Catfight at the LB Corral 3-16-07

[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Arrived at Lincoln Beach just before 7 AM. Lovely crescent moon hanging over Spanish Fork canyon with some pink from the impending sunrise under it. Don't get no better than that.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We were geared up and launched before 7:30. Air temp 35 with a cool north breeze. Water temp 44. Launched off the end of the south dike. Boat channel wide open and several boats went in and out during the morning.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe blasted off towards her catfish honey hole. I started in the other direction, toward the first spring. But, something told me that the water level might be too high to effectively fish the structure I wanted to work. I made a few casts along the north dike, hooked some rocks and a 5 pound mirror carp. Got to get the kinks out of my stick and string.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Didn't see much on sonar from shallow out to 10 feet. Some smaller fish suspended and a few near bottom. I bet to myself that they were white bass. I did catch a couple of those fiesty rascals as I whipped the water to a froth in my compulsive search for walleyes. Didn't have even the merest bump that felt like a walleye. And, all of the boats moved around a lot, so I am guessing they did not do much either. Didn't see any of the half dozen bank tanglers score even a bite. None of them had fish when we came in.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I kept playing with plastic even after TubeBabe gloated over the radio about landing her second big catfish. I told her to fill up the basket because I had a hankerin' for some smoked kitty. The bigger fish are still okay when cut into small strips and fried, but they are WONDERFUL when smoked. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Finally, after about two hours of being ignored on plastics, I couldn't stand it any more. I switched to my "full contact" bait setup...two rods, one with minnow the other with carp meat. Both walleyes and white bass will eat those baits, but the main goal was to hook into some of the big cats that prowl that area after iceout.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I managed to catch a couple of decent cats, while TubeBabe netted still another honker. Looked like she was gonna whack me today...as she often does with catfish. She is the catfish queen. I am actually happy for her when it happens. Yeah, right (gritting teeth).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]With the score 3 to 2 in favor of TB, one of my rods bounced and the line popped free from the clip. As line was streaming out the second rod popped and I had two runners at once. Been there done that before. I did a good double hookset on the first fish, which felt substantial, and then adjusted the drag on the reel and put the rig in my outward slanted rod holder. Then, I picked up the second rod, flipped the bail and set the hook into number two. It was a decent fish but I whupped it in fast, broke off the spines and dumped it into my fish basket. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Then, I turned my attention to rod number one. It had been getting a pretty severe bend in it and line had zinged off the reel a couple of times. When I came tight on the fish again, it really felt like it had shoulders. Yeeee Hawww! That's what we come fer. Finally coaxed it into the net and I guessed close to ten pounds. The digital scale later stopped at 9.8 and TubeBabe wouldn't let me fudge. If the fish had not barfed up that 10 inch carp it would have been over ten.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That was about 10:45. We both had a couple of "pop and drops" after that, but the Willard sized 15 incher I landed on the way back in was our last hookup.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeBabe's trio went 24" (6.0#), 26" (7.4#) and 26" 8.0#)[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]TubeDude's quintet scored 29" (9.8#), 25" (6.2#), 21" (3.3#), 19" (3.0#), 15" (1.4#)[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We caught fish on both minnows and carp meat. Got the most on minnows but all the biggest fish came on carp meat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]We fished aggressively in all depths from about 3.5 feet to 9 feet. Just about all of our fish came from water 6 - 6.5 feet deep. Who knows what combination of water temp, clarity and food source made them happiest in that depth, but tomorrow it could be completely different.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]#$%&# walleye! They are just not as plentiful or as predictable as they used to be. They are getting my dandruff up. Wish I knew where the hatchery truck planted them this week (Ha).[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Water clarity was not bad. Lot of green but more murky near the inlet of Benjamin Slough. The water temps were actually warmer in the shallow water, going up to just under 50 degrees before we left, while the main lake temps were still only 48.4.[/#0000ff]
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[Flycasting]

OMG! Nice fish! Can't wait to make it down there. Man, would I love to get into those fish! []
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[CROSSINEYES]

the eyes are mad at ya for spending so mutch time chasing kitties. its still another yr away from picking up good. ive lived the low and high water yrs chasing them. every time the water comes up it happens. this is the 3rd time in 15 or so yrs. next yr should rock. unless the water drops a ton by fall. then that bite could happen. im betting the eyes have gone into ambush mode over the last 2 yrs. they are dwelling in the bullrushes and cattails. yr stup jumpers are the ticket. retreived along the edges they drag some eyes up this summer. right now who knows?????? other than inlets i have no clues. what do you feel is happenning?
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[RiverRat77]

Nice job you two... those are some nice fish. Is it normal for you guys to get into them this early??
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]There was a verified major dieoff the winter of '05-'06. Many of the big fish starved to death after two years of poor spawning by other species, due to the LOW water. The carp netting guys were finding lots of big dead walleyes in their nets.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The smaller females that survived have had plenty to eat the last couple of years and should be spawning well now. I agree that it will be a couple of years but they will be back.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It is just frustrating. Like yourself I remember the better times when they would swarm in and you could catch them until your arms were tired and your fingers were raw. It always hurts to return to a favorite spot and find it empty of fish. Kinda like losing a loved one.[/#0000ff]
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[ironworker]

awesome report and pictures as always. you two ROCK.
thanks for sharing. [cool]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Don't use the words "fisherman" and "normal" in the same sentence.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Short answer...YES. I usually catch some of my biggest cats every year soon after ice out. Once the water starts warming, the bigguns start cruising, looking for groceries. They do not produce roe sacks until it starts warming up, to conserve energy. But, once they can feed again, they chow down and their ovaries fill up fast...for spawning in May or so.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just about every large fish we caught today was full of recently munched fish parts. Big cats are efficient predators and besides cleaning up the winter killed fish they are capable of ambushing and killing white bass and small carp...and even other small catfish and bullheads.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have caught large open water channel cats as early as February. My first Utah Lake cats last year came on March 4th. This week was the first time I could get a tube on the lake. Last week on Friday LB was still ice/slush covered.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The water is still pretty cold, by catfish standards, but those larger fish fought like it was mid summer. Much fun.[/#0000ff]
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[bigfish6]

hey td how old do you think that 10lber is?
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[muskyhunter]

