Good Utah Lake cat

[Boatloadakids]

Grandson caught this cat today a Lincoln Beach. Had a big head with a dwarfish body -- nine pounds and 28 inches. Caught on carp meat. Fun.

BLK
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[gmwahl]

Good one! What a fathead!(the fish)[]

I'm afraid I'm probably done for cats for the summer unless I can get out in the next 3 days.
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[cutter4]

Great picture,like the gull in the background.
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[ddaley]

Great fish! Big nasty head on him, not sure what's going on with his body though
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[Boatloadakids]

Cutter-- Hadn't noticed that gull in the background until you pointed it out. We were fishing earlier in the day by Bird Island and that same gson picked a gull out of the air with one of his casts.... good tangle-up getting it free.

Gmwahl-- nice weather predicted for the next few days....hope you can get out for few more go-rounds. I think the big ones are starting to move. I plan on a night shift tonight so who knows???

By the way, the best I could do today with the crew was a 22 incher.... ain't fair but still, nothin' better than watchin' a kid get a big one.

The best is yet to come.

BLK
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[CoyoteSpinner]

Got that basketball head of a big male. Pale grey down there, ours get real dark, almost blue, purple even.

The males don't tend to be as girthy as the females, when it comes to catfish anyway.

"Does this fish-net make my butt look big honey?" [:p][shocked]

BLK - just won't quit! Keep it up, your posse is gonna pass YOU up! You guys are a one-boat wrecking team!
But you know what's lurking up north, just needs the right catcher and tape!

[Boatloadakids]

Yep, I've noticed the difference in coloration in north and south cats... betcha it's "in the water' rather than the genes... or maybe time of year?? Whatever.

I can't quit chasing 'em until I catch that new state record that is lurking in Utah Lake. I know he is out there, I just need to converge with him.... it's a big lake.

I've pretty much lost my crew now with school and football starting... limited to weekends. I've especially got Catcarsen hooked reel good. He put in his usual pitch to his parents to drop out of school and become a professional catfisherman but had second thoughts when the pay scale for professional catfishers was presented by his mother.

I netted the fish he caught today and when we first saw his head I thought he surely had a 30 pluser but he came up a bit short. Always good to watch him get a good one.

It ain't over yet and I expect to show you a reel big southern entry before too much longer. It's a tough addiction but I deal with it the best I can.[]

The best is yet to come.

BLK
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[gmwahl]

We'll BLK, you are certainly giving it a worthy effort, so I hope you get that next 30+ incher before it's over. Just don't beat me!!!

Seriously though, you put a lot of time and effort into this so if you do beat me I'll be happy for you and you'll deserve it (ouch this hurts to type[] )
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[SkunkedAgain]

Congrats or should I say drats, I'm further behind again. I'm afraid I'm in trouble too, my fish have moved on me. Two nights with only one 21"er from my honeyhole. I fished hard too so looks like I may have missed my window. Did find a 23.5" cat in the river channel, but that was after 8 kittens so I'm doubting I'll find a chart buster there. Well I made a run at it, but came up short. Congrats guys you have done very well. Not sure if I'll make it out much more at least focusing on cats. Good luck. J
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Need a boatmate for a gorilla floatilla? Bout time to start the smackdown on a couple of bigguns.

PS...got some intel on several fish near 30 pounds to come out of Utah Lake recently. Reliable source. The angler is not concerned about contests or records but specializes in big cats...and had cellphone pics to prove it.
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[Boatloadakids]

30 POUNDERS? You're joshin' me right?? I'd swim across Ut. Lake just to see a 30 pounder and I'd be ready to go ahead and die if I caught one that big. Boatmate?? You're on... I'd even clean my boat up (it's gettin' pretty fishy)

Please, tell me more via post or email, will accept telegram too.

I just got back from an 8 hour session on the water. Went out last night about 10ish and found a little too much wind. Went back at 4 a.m. and glassy calm... just me, the birds, and an occasional jumping carp...no other fools on the water.

Started out dragging a 7or8 in wb with two hooks -- one thru between the eyes and the other impacted in the vent. Got bites like crazy but no hook-ups?? Checked the wb and found the tail all mangled and ripped off... smaller cats trying to eat more than they could fit in their mugs?? Gave up on the wb and went to a pork chop sized chunk of carp meat. Caught cats all night but biggest was 25 incher. Catrat (oldest gson) joined me about 10 a.m. after his UVU classes. He got a nice 25 incher to go with the two I caught. Lots of smaller ones.

Anyhows, don't mean to ramble but you got me excited and ready to really get serious about gettin' after a big one.

Tell me more...

BBLLKK
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[Boatloadakids]

Gmwahl, Skunked-- You guys are first class catters and great competitors. I'd consider it a pleasure to fish with either of you... not sure I could spend a day with that other yahoo up there... the one that chases coyotes... he's pretty brutal with his words.[] []

It's lookin' more and more like that 32 incher is going to hold up. Still a couple of weeks left so I'll give it a good try. There is no loser in this little contest... just a lot of fun. I'll be the first to tip my carp-stained hat to ya if you walk of with all the glory of a first place finish.

