"Blue cats cruise these holes and eat anything that comes past in the current," Dance added. "We've had great success fishing spots like this. Any angler can do the same."

The tackle we used exemplifies the standard gear necessary for landing these hard-fighting brutes in the Mississippi's heavy current: 7-foot-plus, medium- to heavy-action rods with soft tips for detecting bites and heavy butts for strength; big, large-capacity baitcasting reels; heavy line, big sinkers and big hooks. Patterson and Dance regularly checked the tackle to be sure everything was functional in case a giant took the bait.

And while we didn't catch any of the Mississippi's truly big blues this day, the action was almost nonstop. I caught a pair of blues slightly less than 20 pounds each, and my expert guides did likewise. We also caught many smaller catfish.

"There's no doubt 100-pound blues are swimming out here," Dance said rather matter of factly. "And fishing this way with big-fish baits and tough tackle is a way to catch them. No matter what you do, however, you have to be in the right place at the right time for it to work. The monsters are out there, but blues over 100 pounds are the rarest of rare fish."

"If you want to catch one, though," Patterson added, "there's no better place in the world to try than here in the Mississippi River."

Some Final Notes
If you've never fished on this stretch of the Mississippi, consider booking a trip with a guide like James Patterson who can teach you the ropes. This is a gargantuan body of water that's tough to fish and sometimes dangerous as well. Strong current and undertows can get you in a pickle if you aren't careful, and barge traffic is incessant. Ideally, you should get some lessons from an expert before tackling it. And if you should decide to go it alone, use a big boat, be safety conscious at all times, and always wear a life jacket.

Good boat ramps exist at several areas on the river, including one at Mud Island River Park and another near the Pyramid in Memphis. For information on area accommodations, food and services, contact the Memphis Area Chamber of Commerce, (901) 543-3500 or online at www.memphischamber.com.

For many years, I've been saying there's no better place in the world to fish for monster blue cats than the lower Mississippi River, and the Big Cat Quest proved that once and for all. If you want to catch the catfish of a lifetime, this is the No. 1 place you should visit. Somewhere in the depths of the Father of Waters, a new world-record blue cat is swimming and perhaps you'll be the lucky angler who catches it.

(Editor's Note: Keith Sutton's latest book, Pro Tactics Catfish, just released this spring, is now available by visiting his Web site at www.catfishsutton.com.)