Grayson County | Lake Texoma, Texas  —

Most people on planet Earth don’t wake up at 3:00 AM to catch bait in the middle of a vast lake, especially when temperatures are hovering around the freezing mark. However, that is precisely what catfish guides do to make a living. 

Retired guide and legendary monster catfish angler Steve “Peanut” Nelson says, “After some time, this routine starts to feel normal. You go to bed around 7:00 PM, wake up before 3:00 AM, and head to the lake to find bait. Big blue catfish love cut shad, whole shad, live shad, and anything related to shad. They also thrive in cold weather, which is why big blue catfishing typically occurs in winter. It becomes a routine—a strange rhythm where night slips into day, and the pursuit of shad becomes a sacred ritual.”

A Challenging Routine

This challenging routine can present obstacles for those brave enough to face the cold morning temperatures in search of the prized shad. Fishing guide legend Tommy “Tom-Cat” Blanzedt is no stranger to stepping into this almost bizarre world of dark, frigid waters, and one morning it nearly took his life. Fortunately, Tom-Cat still had a couple of lives to spare.

“That morning was quite misty, and I had to de-ice the boat. On the lake, the cold air bit at me, and the wind whipped away any sense of above-freezing temperatures. I ventured farther out onto the dark water and spotted a school of good-sized gizzard shad on my fish finder, then began casting my net,” recounts Tom-Cat. "Unaware that ice had reformed where I was casting my net, I slipped, crashing into the frigid waters. The lake's cold grip wrapped around me, delivering a jolt of reality that ignited severe pain, instantly banishing the last remnants of sleep.”

What a way to start the morning! Tom-Cat found himself fighting for his life in the unrelenting cold and was about to lose one of his nine lives. With adrenaline coursing through his veins, he focused on the situation, planned accordingly, and swiftly swam around the boat; he swam fiercely, his muscles straining against the icy water. Every stroke was a declaration of will, propelling him back to the safety of the boat and, ultimately, toward the shore.

He drove the boat straight onto the shore, quickly making his way to the parked truck. After stripping down to his birthday suit, he hopped into his vehicle and cranked the heater full-blast. "This could have turned out very differently," he reflects later. “It was a stark reminder of the lake's wild nature — respect its power.” Tom-Cat smiles. "I’m glad I stayed calm and managed to escape that frightful situation. I’m grateful to be alive.”

Some Advice

And as a final nugget of advice for aspiring anglers, Tom-Cat suggests: “Big blues adore cut buffalo fish too, an easy score at your local Fiesta. It’s a shortcut that might save your life — unless you find yourself in a showdown with ‘Abuelito’ and his 1998 Oldsmobile land yacht in the parking lot.” With a chuckle, he reminds us that while the lake is a warrior’s arena, the world beyond it holds its own surprises.