looking for ti[ps with catfish i am fishing mann lake and i have been using chunks of trout and oiled kippered snacks in roe net. they are hitting it constantly but i cant hook them. any tips would be much appreciated. thanks guys.
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My bet is they are feeling your rig and dropping it or your hook is buried too deep in the bait. If your fishing from the bank that is a problem. My rig I use is with a tube or pontoon. I use a 2/0 or 4/0 circle hook, and the bait is about the size of a silver dollar hook it only once through the skin just in from the edge. If the bait starts to fall apart that is good. When it is sluffing cells that is when the cats will find it. My leader is about 2 foot of 8 to 10 pound mono. I use a swivel to connect the mono to the braided line it is 20 pound. I use only enough weight to get to the bottom. then I drift fish or troll going as slow as I can. I also use a ultra light rod and reel. This gives me a ton of feel. I can tell with a light set up if I get a bite.
If you fishing from the bank you have a problem. You need a stiff enough rod to be able to cast out. You need line big enough to handle a cat the decides to roll in the line and break you off. and you need a sinker big enough to get it out there.
When I bank fish I use a sliding sinker a stiffer rod and a Abu garcia 6601c4. I set the clicker so the cat can pick it up and take it with less resistance. When you put on the bait make sure you leave PLENTY of hook exposed. too many guys bury the hook in the bait and never get a hook set. I also like octopus circle hooks. Remember Mann lake is day time fishing only. Night fishing is not allowed. If you have questions about this contact Robert Hand with the F&G up there. Ron
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Why isn't night fishing allowed, and are there many other waters that are day time only?
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There is another thread on this lake. If I remember right it is because it is on private land. The land owner made a deal for the F&G to do their thing and the land owner gave unlimited access I think for a VERY long term agreement. One of the rules was no night fishing.
Here is a link to the other thread. Ron
[url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=582978;search_string=mann%20lake;#582978"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=582978;search_string=mann%20lake;#582978[/url]
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I forgot to add. CJ once you get the official word it is closed at night spread it. We don't want the land owner closing that lake to fishing. Ron
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Is your weight on your leader or above the swivel on the braid?
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Ahh yes, I remember that thread but I didn't see the posts later about why. I wonder if the owner did it more because of people partying and having bonnfires and vandalizing and less because of fishermen.
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Bardic, I think you are 100% right with that one.
Mudsucker, I use my weight above the swivel on the braid if I am using a sliding weight I use a bead between the weight and the swivel.
If I am in my float tube or pontoon a lot of the time I use just a single split shot or two just ot get it down. If I am drifting a river for cats I use a drop rig where I tie on a strand of line to the swivel and clamp split shot to that. If the weight snags the split shot just pulls off.
I like the braided line for a couple of reasons. It does NOT get kinked up like mono. I also like that is will cast a country mile if you need to cast distance. I think that since it dosen't stretch I feel the bites better. The down side is if a fish gets you into cover it will break VERY easy. If the cat rolls into the line they can get cut. So that is why I use a mono or flourcarbon leader.
Ron
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they are still killing me we have only landed one that was about 12 inches we tried the snake last night and the bight was hot hot hot but i can not hook them for the life of me. im using size 1 and 2 gamakatsu octtupus hooks only hooking the hook threw the bait once im also using a sliding sinker set up on 20 lb braid with a 10 lb leader im stumped first time in a long time a fish has got me racking my brain this bad and i thought catfish were gonna be a forsure easy thing.
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last time I tried this summer down there I got a ton of bites but the ones I managed to hook all ended up being tiny little smallies. could that be possible?
Any steelies yet? I haven't been out yet.
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havnt been trying yet i hav been to focused on my archery elk hunt. but as soon as the water cools down the fishing will turn on and i wont be anywhere else but steelhead fishing.
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I don't think you're doing anything wrong. I ran into the same problem on the river near Steck Park a week ago.
Bite after bite after bite, couldn't get a hook set for nothing. Finally reeled in a six inch whitefish. You're cat's might just be a little on the finicky side right now. Give it a little time, they'll be there!!
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Like I said you might try a 2/0 or a 4/0 hook. I don't use anything smaller than a 2/0 in water that has a reputation to have cats larger than 5 pounds. Ron
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we finally landed some last night we nailed 7 all over 2 lbs it was awesome ill post pictures and a story later.
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