Montaigne employs a Carolina rig with a 10- to 12-inch leader composed of 100-pound-test line tied to a No. 3/0 Eagle Claw wide bend hook.

"I don't use a circle hook, which sets itself if the fisherman reels in steadily, so I have to set the hook when I get a bite," he said.

For bait, the two anglers use cut crappie fillets (crappie must be caught on hook and line before being used for bait) or cut gizzard shad that they thread upon the hook.

"There's little doubt when a big blue bites," Montaigne said. "The fish will yank the pole straight down."

The fishermen give a spot about 35 minutes before pulling up anchor.

They said the main difference in fishing for blues and flatheads is the bait and time of year.

"Flatheads prefer live bait and bite better in the summer; blues eat cut and live bait and are more active in the winter than flatheads," Montaigne said.

In the northern part of the state, Kerr Lake, the 48,900-acre reservoir straddling the North Carolina-Virginia line, harbors a healthy population of blues. Like Norman's inland sea, its size can be intimidating for those in search of big catfish.

Consequently, catfish guide Dewey Edwards (434/252-1349) breaks down the impoundment geographically for big cats and suggests anglers focus upon a specific area.

On the Virginia side of the lake, Edwards said good fishing for blues can be found from buoys 5 to 15. Within that stretch, fishermen should target the creek mouths of Grassy Creek (buoy 14), Rudd Branch (buoy 9) or Eastland Creek (buoy 6).

On the North Carolina side, Nutbush Creek usually has the clearest water in the lake and features numerous fingerlike points that drop into the river channel.

"Go halfway down the creeks, and try points, channel bends and ledges in 24 to 40 feet of water wherever there's forage and fish," Edwards said. "Look for fish suspended in half the depth you're fishing. Those are the active fish. If you're fishing in 40 feet, the feeding blues will be in 20 feet of water."

Edwards said sometimes fishermen have to move with the forage and go farther into the creeks to find fish.

Even though live bait is difficult to keep alive in the winter, Edwards prefers to fish with 4- to 5-inch live threadfin shad and blueback herring taken fresh from the lake rather than with cut bait.

He sets out a couple of free lines (unweighted lines) 20 to 30 feet behind the boat and lets the bait swim freely about. Depending upon the depth of the fish, he uses a 1- or 2-ounce sinker with his downlines, and at the end of his 18- to 24-inch leaders, he ties No. 6/0 Gamakatsu hooks, which he runs through the nose holes of the bait to keep them alive longer.

"The average blue catfish at Kerr weighs 10 to 15 pounds," he said. "Twenty-pound fish are common, and there's always a chance of hooking a 40- or 50-pound blue."

SHADES OF BLUE
While fishermen after trophy catfish want to catch fish with a darker shade of blue, they don't want to turn blue themselves from the cold weather. Not only should they dress warmly, but they should also use access areas close to where they want to fish.

The following ramps are closest to the areas cited by our catfish experts. The Blythe Landing at the lower end of Norman is accessible from Highway 73 near Huntersville; the Old Whitney Landing at Badin is located off Old Whitney Road (Route 1521), which is obtainable from NC 740 in New London. Kerr Lake has landings within the creeks mentioned by Edwards. The GMCO map of Kerr Lake (www.gmomaps.com) indicates specific locations.

For some Carolinians, "blue heaven" might refer to the home of the Tar Heel basketball team, but for catfishermen, that expression conjures up visions of whiskered giants sporting a darker shade of blue.

Find more about North Carolina fishing and hunting at: NCgameandfish.com