Great report from the tube duo!! I cant wait to hit the water my self!!M.H
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[lunkerhunter2]

Now that is catfishing!! Awesome baskets guys(and gals). I can't wait for a trip down again. I have wanted to go back since the flotilla last year and this post made it worse.[cool]
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[Nica]

Nice cats TD, make a guy jealous. Always appreciate the pics too.
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[magnaman]

Nice catch tubedude and tubebabe. I'll bet they are really good eating.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I would only be guessing, but I would say about six to eight years. It varies from water to water, depending on length of growing season and available food. Growth rate also changes as fish get older and reach larger sizes. It takes more food to sustain a big fish and less of what they eat goes into creating more weight.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are published stats on how fast farm raised catfish grow, but these fish are fed up to produce fast growth. Under natural conditions cats are subject to cycles of drought, floods, abundant food and no food. So, fish in natural conditions may grow either faster or slower than farm fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have asked that same question to several fisheries biologists around the country, and get widely different answers. The most common "ballpark" answer is to figure about 2# per year up to 30" size and then about a pound a year after that. And, those figures are under ideal conditions.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I don't think Utah Lake would qualify as ideal conditions, but the cats are usually fat and healthy, so maybe conditions are good for them. However, in our northern climate, with several months of water temps below 55 degrees, the cats are less active for at least a third of the year, than they would be in the southern states.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I base my guess on several identifiable sizes or year classes in Utah Lake. The smaller sizes are more abundant, obviously, but there are still plenty of the larger ones. They usually require different fishing techniques and folks who hook them often lose them through poor tackle or technique.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It is estimated that channel cats can live as long as 25 years under good conditions. I'm guessing that the record size cats in Utah Lake...over 30 pounds...are probably in that range.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]How's that for a short answer.[/#0000ff]
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]They ARE good eating. And, we usually prepare them in a way that reduces or eliminates any concern we might have about the potential for PCBs or most other contaminants.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Catfish are oily fleshed critters. And, since most of the bad stuff tends to isolate in the fatty tissues, we fillet and skin the cats and soak them to float off as much oil as possible. Then, we grill, fry or smoke them to get rid of most of whatever is left. I firmly believe that if it were possible to do a "before and after" (live vs cooked) test on our kitties that there would not be enough potential "oogies" left to worry about. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I normally try not to keep the bigger cats unless I want some for the smoker. The bigger and thicker fillets do not cook up as well as the smaller ones. They are still good eating and prime texture, but you should slice them in thin finger strips or small "steaks" for larger fillets, just to make sure they cook thoroughly. Catfish take a lot of cooking and they are not as good if served undercooked.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]And, I do not keep many males at all. They seem to always be skinnier than the females and their flesh is often very pale and softer by comparison. They usually hit harder and sometimes fight harder...and ultimately get bigger than the females. But, they are just not as good on the table. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are also fewer males in Utah Lake than there are females...if catch rates are any indicator. Because of the brutal competition for spawning holes and the nasty fights between males, quite a few of them die off during or after the spawn each year. Definitely a matter of survival of the fittest.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Wanna get together after I finish smoking this batch and give some a try? Maybe whiile replenishing the supply?[/#0000ff]
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[Saberfish]

[black][size 4]Hey Pat,[/size][/black]
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[black][size 4]Attached is a picture of a catfish that was sent to me by a fellow in east Texas (Piney woods area).[/size][/black]
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[black][size 4]I think that when this was caught, it was a state record. This fellow fished for two fish, either the very large cats or he would fish for crappie.[/size][/black]
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[black][size 4]One should be able to carve enough fillets off a fish this size to carry them for a while. [/size][/black]
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[Saberfish]

todaHere's a second try at the picture. Boy am I having problems today.

Computer skills and brain surgery are not my strong points.
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[magnaman]

[]I'd love to get together and try some catfish or try and catch some as well. Just let me know when we can get together
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]If you are a fisherman, no other qualifications are required...especially brain surgery. That's something we anglers seldom need. Either don't have or don't use 'em much.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]That's a big fat blue cat. Some guys really get a charge out of rasslin' the bigguns. I prefer small to medium sized ones on light tackle. Not as much work and lots more fun.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]No doubt there would be enough meat on that baby to feed a few hungry catfish lovers.[/#0000ff]
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[trout_slayer]

Hey TD,
I am taking a couple buddies out on the boat to Utah Lake for the first time tomorrow and was wondering where the best place and bait/lures/jigs to use were. No need to tell me honey holes, just want to get a couple Kitties or some Whities or even a carp, whatever will make the rod bend if you know what I mean.
Thanks,
J A K
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[Out4Trout]

[cool]Wow!!! Way to go killer(s)!!!! Nice job woopin up on them kitties. You guys really took it to them. That REALLY gets me excited to get out there.

I'm moving into my new apartment next weekend, but hopefully I think sometime during the last week of March, I'm gonna take a vacation day and head out there myself in the old tube. Plenty of stress to unload out there on them big cats. I'll have to have my people contact your people and we'll have to set something up. Too bad the 'eyes didn't cooperate this time again though... Crap, it's late, gotta get to bed...Good luck on the next tubin adventure. Gonna hit Yuba soon?
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