I've been catfishing three times since I last checked in. Each time I got 18. The first day the water was actually clean and clear green. It was fun to be able to see the fish as I brought them to the boat and released them. Though some people don't see a lot of beauty in a catfish they looked sleek, sporty and colorful. The last couple of times it was pretty cool, only about 61 degrees at the outset. I think it got up to 70 before I left. The catching was hot early on (I caught 5 in the first hour yesterday) but dropped off at midday. I had to go more than an hour between fish then. If you're happy with a nice number of fish and don't want to eke out just a few more you might as well go home by noon. I probably did best with small pieces of cut bass; the bigger pieces seemed not to make it in their mouths well enough to get them hooked up. I found that not being too quick to pick up a dancing rod paid off. Just wait until they pull hard and bend the rod over for a few seconds before you pick it up. I did set the hook after I was sure the fish were on with the fligs; they are made on a 5/0 sickle hook that often hooks the fish just like circle hooks but I like to be certain with them. Remember, trying to set the hook with a circle hook will often pull it right out of their mouths.
Wb was the bait of choice. I had success with all colors of gorilla/Big Red fligs, a clown pattern flait and a Santee rig with orange and chartreuse peg float (see my previous post if you want to know how to tie a Santee rig). You can get fligs from TubeDude, and Piscophilic designed the flaits; I bet he would be happy to tell you how to tie your own.
I dragged bait along the bottom with one of the above rigs to keep the bait up a few inches. A half-ounce weight was just right to keep it skimming along the bottom: you can tell if you got it right by the rod tip twitching; if you see it stop a cat may have picked up your bait and is running around with it without bring the line tight--an excellent way to get tangled lines. I used bell sinkers but they tend to get hung up on rocks so I stayed away from those areas, mainly close in by the springs and the orchards. Pencil weights and other designs will reduce the snagging. Gotta get me some of those. I went out as far as the island but if you get too close you will start hitting rocks. I caught fish all along the way. It varied from 9 to 10 fow. When I strolled along the springs and orchards I kept at least 500-800 yards out where the water is at least 10 feet deep. I went fairly slow, definitely less than 1 mph by my guess and closer to .5.
Here's my super-secret plan to catch big fish and score high in the contest: catch lots of fish. I figure if I catch a bunch some of them will be extra-large. Yesterday I went over the 200 mark on my way to at least 400. Ice-sled once told me that one year he caught 700. That's my stretch goal. So far I have averaged 8 fish per trip and that's rising as we're into the hot part of the season. If I fish 2-3 days a week... well you do the math. Now I need to figure out how to target the big ones. Mine have averaged 23" for the season.
It's being fun. Hope to see you out there sometime.
Wb was the bait of choice. I had success with all colors of gorilla/Big Red fligs, a clown pattern flait and a Santee rig with orange and chartreuse peg float (see my previous post if you want to know how to tie a Santee rig). You can get fligs from TubeDude, and Piscophilic designed the flaits; I bet he would be happy to tell you how to tie your own.
I dragged bait along the bottom with one of the above rigs to keep the bait up a few inches. A half-ounce weight was just right to keep it skimming along the bottom: you can tell if you got it right by the rod tip twitching; if you see it stop a cat may have picked up your bait and is running around with it without bring the line tight--an excellent way to get tangled lines. I used bell sinkers but they tend to get hung up on rocks so I stayed away from those areas, mainly close in by the springs and the orchards. Pencil weights and other designs will reduce the snagging. Gotta get me some of those. I went out as far as the island but if you get too close you will start hitting rocks. I caught fish all along the way. It varied from 9 to 10 fow. When I strolled along the springs and orchards I kept at least 500-800 yards out where the water is at least 10 feet deep. I went fairly slow, definitely less than 1 mph by my guess and closer to .5.
Here's my super-secret plan to catch big fish and score high in the contest: catch lots of fish. I figure if I catch a bunch some of them will be extra-large. Yesterday I went over the 200 mark on my way to at least 400. Ice-sled once told me that one year he caught 700. That's my stretch goal. So far I have averaged 8 fish per trip and that's rising as we're into the hot part of the season. If I fish 2-3 days a week... well you do the math. Now I need to figure out how to target the big ones. Mine have averaged 23" for the season.
It's being fun. Hope to see you out there sometime.
The older I get the more I would rather be considered a good man than a good fisherman.
