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Had some decent catfishing last weekend. I went to the closest "lake" (a 50 acre reservoir on a college campus) and caught bullheads into the double digits as well as bluegills which I was cutting up for bait. I was dismayed at not catching any channel cats. Seems like bullheads are spawning right now as some of my catches were obviously pregnant mamas. Unfortunately, I gut hooked three of them. I was using circle hooks. Bullheads seem to pick up your bait and then just stay there or swim away so I guess I just missed them hitting it. I almost caught what I'm pretty sure was a decent channel cat since it seemed larger, fought harder, and hit my bait with a sudden "WHAM!" It pulled a half circle around the pier and right when I thought I had it suddenly darted right under the pier and got off. I don't know if I was unlucky or the fish was lucky or what because once I hook something on these gamakatsu hooks they typically never get away. Anyway, cut bait ftw. edit: If I were to add a suggestion to the OP it would be that cut baits tend to be the best bait year round for channel cats especially. I've found this through experience, reading around the Internet, and it gets discussed extensively in "Channel Catfish Fever: An In-Fisherman Handbook of Strategies." I don't know about anyone else, but I know I got a fever that only catfish can cure. Mulaney Power Move fucked around with this message at 20:42 on Apr 27, 2012 |
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Apr 27, 2012 20:39
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I really want to get into kayak fishing but it seems like a big issue is how expensive these rack systems can get. If I want to transport my kayak any meaningful distance, is there a way of doing it that doesn't cost an extra $200 or so (2003 Lincoln Continental)? I know there are cheaper mounts but some of the best fishing around does require traveling at least 60 MPH for 30-45 minutes. Couple the rack with the kayak and accessories and I don't know that I'm willing to pay more than $1k and at that point I don't know how much quality I'd be sacrificing. I was looking at a lot of models but one decent kayak on the cheaper end was the Perception Caster 12.5, on sale at the local Dicks for about $500. Anyway, seems mounting options are under-discussed in a lot of these kayak forums.
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May 9, 2012 16:19
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IM FROM THE FUTURE posted:But still, both are one time purchases, you will get years and years of free enjoyment and access to amazing fishing out of those few pieces of kinda pricey equipment. The foam block setup (can get it for about $60 bucks) seems to be the best bet as long as I'm not traveling long stretches on I-95 or something. Follow-up question: are racks really one-time purchases? My '03 continental has many miles left in it but it does have over 100k miles. What if I got say, a Ford Focus as my next vehicle? Of course, if I had a kayak at that point I'd probably get a truck or something which I was considering anyway, but how universal are these racks? Given that my car is getting older it definitely doesn't seem like the best route to take.
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May 9, 2012 17:20
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I have a question for you kayak fishers: do any of you have experience loading a kayak onto a car without racks? It doesn't seem like there are too many rack options for my car (2002 Lincoln Continental) -- I've found none, though, who knows what some shop somewhere could rig up. Any of you ever use a foam blocks/straps set up like this: http://maloneautoracks.com/deluxe-kayak-kit.php ? If everything is done properly, how far can you travel and how fast can you go with this set up? I've heard a lot of people say a lot of different things. I'm also worried that there might not be a sturdy enough place that I can access on the frame my car for bow/stern tie downs. There are a few places down there by the bumper and fender, but it's hard to tell if they'll work until I'm trying the specific tie downs. The car also has a sun roof. Man I'll be pissed if a kayak can't be loaded onto this car as safely as a Kia or something.
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May 31, 2012 06:23
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Rythe posted:Check out the Yakima Roof Rack Systems, as far as I know they make kits that fit drat near everything. That is what I bought for my kia. Well, two of the first places I checked were Yakima and Thule's websites and they didn't have anything. The store said they couldn't find any options in their catalogs either. Since my last post, I actually went and bought a kayak and settled on the foam blocks/straps set up with bow and stern tie downs as well. The kayak is 13.5 feet and 60 lbs and it doesn't move a bit, though, I would be cautious about going on the interstate. The good thing about this system is it's only about $50. My car is somewhat unique in that it's the last Lincoln Continental they ever made and it didn't sale that well. I think rack manufacturers probably decided just not to bother. I noticed other cars, such as Trans Ams, didn't have any options either. You could probably get something done custom but then you're talking money. Bought the Trident 13 Angler, by the way. It's an awesome kayak! First trip out just to tool around I caught some bass, so that blessed the boat. Then I got completely skunked yesterday on my first all day trip.
