows from a bait shop, or fresh chicken livers, hot dogs, bacon, cheese or shrimp from the supermarket. Cast the bait out and let it sink to the bottom near good cover or structure, and you shouldn't have to wait long before you're thrilling to the tug of a nice channel cat.

Stop at the park office before fishing to obtain the free permit required for anglers ages 16 and 62. To reach the park from I-40 in Memphis, take Exit 2-A (Millington), turn right, go six stoplights to Watkins Road (Highway 388), turn left and go until the road dead-ends. Turn left here, go one mile to a four-way stop and turn right. A mile down the road you'll see the park entrance on your left. For additional information, phone Meeman-Shelby State Park at (901) 876-5215.

REELFOOT LAKE
Another great West Tennessee catfish hotspot I've had a chance to fish is Reelfoot Lake in Obion and Lake counties. Formed by the catastrophic New Madrid Earthquakes of 1811-12, this 15,000-acre timber-filled lake has some big flatheads swimming in it, but my guide, Billy Blakely of Blue Bank Resort, and I decided to try for Reelfoot's super-abundant channel cats instead. Catching these cats on a rod and reel is a cinch. The lake is bristling with 1- to 5-pounders. However, on this trip, we used yo-yos for our fishing.

In fishing parlance, yo-yo is a nickname for the Auto-Fisher made by Rocking "A" Ltd. in Diamond City, Arkansas. The "yo-yo" nickname makes sense when you see one in action. A length of nylon line is stored on the spring-loaded reel. The device is hung from a tree limb, the hook is baited, then line is pulled off the retractable spool, and a trigger is set in a notch on the spool to hold the line at the preferred depth. When a catfish takes the bait, the catch is released, and the spring tension pulls the line tight. This sets the hook in the fish's mouth.

With the help of two friends, Billy and I set out 75 yo-yos. Reelfoot Lake provides an ideal setting for yo-yo fishing, thanks to the abundance of cypress trees growing out in the lake. Each cypress has low-hanging branches where the yo-yos can be attached, and because the trees grow in clusters, you can set dozens of yo-yos where they all can be watched.

"Small channel cats are abundant in Reelfoot," Billy told me. "And experience has shown me that worms are as good a bait as any when you're after small cats for the dinner table. You can buy a couple hundred worms at any bait store for a pretty reasonable price, and that's plenty when you're fishing a few dozen yo-yos."

Billy and I tied each yo-yo to a branch near the water, baited the hook, and then stripped off enough line to keep the baits 4 feet beneath the water. In the cypress groves we fished, baits placed nearest each tree trunk produced best. Initially, some yo-yos were placed near the trunk, others at the ends of branches several feet away from the trunk. When we determined that in-close yo-yos were producing more cats, we moved the outer devices closer to the trunks.

"Just because you have a lot of hooks in the water doesn't mean you're going to catch a lot of catfish," Billy said. "It's important to place each hook in a spot where catfish are likely to be feeding. Experimenting with different presentations can help you determine the best spots on a particular day, but it's important to learn the specific types of cover and structure catfish prefer in order to be a successful yo-yo fisherman time and time again. If you place your rigs in fishless water, you won't catch fish, simple as that."

At times, you may be able to place and set all your yo-yos before the catfish start biting. But at other times, you'll be setting one out when you hear a catfish fighting the line on another one you already baited. Billy and I experienced the latter. Before we had placed all 75 of our yo-yos, we already had caught 10 nice channel cats. We caught dozens of cats over the next several hours, and I enjoyed one of the most fun afternoons of catfishing ever.