06-06-2008, 07:50 AM
I've had a chance to get out twice this week and try and hit up the cats. First was last Sat. I took my eight month prego wife out in the boat for the first time to UL and we fished the reed line near the bubble up. Weather was perfect and the water was glassy. We fished with with carp meat under bobbers and ended up with a dozen and a half channels with my wife pulling in an eight pounder. I was excited for her but I think she thought I was using the term "that's one fat mother" too freely given her current condition. Next, I made it out tonight to the Jordan near my house for an hour or so. I shot a quick carp with my bow, and filleted my bait for the evening. I was trying a new spot on the river, so I thought I'd mix it up a bit. One pole was rigged with a sliding sinker and wide gapped hook, and the other with a bobber and a circle hook. I wasn't too keen on the bobber rig, given the drift factor with the river and all but thought I'd cast it out. I pulled in a half dozen mudders and small channels on the sinker set up and occasionally had a dip with the bobber, but not much more than that. I kinda ignored the bobber since it had drifted near the shore downstream. I was just hooking into a small cat with the sinker set up, when I noticed my bobber go "torpedoing" out from shore and my pole dang near followed it. I grabbed the rod and knew there was something big on the other end. My drag was screaming and I was beginning to wonder about my 8 lb. test. I fought him for about 8-10 minutes and finally was able get my hand in his gill and haul him out of the water. Ended up being 10 1/2 lbs. and 32". I couldn't believe the noggin on this fish. I could practically fit my both hands in his gaping mouth. I don't know how those Noodlers voluntary do that! With all the circle hook discussions going on lately, I feel it was pretty effective under a bobber for the fact that it "allows" the fish to set itself given how the slack usually generated with a drifting bobber can make the hook set a little delayed. All in all, I had a good week and am only looking forward to more fat cats in the weeks to come.
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