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Jun 3, 2012 16:55
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snugglebunny posted:Had my first cat fishing trip today, got out there around 11am and left at 5pm. Pretty good haul I think. Nice catch! Are those all channel cats or are there a few blues mixed in? I'm jealous, right now in the places where I fish the day bite has slowed down.
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Jun 11, 2012 14:19
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Got skunked for the first time on my kayak today. I was fishing a crummy over-fished lake so I didn't expect much. I think I need to get a fish finder. At the very least I need to get a read on underwater structure and breaks in depth. Any recommendations? My kayak has a scupper molded for a transducer plus a waterproof area for the battery, so that opens up my options. Still, I'd like to keep it below $200 if possible. Note that I've been going for catfish for the most part lately.
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Jun 16, 2012 22:20
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Rythe posted:Wow what kayak do you have that has all those nice little additions? I use the Eagle Cuda 300 I think, it cost about $75 and it shows depth, temp, decent structures and drop offs all things needed for catfishing. I know people that use super expensive side scan sonar and all the extra goodies but I went cheap and the Eagle fits my needs just fine even being so cheap. It's the Trident 13 Angler by Ocean Kayak. Got it on sale and I'm pretty blown away buy it. Can't say enough good things about it! I looked into those Cuda 300s and it seems like they're a little hard to find. I was thinking of maybe getting a Hummingbird or the Lowrance X-4 Sonar which is just over a $100 and looks just right. Also, managed to put in this afternoon for about 2 hours of fishing. The cats have slowed down big time right now but I managed to get two eaters (2-3 lb channel cats) drifting the dam before a storm cloud chased me away. Not bad for the middle of the day in June.
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Jun 20, 2012 00:34
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causticBeet posted:It would suck to have to cut the line and leave a lure in its mouth. That's exactly what I would do. Who wants to mess with an alligator?
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Jul 31, 2012 22:09
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I had an OK day of catfishing on Sunday. Caught about a dozen (channels and a bullhead) in less than 4 hours from my kayak. I was fishing with chicken livers. Biggest one was 18 inches. Nothing too special. The water was up from all the rain we've been getting so I caught them right where the creek comes into the reservoir. I will say this, contrary to the OP chicken livers are a mediocre bait to use for catfish. Yes, they will attract aggressive hits, but mostly from smaller fish. Even with gauze they have trouble staying on the hook when the little peckers start hitting, so you're constantly re-baiting. I was getting bites so quickly that I had to fish with one pole whereas I normally use two or three. This might sound cool, but most bites were from small fish that just stole my bait. Plus you get chicken blood everywhere. I only used them to break the skunk. Biggest channels I ever caught were either on cut or live baitfish. I usually use bream from wherever I'm fishing. If you don't have any fish to use and you just want to get out there, I suggest using either cut chicken breast or chicken gizzards marinated overnight in garlic and oil. It's pretty much a standard for serious catmen these days as far as I can tell. Don't let it spoil. This won't really help you attract any fish, so all it means is you're handling raw chicken that's also spoiled. As a side note, I figured I might go out yesterday so I left my kayak on the roof of the car with the straps loosened. Don't ever do this. I knew that you're not supposed to do this, but I figured it'd be OK for one day as long as the straps weren't tight. I "oil-canned" (yes, I know technically that's not the proper term but that's what everyone says) the hull, but luckily it popped right out in the heat. All it took to oil-can was sitting on my roof in the heat on top of the foam blocks (not tied down at all). Normally, I store my kayak properly indoors and I use foam with normal straps when tying it down. It's amazing how easily the hull will warp out of shape in the heat with a plastic kayak! Bonus pics of some cats from a previous trip (caught with gizzards n' garlic)!   This was the biggest I could photo. Caught one that was a little bigger but he was too ornery to photo. He was a mean spirited fish.  And I still cast for bass whenever the cats aren't biting:  Mulaney Power Move fucked around with this message at 01:52 on Aug 1, 2012 |
