About Us
Hooked On Cats Guide Service is a fully licensed and insured catfish specific guide service based in far western Kentucky near the confluence of the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. We primarily target large, trophy class blue catfish while fishing these very productive waters, but do occasionally fish for channel cats and flatheads as well. Other rivers in the area that we also fish are the Cumberland River and Tennessee River. All of these rivers are located within a 30min or less drive from our location near Paducah, Ky. These rivers have historically and consistently produced high numbers of small, medium and large cats year after year as well as the larger trophy class cats we love to pursue.
Your Trip
All of our outings usually start around 7:00am and end in the early afternoon, but we are very flexible and will work with you to accommodate your schedule.
We offer 4 hour and 6 hour trips, both weekdays and weekends. We provide all bait, tackle and equipment needed for your trip but you are welcome to bring your own gear if you so desire. Lunch/snacks are not provided but bottled water will be readily available. Guests will need to bring a valid Kentucky or Illinois fishing license for the day of the trip and rain gear just in case it’s needed. If you want to keep some of your fish to take home, remember to bring a cooler(s) to put them in. We do not provide fish cleaning services. We practice selective harvest and are fine with you keeping as many cats as you want below 20lbs, but we release all fish over 20lbs back into the water. Although a great day of fishing is dependent on several conditions and nothing can be guaranteed, we routinely put cats in the boat in the 15lb-40lb range with 50lb+ cats being not that uncommon. In fact, one of our areas that we routinely fish produced the current Kentucky state record blue cat .....a whopping 106.9lb blue!
***BUMPING ONLY Trips Available!***
Have you ever wanted to learn how to “bump” for catfish? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to “bump” for big cats on the mighty Mississippi River? Hooked On Cats also offers 6 hour BUMPING ONLY instructional trips for anyone who might be interested in learning this very effective technique for catching big cats……and where better to learn this technique than on the mighty Mississippi! We’ll spend the day discussing what to look for when searching for an area to bump, reading the river, river currents, how to rig for bumping, proper weight selection, proper rod selection, determining speed of bait presentation, and proper technique for working the rod. All of this will be applied and put into practice while fishing in an on the water instructional environment. If you think you might be interested in learning how to bump for catfish or just want to come bump the Mississippi with us, then give us a shout!
Your Guide
Your guide, Capt. Terry Rogers, was born and raised in western Kentucky and has been catfishing ever since he was big enough to hold a rod. Terry grew up fishing the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and has accumulated a wealth of knowledge over the 45+ years of catfishing these waters. Chasing trophy class cats is a passion of his and it shows in his determination and dedication to delivering to his clients the very best catfishing experience possible. Terry is also a combat veteran who served several years as a Paratrooper with the U.S. Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division and takes great pride in his military service to our great country.
Our Boat
We run a 2021 SeaArk ProGuide boat with a Suzuki 250hp outboard, MinnKota trolling motor, Humminbird sonar, and Monster Rod Holders all the way around. This is a very safe, stable, comfortable boat with a sun/rain canopy attached and seating for up to 4 clients. It also has a 100 gal. livewell to keep your fish lively that you wish to take home.