WITH ALL THE POSTS ON UTAH LAKE LATELY I DECIDED TO HEAD DOWN AND GIVE IT A TRY. USUALLY I STICK TO STRAWBERRY BUT THE THOUGHT OF HOOKING A BIG CAT WAS VERY ENTICING. THE ONLY BAIT THAT I COULD FIND WERE SOME ANCHOVIES. A HALF HOUR INTO IT I GOT A HIT AND SET THE HOOK ALL OF THE SUDDEN MY DRAG STARTED SINGING AND 10 SECONDS LATER MY LINE SNAPPED AND THE FUN WAS OVER. MY QUESTION TO THE EXPERTS IS, IN ALOT OF THE POSTS AND PICTURES I HAVE SEEN IT SEEMS ALOT OF YOU USE BOBBERS. WHAT IS THE BENEFIT TO THIS AND WHAT SEEMS TO BE THE BAIT OF CHOICE FOR THE BIG CATS?
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I don't use bobbers too much but i think the main benefit is keeping your bait suspended and out of the mud on the bottom.
Cats will eat almost anything. I mostly use chicken or shrimp with some garlic salt on them. The bigger the bait you use the more likely it will be to catch the bigger cats.
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I SOMETIMES USE A BOOBER MYSELF. ONLY IN THE PAST YEAR OR SO. IF YOU WANT A BIG CAT I WOULD USE HIGH POUND TEST AROUND 8LB IF YOU USE EXCALIBUR SILVER THREAD OR CAJUN RED AROUND THE SAME POUND TEST. IF YOU USE ANYONE ELSES I WOULD GO UP TO AROUND 12LBS TEST. YOU NEED GOOD LINE FOR THOSE BIG CATS THEY REALLY HAVE A NICE FIGHT TO THEM. BEST OH LUCK TO YOU!
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[#505000]I fish Utah Lake with a bobber and on the bottom, kinda depends on how I'm feeling. Personally I seem to get more hits when I drop my bait on the bottom. [/#505000]
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[#505000]As far as line goes, there are way too many big fish in Utah Lake to fish it with anything less than 8lb test.[/#505000]
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The benefit of using a bobber is that it can help keep your bait just slightly off the bottom so that it doesn't snag quite as much or sink down into the mud where the fish can't find it. Another benefit, if it is breezy, is that the bobber will slowly drag your bait around, giving it a slight bit of movement with the wind, so that it might be a little more enticing to the fishys.
The benefit of using a sinker such as an egg sinker slid on the line is that it increases the weight of your total offering, making it possible to cast much farther or to cast against the wind better. It will also get the bait down to the bottom in deeper water.
At Utah Lake, after a lot of trial and error, I never use any weight on my line. I sometimes use a bobber, sometimes not. If I'm fishing an area where there are reeds or stickups, I will definitely not use a bobber, because the wind just drags your bait into the weeds and snags you. I like the setup where you tie on a 3 way swivel, then tie on a leader to each of the two ends: 1 about 18 inches and 1 about 30 inches long. That way, they have less chance of tangling up together, and I can offer two types of baits, perhaps 1 worm and 1 piece of carp meat. Once I find what is working the best, I'll often put that on both hooks. Having two baits on at once also gives it a bit more weight and allows you to cast a bit farther.
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Kill yourself a carp and cut some catfish nuggets off of the side of the fish. Thats what I caught my cats on but I've also gotten them on BIG gobs of worms. One single worm will usually get you more mudcats than channels. Also, I rip my worms in half... I don't know if the ripped open flesh and flowing guts attracts more fish or not but in my mind anyway, I seem to get more hits when I half the worms and hook them than when i leave a whole worm on in one piece.... [
] Thats my recipe but the person that responded to you saying cats will eat about anything is probably pretty close to right... they arent all that picky usually. That sounds like a blast with your line screaming off against your drag like that... isnt' it fun??!![cool]
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Last year i stuck to the bobber for the bigger cats.Seemed like the mudcats would always take the bait of the bottom before the channels had a chance .I personally use weights depending on how far i need my cast to go.I know certain spots were the fish hangout and i need to cast far out to those spots.Otherwise i wouldnt use any weight at all.I used anchovies last year and never needed any weights on them they cast prety far.Also mikecromaine is right silver thread is the way to go!My wife caught her big cat on 8lb test.Thats all i use on my reels now.
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[cool]I 3rd what Mike said about Silver Thread Excaliber line. At Utah Lake use at least 6lb test of that stuff, and 12 lb test of anybody elses line. You can't get that stuff anywhere in town that I've seen (including Sportsmans), but you will be able to soon (Cabelas). You can order it at Cabelas or Bass pro's websites. "The infamous one" made believers out of Mike and Me on that stuff. He should get a commission from them.
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