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Jul 31, 2012 22:57
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Hughmoris posted:I'm looking at trying my hand at kayak fishing. Any particular yaks you can recommend for someone about 6'4 and 280lbs? Depends on a lot of factors, but off the top of my head Wilderness System's Commander series is great for weigh capacity (500-600 lbs). The Ride 13.5 is pretty good as well and quite stable. The Ocean Kayak Trident 13 (what I have) has a carrying capacity of about 450 lbs plus it's only 60 lbs to carry. There's a lot of options to go with. The best thing you can do is find a local shop that offers demos. Every kayak is a series of trade-offs (stability, speed, maneuverability) so it really depends on what conditions you'll be fishing in. I went with the Trident 13 because it's a good all around model that's not as stable as the Commander or Ride but it's faster, tracks better, it's more maneuverable, and can handle a variety of conditions. Jackson Kayak makes excellent fishing kayaks as well, plus there's Hobie which I've never even tried. Do your homework and demo demo demo! One thing I've heard a lot of people say is that at the end of day, you want to leave about 100 lbs to spare based on whatever the carrying capacity is if you want to get a decent ride out of your boat. But that's just something I heard...
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Aug 1, 2012 03:17
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This is my first "full season" of catfishing and really the first year I've catfished seriously, beginning in March. The fall turnover is in full swing here in NC, with water temps dipping into the low 60s. Aside from Labor Day when I caught my last big cat (and biggest cat of the year, I might add)and some light fishing when camping with a bunch of nonfishers lat weekend, I had my first trip yesterday. I woke up at 6:30 ready to hit up the lake. This is really the first weekend I've been free so I just wanted to fish and didn't put too much thought into temps aside from "they'll probably be deeper" and everything else I've read about typical Fall patterns (which tends to be conflicting). Problem number 1: ambient temp was in the 40s. I know that for winter fishing, I'll need cold weather gear, but I didn't stop to think about it this early in the year. The first thing I did was order some scupper stops so in the future I don't have to worry about sitting in water (I've never really taken any on aside from paddle drip). I ended up waiting until the afternoon to head out. It's obvious the summer holes are dried up and that's really no surprise, but I couldn't catch a fish anywhere. I hit up a less than 100 acre "lake" and fished just about every conceivable spot, from the dam to the creek, using cut chicken gizzards marinated in garlic and fresh cut sunfish. Could have just been since it was the middle of the day, but usually when I fish this thoroughly I catch something. To top it all off, when I got in and was unloading my gear, I noticed my favorite little micro lite combo was MIA. Usually I keep it stored below deck, but it wasn't there. I must have left it at the camping spot last week  . Not sure how I did that.Gonna head out later this afternoon after I get some work done and try fishing more around dusk/sunset. It's a little warmer today, so we'll see what's up. We had a front come in on Sunday and a few rainy days, but weather has been stable since Wednesday, so it might just be that they're in that most active at night pattern. I was also thinking of trying another lake, but I imagine it'll be pretty busy in the afternoon today so I'll prob just fish the same place. Anyway, any tips for cold weather clothes for kayak fishing? I did some looking and holy crap some of these clothes are expensive. Budget is an issue. Also, I wonder if there are any other serious catmen around here? I've been checking this site out regularly for the past year: http://www.catfish1.com/forums/forum.php The avatars in the NC forum alone are weekend web worthy. These guys look like what you'd expect a cafish guy to look like. Mulaney Power Move fucked around with this message at 15:31 on Oct 14, 2012 |
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Oct 14, 2012 15:14
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tesilential posted:I fish from a SUP, not a yak but I can say my buddies 15' prowler has never been too much boat for the narrow and shallow creeks we fish often. the biggest negative about the big yaks is their weight imo. I'll second this. My <60 lb kayak can be tough to lug around, though I can get it on and off my car by myself easy enough. Anything bigger (like those 80 lb ride 13s) would probably be an issue.
