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[cool][#0000ff]Yeah, that's a biggun. Nice fish. But, not a SHE. That's a big ol' daddy cat.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Males have wider heads and narrower bodies. They do not weigh as much for their length as a porky female. No, that is not a sexist remark. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I am guessing around 15 pounds...with a pound difference potential one way or another.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]By the way, that female in the last pic is kinda slim. Either she has been hittin' the gym or not getting enough groceries. But, cats from moving water are usually not as obese as those from stillwater.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Nice work and good report.[/#0000ff]
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yea i know the males have bigger heads on them lol i just thought this one was a girl for some reason [:/] i can normally tell especially in june haha .... now i have a question for ya mr. dude; i have noticed over the course of my fishing time in the bird refuge that 75% of the cats i catch after june are males... and april may and june i catch more females.... is there a reason for this or is that just some kind of weird luck lol
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[cool][#0000ff]I gave up trying to figure out females of any species a long time ago. THAT is a sexist comment.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I cannot give a definitive answer to the reason why you catch more males or females at any given time of year...anywhere. But, there does seem to be some differences on different waters. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I observe that you do a lot of your cattin' after dark. From past experience, I also have observed that male cats feed more actively after dark...especially the bigger ones...during the summer. At least that is true on Utah Lake and on Willard Bay...or used to anyway. It has changed.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I fish mostly during the daytime and my ratio of females to males is almost always at least 10 to 1. There are plenty of big males in Utah Lake, but most of the ones you see being held up for pictures have been taken by nighttime tanglers. Not always, but often.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]In the past I fished more at night for cats, and when I went for the big boys...with big baits...I simply understood that I would do better after dark in the summer and that the biggest fish would be males.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have no reasonable explanation for why that seems to happen, but it has been my observation. I am sure that other cataholics have their own experiences and theories. Doesn't mean any of them are wrong...maybe just different.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]How's that for an evasive answer? Maybe I should be in government.[/#0000ff]
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good job utcatman looks like you've had a good year. i think your guess is about right 15 ish. not bad for a couple of hours of fishing!! ive been pounding the gorge this year so i havent had alot of time to hit my cat holes[frown] but i did find one heck of a spot this spring and those big cats seem to bite spring and fall for me. so inbetween the gorge and my hunts im going to find a trip to catch some of those hogs!
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[cool][#0000ff]Your questions are essentially the same as all serious anglers have...about many different species. What we all want to know is how to figure the fish out on any given trip, without having to go through a whole bunch of trial and error every time.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]It sounds like you are a real student of fishyology and you are pretty much in tune with what is going on in the waters you like to fish. That is critical. I suspect that you keep some kind of fishing log too. If you don't, you should. While things can be different on every trip, there are some elements of fishing...especially for catfish...that remain the same.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]There are several factors that can affect where catfish might be holding...or feeding...at any given time during any given time of year. Food is the biggie. Like most fish, cats tend to hang out near their grocery supply. But, as you have observed, they may hold in deeper holes when not feeding and then move shallower to feed, if that is where their preferred food source is to be found. Under those circumstances, there will be fish in the deeper holes but they won't be actively feeding. Or, as a variation, cats will sometimes just hold in slow moving water and feed in the same area...but during a particular time of day...for their own reasons. You can't buy a bite for hours and then they go on the chew and it is constant action. Drives ya nuts.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Temperature is a biggie too...especially during the transition times of year when temps are rising or falling more rapidly. Cats like warmer water and even a couple of degrees difference can be enough to attract them to a warmer pocket of water and increase their feeding activity.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Although cats are considered to be a tough species that can tolerate poor water conditions, the fact is that they are just as sensitive to water chemistry as many other species. They like the right pH and oxygen levels and tend to become inactive if things are out of whack. On the other hand, if there is a side channel coming into their habitat that has more oxygen because the water has tumbled through a headgate or something, the cats will zero in on it. In other words, in an area like BRBR there are going to be stagnant dead end waters and some with "new" moving water. Look for the latter in times of warm slow flow.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The "spring fling" is a time of increased catfish activity too. The males are seeking out good nesting sites in rocks or brush and the females are seeking out males with good nesting sites. Unlike some species, catfish continue to feed actively before, during and after the spawn. If you can find 'em you will catch 'em. Some of the larger fish of the season are caught during this period because that is when they come inshore and are more available to anglers. Once they take care of business and scatter throughout the entire water system or lake, they are harder to find...and the bigger fish may become more selective feeders or feed only during a short period after dark.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The fall transition period can be one of the best for lots of cats and big cats. Shortening daylight hours and decreasing water temps trigger more active feeding throughout the entire day. Each year I usually hook some of my biggest cats during the late fall, usually while fishing as I normally do, using no special baits or techniques. There are just more big fish feeding in the places I fish and at the times I fish.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I do not pretend to be able to answer all of the questions on WHY catfish do what they do, or why you seemingly have different catch results at different times or different places. I just look at the prevailing conditions and try to put them together with what I think I know and then develop a pattern. If I am right, I catch fish. If not, then I either move or change tactics. If nothing works I blame it on the moon, the barometer or Obama. It's never the fisherman's fault.[/#0000ff]
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thanks TD... i totally agree and use all of the tactics u just described,,, my only option is too keep at it!!! also one more thing... i was doing some reading and one particular arcticle i read told me that when catfishing if u come upon a hole or peice of structure to fish it for no longer than an hour, and if u havent managed to get a fish to move because location is everything...
now in my efforts ( like u just said) i will usually wait it out in a fishy looking spot and 99% of the time there is a window when i get a few in a short period of time then they are done... would u agree with the arcticle i read and move until i find "more" active fish or would u think i am doing the right thing by waiting them out??
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"would u agree with the arcticle i read and move until i find "more" active fish or would u think i am doing the right thing by waiting them out?? "
[cool][#0000ff]If I was fishing a water or area that had a lot of spots to try, I would probably move until I found fish. But, If I felt that the spot I was fishing was the best potential in the area I might give it a while to turn on, or at least come back to it later.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As always, it is a matter of individual choice...based upon past experience, personal knowledge and plain old fisherman's intuition. If you turn out to be right, and catch fish, then you are a champ. Blow it and you are a chimp or chump. That's fishing.[/#0000ff]
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].. bite was from 1030 until around 1ish... bugs were tolerable [:/] with alot of spray and lanterns back... lol