Ice Out Catfish-When and Where?

[CatmanErv]

After ice out where are the cats, in your opinion? I generally fish power plant discharges because the whole food chain starts there. We mainly fish channel cats. We take kids out on free fishing outings and results is a very big factor in our success with the envolvement of the kids we serve. Any additional ideas for success very welcome.
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[CatmanErv]

Sorry for the spelling, it should read developement and not envolvement
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[davetclown]

my guess that they are bussy eating the winter kill down on the bottoms of the lakes and rivers. I dont usualy have any luck with them till about the second week in june.

I have often wondered if the hybernate during the winter in my youth, but now I hear tail of folks catching them through the ice.

so I guess you and I both need to figure out where they are hiding during the colder months.
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[lonehunter]

i'm with dave on that , fact or fiction i don't know . but i'm thinking as the water is still cold they are less active to conserve energy needed to sustain some body heat . i'm guessing smaller pieces of ( stinkey )bait that are easy to pick up . but that's just a theory . no fact behind it .
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[DrownedDesertRat]

[crazy] Crazy me, I've actually been doing some studying on catching cats. Many of the "In-Fisherman" video's I've checked out from the library suggest that Ice Out Catfish are located in just about the same place you'll find them during summer days -- deep holes, waiting for food to wash in. They also suggest that they can also be found in the calmer waters where the power plant/dam "discharges". The last idea (which I just read today) says to check out shallows where winter kill can wash up.

Heh, I'm hoping all this information I've been gathering leads me to some good catchin' this weekend!

Anybody else in the northern states gonna hit the water?
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[Curtisfish]

I'm sure the exacts are not the same, but I catch plenty of ice-out Channels on the Green River here in Utah. I fish the slow to still water pools and use whole frozen chubs (4 to 6 inch) for bait. There are not many deep pools around where I fish. There are no power plants here either. I am usually fishing between 5-15 feet deep. In a bend, off a sand bar or island. Any structure creating a slow water pool. I just leave the bait motionless on the bottom and let the cats do what they do. I have much better success later in the afternoon when the water is at it's warmest. I catch more fish on sunny days than on overcast or stormy days. Don't know what it's worth, but hope it helps. This fish was caught Feb. 11, 2000, in 36 degree water, with chunks of ice still in the river, at about 4:30 p.m.


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