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May 12, 2013 19:16
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PREYING MANTITS posted:Caught my new personal best this morning, 29" 9lb 11oz blue cat. Was really fun reeling it in and it sure loved to do its little roll move every time I got it near the boat. Landing it without a net was a challenge. I'm glad I had fireline crystal on the reel since the fish's lips were so abrasive it probably would have destroyed the mono I had on there until yesterday. That's a good catfish, though, to me it looks like a channel cat. But, can't really tell for sure without looking at the anal fin. Channel cats and blues look a lot alike, especially bigger channel cats. People talk a lot of poo poo on catfish (especially bass fisherman), but once you get into that 10 lb and above range, very few fish in freshwater pull harder. On that note, took the kayak out to a local 50 acre pond and had a pretty slow day of catfishing. Caught six and none were very big. They were all juvenile males, with the biggest one being maybe 2 lbs. My guess is the spawn is finally on. Bait of choice was cut chicken gizzards marinated in garlic. They were tagging that more than cut bluegill. This bait has become my go to bait after I read it was recommended by a lot of local guides (although they use chicken breasts) and it has become a bit of a standard around here for blue catfish in particular. I find it usually does as good if not better than cut bait. Mulaney Power Move fucked around with this message at 02:56 on Jun 24, 2013 |
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Jun 24, 2013 02:50
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fps_bill posted:So apparently I'm a pussy and don't know how to land a big cat when on a kayak. I just accidentally cut my line trying to poke a hole in this things lower lip so I could put it on my stringer without pulling it onto my yak. Any cat in double digits is a pain in the rear end to land from a kayak. I have a good sized landing net that can handle most fish, but you can easily lose a fish when trying to hold a rod in one hand and a net in another. I've never used those grips, but everyone on the catfish website I go to seems to. They also have special gloves, but I think that's more for protecting your hand against abrasions -- I do know that big channel cats in particular have a lot of crushing power and if you happen to catch a trophy (20 lbs) it's possible the thing could break your hand if you're not careful. As far as gizzards or chicken breasts marinated in garlic go, I've found the size of your bait makes a big difference. During day time or periods of inactivity, I cut it into quarter size pieces, and when they're active I cut it into 50 cent pieces since often they won't take it if you leave the whole thing intact. This seems weird because the same sized bluegill fillet seems to catch fish. Mixing in blood might help attract fish but I've never experimented with it, though I do know some people recommend fishing with coagulated chicken blood and of course we all know how well livers can work if you're willing to deal with the frustrations. In general though, I've matched the performance of cut bait, but I've never really clearly outperformed it and it's still the best all round bait that I know of. The main advantage of the chicken bait is that you can just grab it and fish if you don't already have baitfish on hand.
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Jun 30, 2013 19:26
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DocMcgillicuddy posted:Buying office of outdoors store. I also get an insane deal on some rods. Might be able to score myself a zenith for under 200 bucks What? In other news: it's almost time for fall flatties. Flathead catfish season is almost on us boys. Tight lines!
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Aug 31, 2013 03:58
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I hung out with my buddy and a girl he's loving the other night and, for the second time, she accused me of torture because I catch and release. I thought she was joking the first time. I googled the subject and I guess the idea that catch and release is torture is prevalent enough to be endorsed by PETA. What the heck.
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Feb 15, 2014 06:27
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Is there a scientific reason to believe catch and release is torture? Every argument I've found says "study says fish feel pain" but the best they can show is that fish react to what we would consider pain, i.e., they automatically react to aversive stimuli. I always thought most fish brains had incredibly short term memories. That's why you can catch a fish, throw it back, and catch it again a minute later if you're lucky. Or maybe it's stupid to relate fish brains to human brains at all. The funny thing? Chick was fine with fishing so long as you kill and eat it. edit: Also when someone gets the time can I add some updates to the OP with better catfishing techniques (chicken livers are the best bait? don't make me laugh)? 
