Great day at the Bay

[TubeDude]

Amazing how pink has become such a good color...for so many species.  But there's almost something obscene about seeing an ugly ol' catfish wearing a pink lip ornament.  

I'm guessing shortening your leaders in the cooling water probably helped your catch rate.  But I think you need to find a new leader material.  At Willard I use 14# Silver Thread Excalibur and I have NEVER lost a fish to a broken leader or a failed knot. And I seldom retie during a day of fishing either.  It is very abrasion resistant.  Only problem is that they don't make it any more.  I still have a pretty good sized spool of it but their new "Super Silver Thread" is supposed to be a good replacement.  

Dunno if Ira told you but I sold off all my jig making stuff...including hooks.  However, I can still make some fligs by "recycling" the hooks on older models I haven't used and won't use.  Plus, I still have some of the heavier hooks for making either tailed or tailless.  And I can still make the wired ones.  Lemme know.

I started off with an orange tiger but got no love but when I shortened my leader and put on a pinky pink, it was game on, within minutes. The leader I was using was 12# p-line and up until then, I've never had a problem with it, as I said, believe the way the cats roll is a major reason the line got cut but maybe two pound heavier leader would help. I should have been checking the leader after each cat I caught but I didn't and that was the result. Do you check your leader for nicks, after each cat you catch?

After years of learning the hard way...by losing fish to line nicked by fish or underwater structure...I automatically run my fingers up the line from the hook to the swivel.  But these days it is more to remove the cat slime than to discover nicks.  Almost all cats do roll up in the line and slime the line.  And their pectoral spines have those sharp edges that DO damage softer lines.

That Excalibur line is amazingly abrasion resistant.  As I mentioned, I have never lost a fish to damaged line or bad knots with that stuff.  I have even landed tiger muskies over 36" on 6# line...when the jig was well inside the fish's mouth.  As promised, I will hand off a sample of that stuff in 14# for you to try the next time we meet.  

By the way, I have been doing some research "on line"...to see how others feel about the Excalibur and where it might still be available.  You can still find the odd spool in some sizes.  But most Excalibur fanciers seem to think the Yozuri is equal or better after trying it.  Just a thought.  I learned a long time ago that good line...per foot...was about the least costly part of your tackle setup over time.  If your leader choice is even as much as $5 more per hundred yards...3600 inches...the extra cost on even a 2 foot leader is only about 3.5 cents.  To me, being able to confidently catch more fish without having to constantly retie...or lose fish...is worth more than that.