It's been raining lately. Water is muddy. Can't catch fish in muddy water, you have heard.

But that's just a poor excuse. Muddy water can mean some good catfish action.

You've probably heard, or even experienced, the red-hot catfish action that can take place just before a storm. Barometer drops, clouds build and catfish go crazy, so they say.

Here are some muddy water suggestions collected here and there from veteran catfishing folks:

Tip No. 1: Rising muddy water may provide a bonanza for catfishermen. Channel cats, in particular, feed heavily under such conditions. These channels will bite on a variety of baits, but the two most common are worms and chicken liver.

Tip No. 2: Try to find a place just out of the main current where the water makes a little eddy, and place your bait in the eddy, but right next to swift water. This is where a feeding catfish will wait for the current to bring the next tasty morsel downstream.

Tip No. 3: Channel catfish under these conditions are apt to take your bait very hard and fast and, unless you are paying strict attention, will literally jerk the rod out of your hands. And if you have an unattended pole sitting in a forked stick, you'd better not get too far from it or it'll be gone before you can reach it.