I hope you guys find the time to get in a few more days chasin' cats before the end of Sept. I probably spend more time catin' than all you northern guys put together.. hope nobody considers this an unfair advantage?? I'm not exactly burning up the standings board with multiple 30 plusers to I guess time spent does not equate to success. I try.

Good luck to ya.

BLK
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[SkunkedAgain]

Glad to hear you're still finding the cats, you really deserve them with all the effort you're putting in and its inspired me to keep at it almost to a fault. Better watch out for my wife, she may blame you for my addiction to night time ventures. It has been a lot of fun that's for sure. Caught a lot of cats this summer just can't find the brutes like you guys. It would be fun to join up sometime for the tutor session. Seems like this has been a lot of fun having marks to shoot at. Have enjoyed your encouragement keeping good competition going. Hope I can get a few more to keep things interesting, but I know time is limited now. Good luck to the final tape. Later J
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]We can make plans early next week...pending a decent weather report. PM me with your open schedule and we will work something out. No need to clean up the boat. I'm a fisherman...not an environmental inspector.

The guy that has been getting the cats has been doing that for several years. He has a defined area that the big ones use during a good part of the year. Of course it is not posted on a public forum.

There are a lot more cats in the 20# plus range that come out of Utah Lake every year than you might expect. Only a few of them go home with the anglers. Most knowledgeable catters put the bigguns back but some folks catch a whopper by accident and have to show them off to everybody...before they hit the trash. The dedicated cataholics don't brag much and don't hand out all the details.

No surprise on the white bass thing. That can be a good ticket for a big cat but everything in the lake eats white bass...including bullheads. They have strong jaws and can mangle baits pretty good without getting hooked. I have even done a slow reel in on a white bass bait that was being jerked around and found another white bass no bigger than the one I was using for bait...holding on to the tail or a fin. Not sure whether the intent was food or "mating".

Might consider visiting an Asian fish market to pick up some semi-fresh mackerel. Had a hint that it has been working too. And I have scored more than a few hefty kitties over the years on that stuff. Anchovies too. Lots of smelly oil in those fish.
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[CoyoteSpinner]

I can't catch, so I talk, what are YOU saying? Blimey.

You do know TD is talking about Carp right? A thirty pounder could equate to a lot of cut bait alrighty!

You surely also realize a cell phone adds 20 pounds, and one big foot on the scale can tip it all you want. Part of why we don't count based on weight, it's all a reflection of how you tare. Could just say, it's all relative.

The most impressive thing is not the fish you catch BLK, but the number of young anglers you get fired up and into it.
Wish I had as much time, and a more reliable water-ride to get out as much as you do. Maybe you should just get a pontoon, and go anchor up by bird island for the whole summer.

Maybe something like this?
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[Catrat]

Yep, gotta have one of those... Cabelas?? I'll fire off an order.

I'd even welcome a 30 # carp just for the fight. Maybe wrest first place in the carp entries from Catcarsen?? I'm not having much luck catching gmwahl and his 32 inch cat. Fun, no matter.

Any time spent with TD can be edge-ucational for an old codger like me (I'll be taking notes) and I'm looking forward to it. I know there are some big cats out there but I'm just not having much luck finding them. I still think there will be some big ones showing up in the haunts I like as the water temps cool. We'll see.

Agree with ya -- I'm lucky to have a nice supply of gkids to fish with. I think I get more out of the time spent with 'em than they do... lots of good memories in the making.

Hope you can get out an have another go at the cats. Always fun to banter back and forth with ya. You do a great job sorting out all the cat entries and keeping it fun. Get ready for a major revision of the scores.... I'm gonna have some big ones coming soon,[sly]

The best is yet to come.

BLK
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[Boatloadakids]

Oops, the above post was actually from me not Catrat. He was using my computer to download a pic and post it on the contest page and I did not notice he was still logged in on my computer.
I'm sure you figgered it out anyway.

BLK
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[CoyoteSpinner]

I figgered you were teaching them smacktalk and fishing techniques!

Hey - new rule, any cat caught in the presence of, or using tips, rigs, locations, or assitance of TD is henceforth herewith-upon disqualified from entry in the contest, particulumarly if it comes from the south! Bwha!

Sometimes there's more to life than whiskers. Some days there's claws and tails that might require careful consideration and attention.
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My summer interests drive, not always dog days, but sometimes bass days
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[SkunkedAgain]

So Mike did you weigh the 32"er? If so how much did it weigh? Just trying to guess how big a thirty pound cat would be. I never think to weigh my bigger cats so I don't have a reference. I'm guessing it may not be a ton longer but a lot girthier. Seems like an inch can make a lot of difference in size. Anyway thanks. J
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[bigfish6]

A inch is a big deal!! Especially when they're old fish, I think the reason his body was small because they have a long spawning season but now it's time for them to feed up before the winter cold water hits! And blk I sure hope you get a 30 pounder this year bud you've put your time in for sure!! Ive caght a few but the last 2,3 years have been rough!!! Im not sure what happened but the size of fish definatly declined. I have a freind that has gone down almost every weekend for two yrs and3 hasnt hit the 30" mark yet, we allways hit it every year for 10 yrs strait ! But they are in their good luck to all!!
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