04-26-2018, 02:12 PM
"Pat, just wondering a little about your neutral bouncy jigs on a sinking fly line... Think that would work for an approach like Larry is using over there? Or would a guy be better off to use those good looking minnow flies you hooked me up with last summer?"
[#0000FF]Are you referring to my "hot heads"? (see attached writeup) The short answer is that they cast and fish no differently than a bugger or streamer of similar size. The main difference is that they have a jig-sized head you can paint, glitter and put eyes on. Extra visual attraction. For fishing the rocks at Willard a sink tip line would be better than a full sink. Only when you want to get down deeper would you want a full sink in type 5 or 7.
For throwing a wind resistant larger fly, and with the potential for hooking "substantial" fish, I wouldn't use a rod smaller than about a size 6. A 7-8 would throw the flies better and would handle larger fish better without killing them from exhaustion if you plan to release them.
You should arrange to get together with Fatbiker and let him show you his setup. He has it pretty well dialed in. [/#0000FF]
"Pat, have you noticed anything that you can do that results in bigger cats being caught? Or do they just show up while you're doing what you usually do to catch cats?"
[#0000FF]There is an old saying "Big baits...big fish". While that can apply to fishing for bigger cats, it is not always so. I have caught some of my best cats while just fishing for "anything" with average size baits or lures. On the other hand, I have had a lot of mudders and small cats chew up my big cat baits.
But that is one of the positive things about soaking a bigger bait. You may get some nuisance munchers, but when a big fish takes it you know the difference. My biggest Utah cat (24#) came on a whole 12" white bass. It was the third bait I had soaked during a long night out by Bird Island. The only other cat I caught that night probably weighed about 15#. Quality over quantity. PS...that was in the days when we could only use one rod.
When using two rods it can be a good plan to rig big with one rod and "standard" with the second. That gives you a shot at the best of both worlds.
But if you keep using old degraded line you are risking losing all the big fish that come to play. Fish don't break lines...fishermen do.
[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]Are you referring to my "hot heads"? (see attached writeup) The short answer is that they cast and fish no differently than a bugger or streamer of similar size. The main difference is that they have a jig-sized head you can paint, glitter and put eyes on. Extra visual attraction. For fishing the rocks at Willard a sink tip line would be better than a full sink. Only when you want to get down deeper would you want a full sink in type 5 or 7.
For throwing a wind resistant larger fly, and with the potential for hooking "substantial" fish, I wouldn't use a rod smaller than about a size 6. A 7-8 would throw the flies better and would handle larger fish better without killing them from exhaustion if you plan to release them.
You should arrange to get together with Fatbiker and let him show you his setup. He has it pretty well dialed in. [/#0000FF]
"Pat, have you noticed anything that you can do that results in bigger cats being caught? Or do they just show up while you're doing what you usually do to catch cats?"
[#0000FF]There is an old saying "Big baits...big fish". While that can apply to fishing for bigger cats, it is not always so. I have caught some of my best cats while just fishing for "anything" with average size baits or lures. On the other hand, I have had a lot of mudders and small cats chew up my big cat baits.
But that is one of the positive things about soaking a bigger bait. You may get some nuisance munchers, but when a big fish takes it you know the difference. My biggest Utah cat (24#) came on a whole 12" white bass. It was the third bait I had soaked during a long night out by Bird Island. The only other cat I caught that night probably weighed about 15#. Quality over quantity. PS...that was in the days when we could only use one rod.
When using two rods it can be a good plan to rig big with one rod and "standard" with the second. That gives you a shot at the best of both worlds.
But if you keep using old degraded line you are risking losing all the big fish that come to play. Fish don't break lines...fishermen do.
[/#0000FF]
[signature]