07-18-2009, 11:46 AM
[cool][cool][#0000ff]Catfish love grasshoppers. They are a popular catfish bait in many places around the country. However, they are usually fished on spinning or baitcast gear, with a sinker to get the bug down to the bottom.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But, there are also places where the whiskerfish learn about big hoppers flying or being blown into the water along the edges of streams and lakes during the summer and they will set up shallow ambush stations. Sometimes they just suck the bugs under, like a sneaky brown trout. Other times they are noisy about it.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]My experience with cats on hoppers happened on a small reservoir just south of Denver, Colorado. It was a multi species lake and I was fishing mostly with light spinning gear for yellow perch and smallmouth bass, just offshore. Late on a sunny summer morning I heard a big splash next to shore. I turned to look, expecting to see that an animal (or kid) had fallen into the water. Nope. The splash had been made by a large fish of some kind.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]A few minutes later, a similar splash, a bit downshore from the first one. I did not see the actual splash, or the fish. I was guessing maybe a big bass chasing bluegills or something. But, I paid closer attention while continuing to cast. Then, I saw a big grasshopper lift off from the dried grassy area next to the water and fly out over the water before a gust of breeze crash landed it into the water a few feet from shore. The unlucky hopper fluttered and flopped and then started trying to kick its way back to safety. It never made it. It disappeared in a big splashy rise. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I traded my light spinning rod for the six weight flyrod in my arsenal. It was fitted with a sink tip line, but I did not take time to change to a floater. I dug out a big squirrel tail streamer that had a yellow body. Looked kinda like a hopper. I dosed it with floatant to help keep it buoyant and fired it the short distance to the ZONE. It took several casts and different jerk-pause retrieves before I got an "inquiry". The sink tip line actually pulled the fly a bit under water when twitched. But, it was good enough.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It took me about 10 minutes to wear out the "small" five pound catfish that took that streamer the first time. It took me almost a half hour to subdue the 35 inch (approximately 12-13 pounds) cat that took it a few minutes later. I caught several others between 4 and 10 pounds before a serious breeze kicked up and shut down my fun.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I returned a few days later with a 7-8 weight outfit and an assortment of hoppers and poppers. I only caught two that day, and no more on subsequent trips after that. But, I was lucky to be there on that one magical day when the kitties wanted fresh hoppers on their menu. That's the stuff that makes forever memories.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]But...I have caught grundles of cats on flies over the years. They often join in with bass, chasing shad, on clear reservoirs. When they do, you are sometimes surprised to find a "whiskery largemouth" on your line when working a boil.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have also caught a lot of channel cats and even a few small flatheads while fishing big boogers or streamers for other species. On more than one occasion I quit fishing for whatever I had been targeting before and just enjoyed the catfish action. Not many fish hit harder or fight longer than a nasty ol' kitty.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]But, there are also places where the whiskerfish learn about big hoppers flying or being blown into the water along the edges of streams and lakes during the summer and they will set up shallow ambush stations. Sometimes they just suck the bugs under, like a sneaky brown trout. Other times they are noisy about it.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]My experience with cats on hoppers happened on a small reservoir just south of Denver, Colorado. It was a multi species lake and I was fishing mostly with light spinning gear for yellow perch and smallmouth bass, just offshore. Late on a sunny summer morning I heard a big splash next to shore. I turned to look, expecting to see that an animal (or kid) had fallen into the water. Nope. The splash had been made by a large fish of some kind.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]A few minutes later, a similar splash, a bit downshore from the first one. I did not see the actual splash, or the fish. I was guessing maybe a big bass chasing bluegills or something. But, I paid closer attention while continuing to cast. Then, I saw a big grasshopper lift off from the dried grassy area next to the water and fly out over the water before a gust of breeze crash landed it into the water a few feet from shore. The unlucky hopper fluttered and flopped and then started trying to kick its way back to safety. It never made it. It disappeared in a big splashy rise. [/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I traded my light spinning rod for the six weight flyrod in my arsenal. It was fitted with a sink tip line, but I did not take time to change to a floater. I dug out a big squirrel tail streamer that had a yellow body. Looked kinda like a hopper. I dosed it with floatant to help keep it buoyant and fired it the short distance to the ZONE. It took several casts and different jerk-pause retrieves before I got an "inquiry". The sink tip line actually pulled the fly a bit under water when twitched. But, it was good enough.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]It took me about 10 minutes to wear out the "small" five pound catfish that took that streamer the first time. It took me almost a half hour to subdue the 35 inch (approximately 12-13 pounds) cat that took it a few minutes later. I caught several others between 4 and 10 pounds before a serious breeze kicked up and shut down my fun.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I returned a few days later with a 7-8 weight outfit and an assortment of hoppers and poppers. I only caught two that day, and no more on subsequent trips after that. But, I was lucky to be there on that one magical day when the kitties wanted fresh hoppers on their menu. That's the stuff that makes forever memories.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]But...I have caught grundles of cats on flies over the years. They often join in with bass, chasing shad, on clear reservoirs. When they do, you are sometimes surprised to find a "whiskery largemouth" on your line when working a boil.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have also caught a lot of channel cats and even a few small flatheads while fishing big boogers or streamers for other species. On more than one occasion I quit fishing for whatever I had been targeting before and just enjoyed the catfish action. Not many fish hit harder or fight longer than a nasty ol' kitty.[/#0000ff]
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