Mulaney Power Move fucked around with this message at 06:37 on Feb 15, 2014 |
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Feb 15, 2014 06:35
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I thought he was going to pick one up and swallow it but he didn't
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Feb 15, 2014 07:02
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Armed Neutrality posted:Fishing with the intention to catch and release is illegal in Switzerland. (Also Germany, basically). God drat am I proud to be an American edit: According to what I read you're supposed to instantly kill anything you catch? That doesn't make any rational or ethical sense to me. Why not just sack up and ban fishing altogether? I think they're just guilty about the whole accepting gold from the nazis/being nazis thing. Mulaney Power Move fucked around with this message at 18:52 on Feb 15, 2014 |
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Feb 15, 2014 17:59
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Most the places I fish are fished down so I try to C&R unless I gut hook something. Then it's either food or bait. I also bend the barbs out of hooks but part of that is because I mostly use circle hooks and they're a pain in the rear end to take out with the barb in.
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Feb 16, 2014 01:21
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I just got the Garmin Echo 150 but I haven't installed it yet and it's still too cold to go out, but for a $100 finder it gets excellent reviews and aside from a power cable that is comically short (less than three feet) it should install easily enough on my trident 13. A lot of people seem to mount the transducer inside the hull and it's a fairly easy process, but it's probably better to get the transducer in the water if you can, although I think the only thing you'd sacrifice is an accurate temp reading.
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Feb 17, 2014 20:34
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I can turn my body to the side in my kayak (OK trident 13 angler) and just sit indian style, without getting my legs in the water. Just always keep your center of gravity, which might be harder to do if you're just reaching behind you, depending on what you're reaching for.
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Feb 20, 2014 19:43
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Ever since I moved from Florida to North Carolina I have targeted catfish almost exclusively and moved away from bass fishing. Here are some basic points (for channel catfish, although much of this can be applied to blues): Location (1) Depending on the time of year (summer) fishing at night is the best because catfish roam and actively prowl flats for food. The most productive flats (areas where there is little change in water depth) are adjacent to deep holes and the old river channel in reservoirs. If you find a good spot in a flat next to deep water at night you're usually good. (1a) When it comes to fishing during the day, the bite is slower, but fish tend to stack up in more consistent patterns (particularly in summer). Again, the key is the best and deepest holes, usually just out of current if current is present. If you are fishing in a river or creek, there is an easy pattern to go by to find catfish. Riffle-Hole-Run. This pattern is prevalent in any moving body of water, really. In a small creek you'll notice where the current breaks the surface near shallower water -- this is a riffle -- and the surface downstream of it will be scoured out by the current to create a hole which eventually tapers out into the flat surface, the run, which eventually leads to another riffle. Target holes, especially the deepest and the ones with the most cover (like fallen trees and branches and poo poo) as well as the most diverse structural features holes near bends are particularly attractive). This pattern tends to replicate itself in reservoirs but you really have to know what's going on underneath the water to figure out where the best holes are. Understanding this basic riffle-hole-run pattern is probably the simplest, most important, and most generalizable aspect of catfishing. Time of Year (2) Channel catfish follow seasonal patterns of movement, moreso than Blue or Flathead catfish. When the water warms to the 60s and low 70s in spring they are usually most active, especially during the day. They are on the move and trying to get as much food as possible now that it's warm out and they're fixing to spawn. You can catch fish just about anywhere but water that warms faster than other water with large sources baitfish tend to be your best bets. Shallow water fishing during the day works good this time of year given the right conditions and this is also the case during similar periods in the Fall. During the Summer a more predictable pattern emerges, where the fish tend to consolidate in the deepest holes during the day and prowl adjacent flats during the night. Most people swear by night fishing during the summer but the bite is actually much better during the day if you can locate the fish -- this is because they tend to stack up. A similar pattern of consolidation in deep holes occurs during winter, although it is more pronounced. Bait (3) People have a lot of strange notions about catfish bait. Fresh cut baitfish is almost always the best choice, regardless of season. People use fish like shad, suckers, carp, sunfish, etc. For bigger channel cats (up to double digits) you want to use the whole live fish. If you want to go with grocery store baits or whatever, chicken livers do work great for small-eatable size fish, but they are not the best option. I've used gauze to keep the livers on the hook but they are still a pain in the rear end and will get pecked to death by little fish and you'll lose your bait a lot. Bigger fish will hit it too but you'd be better off going with something else. Also, contrary to popular belief, you don't have to let your bait rot so it smells stronger -- catfish don't have the same sense of smell as us. Most catfish enthusiasts I know of today (see catfish1.com) have begun to swear by CBMIGP as the goto grocery store bait. All it is is cut up chicken breast (or gizzards or whatever) marinated overnight in garlic powder and olive oil. Works best for blue catfish but also channel catfish. I generally catch bigger fish more consistently with this, it can be frozen and used again so it is economical, and it stays on the hook. Use "half dollar" size cuts of CBMIGP when fish are feeding actively (such as at night) and quarter size pieces when they are less active. Avoid pastes and doughs from baitshops as well as preserved baits you can buy at stores like those packaged shad. Chicken gizzards are cheaper and work better when turned into CBMIGP -- but if you're just fishing in a one acre pond all you probably need is a hot dog for bait. Catfish in small ponds love hot dogs. A lot of people seem to like to bury the hook in the bait so it's hidden but a catfish doesn't know what a hook is so it's usually best to leave as much of the tip and whatnot exposed as far as conditions will allow. Tackle/Presentation/Etc. (4) I won't say much here. Use circle hooks, size six probably being the smallest you'd want to use. You don't have to set the hook with these. Just let the fish take the bait and they're hooked. The simplest rig to use is a carolina rig or a slip bobber rig, but it doesn't really have to get much more complicated than this, although it is generally better to keep the bait just off the bottom than on the bottom. I mostly fish reservoirs and I like to drift with a carolina rig where a small float is placed a few inches from the hook so your rig is on the bottom but your bait still floats up a bit. Well that's about all I can think of for now. If you really get into catfishing you might find it's a lot more fun than bass fishing since you seem to catch more and bigger fish more consistently (once you graduate from just tossing chicken livers into a pond) plus they pull way harder, although they don't jump and dart around as much so most people still think of bass as "better" fighters. Mulaney Power Move fucked around with this message at 18:58 on Apr 9, 2014 |
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Apr 9, 2014 18:45
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tesilential posted:I would never catch a catfish on purpose. That said, I've caught sail cats on super spooks, lil jons, DOA cal shads and of course shrimp or cut bait. Once I caught one under a bridge at night on a glow paddle tail and it puked out like 20 baby catfish about 2" in length, possibly it's own offspring. You're in Florida and when I lived there I only considered catfish junk fish. Move inland to a state where largemouth bass aren't even a native fish and there's no such thing as a natural lake and you might find yourself thinking differently. poo poo look at inland Europe, those fuckers think catching a drat carp is the grandest of all sports.
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Apr 20, 2014 02:30
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Kilersquirrel posted:Are you seriously arguing that this isn't worth fishing for? Even a 5-pound catfish can give your drag a run for its money, big ones like that can easily pull you into the water if you're not prepared. No I just made a huge effort post about catfishing.
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Apr 22, 2014 17:32
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Recently I've had the most luck with panfish using those little beetle spinnerbaits, or i'll just do carolina rig thing with splitshots and a small plastic grub or something on a normal unweighted hook (not a jighead). Unfortunately I lost my micro lite spinning combo that bass pro shops no longer makes. That thing could cast the lightest poo poo next to a fly rod
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May 8, 2014 23:46
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Woodpile posted:Weather's warming up so I'm hoping to get some catfishing in soon. Hard to find chicken livers at the moment though. Best bait for catfish is almost always cut bait. If you are going the grocery store route, marinate cut chicken (I use gizzards and hearts but some people use breasts) with garlic and oil. Professional catfishers in my state (NC) swear by it. Livers are overrated. Too many small fish.
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May 17, 2020 21:11
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