OK So I've been reading on here for about a month and have been going crazy hearing about the success at Utah Lake. I grew up down there but now live in Logan to go to school. Anyway I've heard there are some big cats in the Bear River out here in the valley. After a little research and a guy sharing some info with me about where a good hole was I decided to give it a try tonight. They were biting like crazy on shrimp and white bass meat, only I couldn't hook them (I've never caught any cats except little bullheads). So I'm writing hoping to get some suggestions on how to hook them better. What size/type of hook should I be using? Is there anything different I should be doing in a river than what I've been reading about Utah Lake? Is there some way to rig so it will stay put instead of bouncing along with the current? I tried letting them take it for a long time but it seemed like they were just hitting it hard once and then they were gone. I kind of hooked two when I tried to set the hook earlybut they both pulled out in less than 5 seconds.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions and thanks for sharing your Utah Lake stories to make me homesick.
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I grew up fishing cats below cutler dam, water is too high to be fishing there now. I liked too find the biggest deepest pools to fish there. Tried many sizes of hooks and found that when I went down in size I did better. I like #4 bait hooks cut carp meat into 2" square and leave the skin on because it is strong and will not pull off easy, I also caught alot of cats there on carp eggs,put a whole sack on the hook(it is messy),and worms with wd40 als caught me alot of cats years ago. Don't hide the hook,Cats don't care and bait can get in the way of a hookup.Sharpen the hook,Sharpen the hook,Sharpen the hook. Oh and did I mention that a shrap hook makes all the difference in the world.
As little weight as possible or no weight at all. It is hard to do but keep the rod in your hand and set on the first strike.
P.S. Sharpen the hook
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i like fishing for catfish by using a no. 2 hook and a sliding sinker with a swivel between and as you mentioned letting them run with the bait before the hookset the advantage of the slide sinker is they don't feel the weight and there for are less likly to drop the bait
good luck on your furture trips and welcome to the board
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Aquaman is right on with the rig! And the Bear River is good when it's high, Don't worry about trying to fish deep holes their not always in the deep holes early in the spring, especially when the river is high. Fish the edges in the brush, and the flooded fields. There isn't as many of those big cats in there as there was in the seventies and early eighties. But there is still a few. You might wan't to try the River where it dumps in to Cuttler Reservoir.
I like to use chubs, and sucker meat,as HFt said leave the skin on that sucker meat it will stay on your hook better. Sometimes when the water is still cold, those big cats will hit light. You just have to play them day by day as to the mood their in.
Good luck!
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Careful using white bass meat for bait anywhere but in Utah Lake. I'm pretty sure that the proclamation states it can only be used as bait in Utah Lake.
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© Dead white bass may be used as bait only in Utah Lake.
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Thanks for the advice. Tried again this morning and hooked one within the first five minutes. 21" channel cat, Lunch!!!
I caught the white bass thing in the proc. last night too so it was shrimp only today. I had assumed it was OK cause I heard so many people recommend it for Utah Lake. Gotta get me a carp!
One other question: The cat was full of eggs so I stripped 'em out. Anyone ever tried using them?
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