12-10-2010, 12:27 AM
[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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[#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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