catfishing though the hardwater

[iceman1]

Any tips would help me out
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[icing_perch]

I have watched In-Fisherman and they have showed some success for cats through the ice. They fished lakes with rivers running into them and fished the first deep hole that they found in the river bed in the lakes. The cats were normally suspended and they used curly tail grubs tipped with minnows or cut bait. Hope this helps.
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[DrownedDesertRat]

icing_perch is correct. I've seen the In-Fisherman program as well. Once you find the cats through the ice, you've got a spot you can stay on for a while. Cut bait should continue to work through the ice (if I'm remember the segment correctly).

Now, as far as getting to that spot safely, good luck this year unless the ice suddenly got thick where you're thinking.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]A lot of folks are surprised to learn that cats can be taken from beneath the ice. The classical approach is fishing for them on a warm summer night, while swatting skeeters.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Channel cats can be taken from virtually any lake in which they reside and which ice over in the winter. They do slow down, in colder water, but they will eat and they do put up a decent bulldog battle.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Many winter cats are caught by accident, by ice anglers fishing for walleyes, perch, trout or other fish, with baited jigs. They also suck in live minnows and worms, and show up on tipups fairly often.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Some lakes seem to have more active winter cats than others. They do school up more in the cold water, so once you find out where they hang out, you have a better shot at catching them. That sometimes takes some prospecting, using a good sonar. Or, you can ask around and try to get the inside skinny from others who have been successful.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It is hard to beat a minnow, whole or half. A piece of cut bait, from shad, suckers or other natural food works well too. Plain old nightcrawlers are fine also. Even a ball of cheese soaked on the bottom will often attract winter kitties.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Unless you are jigging with a baited jig, you will need to let the fish take the bait a little before you try to set the hook. They often just mouth it a bit before getting it well enough inside to get a good hookset. Some days they are more aggressive than others. If you keep missing the bites, let them have it longer.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Good luck and have fun.[/#0000ff]
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[idahopanfish]

I am bring back an oldie, but was wondering what size and style of hook you might suggest.

Wish we could hook up on a trip to Cascade for some of those 14+ perch.
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[davetclown]

You didnt ask me, but I found for perch, a number 6 wire hook works best.

I saw a couple of the lakes around me ice covered yesterday, nothing walkable but dose look incurraging.

if the forcast holds up I will be looking forward to getting on ice before Christmas for the first time in years. [cool]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Whatever hook you choose, just be sure it is sharp. I like octopus hooks...especially the Matzuo sickle ones...for fishing plain bait. But most of the cats I catch through the ice are on small jigs with a piece of worm or perch meat. And you know what kind of hooks I use on my jigs.[/#0000ff]
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[idahopanfish]

Thanks TD I hope to find some cats this winer.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Not sure where you will be trying for them, but I have discovered over the years that they can act very differently in different waters. The depth of the lake, the food resources, competitive species and the amount of fishing pressure can all interact to affect how the fish feed and how they hit lures and baits under the ice.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Most of the cats I have caught during the winter have been down near the bottom, on baited lures being fished for other species...like perch, white bass, crappies, etc. After all, they usually eat pretty much the same things during open water too. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]However, in communicating with other anglers around the country and watching fishing programs on TV, I have learned that in some lakes the catfish actively cruise well above the bottom in search of food during the winter and may be caught at mid depth rather than right on the bottom. So I guess it pays to watch your sonar and to not assume the marks at mid depth are trout or crappies.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Not sure if you read an ice fishing report I posted on the Utah Board last January where I joined another angler specifically in search of catfish through the ice on Utah Lake. He had the GPS coordinates of a rare deep spot in the otherwise shallow lake and had caught a few there the previous week. [url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=560246#p560246"] LINK TO POST[/url][/#0000ff]
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