Here's a nice flathead. But in 2003, a Blythe angler caught a 72-pounder -- a record that still holds. Photo by Marvin Spivey.

It was 6 p.m. when Ronson Smothers noted that it was 119 degrees. Smothers was cruising down the grade into Blythe on his way to go catfishing in the Colorado River.

"Don't worry," he said. "It will cool off tonight. Make sure you bring a long-sleeve shirt. It might get down to 90."

Summer can be unbearable along the California-Arizona border, where the Colorado River weaves its way through the desert and establishes the state line. But if you can stand the heat and have a boat, you can get in on the best big-catfish action in the West.

June through August, the Colorado River can be one of the wildest places in California. By day, thousands of rowdy adults and rowdier teenagers turn it into a bar scene. They beach their boats on sandbars and ride jet boats and WaveRunners at warp speed. Things get crazy.

That, however, is the story by day. Come evening, as the sun sets along the Western horizon, the crowds retreat to trailer parks, campgrounds and hotels. Jet boats are abandoned in parking lots, and most folks are nursing sunburns or taking their party elsewhere.

When the crowds go, opportunity arrives for anglers looking to tap into a great catfish bite.

FEW ANGLERS
For more than a half century, the Colorado River has been one of the state's top catfish fisheries, yet for some reason, few folks fish it.

The fishery is far from California's metropolitan areas, and it isn't promoted at all. There is very little information available to anglers looking to tackle it.

Even so, anglers looking to step outside of their comfort zone and learn a new method of fishing can find what no other spot in California offers: great numbers of trophy flathead catfish and great fishing for channel cats.

In California, flathead catfish are about as common as walleye and pickerel. But in the Colorado River downstream of Lake Havasu, they flourish.

In 2003, Blythe resident Billy Joe Potter set a new state record here when he landed a 72-pound, 14-ounce flathead. The fish was 53.5 inches long and had a 36-inch girth.

Amazingly, larger fish are still out there.

"For years I wanted to go fish the Colorado River for big flatheads," said Smothers, the former state-record holder. "The flatheads were the catfish that I hadn't really conquered. I knew they got big, and I wanted to go down and see if I can learn how to go after the trophies."

Smothers learned well and he's now hooked.

You can catch them all year long, but June through October marks the best time to chase them. For Smothers and other catfish hunters, summertime fits their schedule well.

Sutherland, Irvine Lake, San Vicente, Casitas, Jennings lakes and most Southern California reservoirs kick out only small channel cats during the summer. But a trip to the Colorado River gives anglers an opportunity to record enormous catfish.