As a salmon fisherman, i can tell you cats DO chase. We typically troll at 2.2 to 2.7 MPH at the ball. The biggest cat we have boated came 50 feet down in 85 feet of water. Took us nearly 30 minutes to boat a nearly 21 pound fish. If you are worried about buying pantyhose, buy the mesh bags used in spawn sacks.
We catch them here occasionally on plugs when back trolling for steelhead and salmon too. The nylons, I just don't like how bad they snag/get stuck on the barbs when trying to get it back off the hook. Heck, I'd go buy tampons with no issue if I thought they would catch me more fish. Hmm, scent stick to chum the hole?
That's a good looking channel cat! Worms work ok here, but you spend more time reeling in suckers and rebaiting than you do fishing for cats.
a few weeks back wading and casting white or chartreuse 1/8 oz. paddle tails as close as you can to the froth, current was super strong ... also caught and released 4 smallmouth 1-2 lbs
I am going fishing tomorrow evening come hell or high water. Going to fill up with the pickup with stuff from the garage and stage that at the daughters place, then going over to the home lake.
Good luck! I'm headed back to the cabin this weekend. Hope to snag some of those big sunnies and crappies like last weekend. Won't keep anything, but it's still fun catching fish!
I want to clean some fish. I am getting my bait at Bill's in Royalton and some chicken strips. I think I am going to open a champs chicken franchise in Upsala drive thru only.
Well my fishing buddy is gone for the day so I will be doing a solo trip down the banks of a river. I don't expect anyone to be out there walking in the woods like my dumb old butt. Im going to walk and find the deeper holes to maybe reel in a decent catfish or two. Its hot, but who gives a crud.
Went to the lake it rained with a thunderstorm and temps dropped 15 degrees not good fishing weather.
Took us half a day to find them, but we finally got into a few on Friday afternoon. Saturday was 4-5 foot rollers all across the bay and the Shandy's were tasting awful good so we hung out at camp, relaxed, and caught up with friends we don't see nearly enough. All in all, not a terrible weekend.
That can be a fun ride when you spend a morning out on the lake (nearly flat calm) and then need to cross the bay to get back to the west side. 12 miles of that kind of ride gets old after the first mile!
Try going offshore.... heading out it’s 70 miles in the dark, at 50 mph with 5-7’ seas in an open center-console and usually you have an ominous looking line of thunderstorms about 20 miles out to navigate through. Then once you’re there you spend the day getting bounced around in the open ocean while reeling in fish and trying not to hook yourself while tending lines and finally once you’re reallly, realllly exhausted and ready for a nap it’s time to head back in. That part is extra fun because the ocean is usually rougher in the afternoon and the line of storms that forms offshore are a lot stronger plus you are a couple thousand pounds lighter on fuel so you tend to bounce off the waves instead of cutting through them. It’s totally worth it though, especially if you’ve got a cold beer and a boat full of dolphin, wahoo, a couple tunas or, if you’re really lucky, a nice marlin to keep you company on the way back.
How big a boat? Mine is 21 feet. I'd take 5 to 7 out on the ocean better than 4 to 5 on our bay. The wave period is greater on the salt water.
