Catfish
 

Well the weather hasn't been the best but we have still managed to land some nice kitties. Red River channel cats, been eating my shrimp so far and when the goldeye move in I will switch to cut-bait. 5/0 octopus hooks, 3-4oz lead wgt and an 18" lead seems to be working.

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Sorry soo many posts to get the pics in but I figured its a nice pictoral history of my w/end. The last 3 pics are of one fish. It stole my rod........ I had to dive into the river B4 it went to "Davey Jones' locker", Just got it in time and this is what I get in return. A nice 34" ch cat, I would sayabout 16-18lbs or so. What do you guys think? Funny thing was that I snagged into someone elses pickeral rig that had 2 saugers on...... not in good health. But the important thing was that 1)I got my rod back
2)I got the fish
3)I still had all my terminal gear, just took me awhile to get it untangled
And the wifes was a 30", my other small cat wasn't measured but I would guess about 28" maybe 10-12lbs

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cool pix

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Congrats to ya both - those are some nice looking cats

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Nice channels! You are lucky to get your tackle back. I don't think I've gotten one back yet that a cat took to Davey Jones locker!

Good pics, thanks for sharing.

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looks like a good time to me!! i cant wait...probably start chasin cats here in a couple weeks. i gotta order a couple new rods and reels, hooks, sinkers and leader line...i want to get pretty serious about it this year...last year i just got into chasing the bigger cats...im hooked. i used to enjoy chucking chicken liver and reeling in 1-5lb channels left and right..till i started fishing live creek chubs and bring in 10+lb flatheads and channels that are 5+ as well...cant wait for this year...nothin like the lantern hissing on the dark river bank on a warm summer night and rods folding in half as one takes the bait!!

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Lets give a big amen to that!! One of the most relaxing placesa personcan be. Lifetime memories that always bring up a smile come from such places. The sounds of frogs, crickets, owls, things splashing out in the dark, and that good old coleman lantern burning is almost a religious experience. I think I'll go tonight.

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If the weather is OK I'm packing my tent tonight. Campfire a couple cold ones and good friends....... not to mention 'Sumo Kitties':D

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Yep its a good time that nite fishing i agree- i like it a bit-i have been doing a little lately going for cats( not having a whole lota luck but still fun) Just catching a few small flatheads or channel cats.
It is how i caught my first gar while catfishing & tryed for another gar & got one after that also.

Found this one in the kitchen sink along with some dirty dishs
( the mate is also a very good fish cleaner;))

We been keeping a eye out for the water mocs/cotton mouths "down here" including at nite( dont know how nocturnal they are-we dont have much experence with them either)

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First gar -its a spotted gar( second one we let go as we hadent eatin the first one ..yet) 2nd one was a longnose type.

Havent got a gator gar... yet.

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I should add i had to dr that cat photo( orders[:-]) as the dirty dishs we showing.
And the mate caught the 2nd gar herself.

We dont use our lantern much just a few headlamps we switch on now& then to check things or to bait up etc.

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Those Gar look interesting. We don't have them up here. What do they fight like?
Night fishing for me means campfire unless I'm in city limits. The regs on don't allow you to keep any fish over 24" here, so if I want to catch something for food I have to fish inside the city...... that way I get a good mix of sizes. The smallest I've caught near the dam on the N'ern portion of the river was 26". Inside the city i still have a good chance to catch a few big ones but they don't stack up like on the N side of the dam. More pics to follow........ hope.[8D]

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Those gars are good strong fighers they even jumped a bit& are hardy intresting lookingfish i think.( very tough skins[:o])

Im in the south by the way right now-not Wy at the moment.( we drove a long longway to fish:D)- been here about 80 or so days now& will be leaving soon for Ky.
In Wy we ussally just catch mostly all rainbows( tho there are a few places that have channel cats& some other species in the state)Areyall in N dakota?

Good luck to you& everyone else- would love to see more pictures.

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Manitoba Canada........ Red River North. I couldn't find the link on the gander mountain site but this is the info that I have. Hope you can find the vid its pretty[8D]
mms://stream.gandermountain.com/GanderWeLiveOutdoors/WLO0610/0610_384K_Stream_Red_River_Cats.wmv

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Thanks for posting that link Sandi- i can hardly get it to play tho- (i can see a few still frames& hear some audio tho. Does look nice.


I think its my phone lines mostly( maybe the pc to>?)- i am now connected at 19.2 kbps- same thing happens back home on that pc also or when i try to view any vedio on line& off the net[&o]
...... edit...
Ops correction im connected at 21.6 kbps this time( dosnt ge much faster then that even back in Wyoming)- i dont know a whole lot about pc ,s , or phone line speeds or the playing of video clips etc- just know they dont play very well aat all.( i assume its the phone line speeds tho& not so much the pc)

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You'll have to go see it at a friends or on some other PC maybe. I'm not that computer savvy either. Lots of good fights, very informative, and even some action w/catfish on fly-rod[8D]. Shows where I do alot of my fishin in the summer:)...... from shore[&o]. With a boat you can smash'em, mobility is an awesome asset on the river. I'm heaving some big weight and can go a long ways out but can't always hit that seam. I can prolly get 50-70yds...... just a guess tho.

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Hey yes- That reminds me my daughter just got some high speed internet axess line of some kind( she lives in the city)- when i do get back home in a few weeks i will go there& check it out(it does sounds like a good vedio clip)thanks.

I did notice in your first post ya used 3-4 oz sinker yeps.

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Thats the heaviest I can find. I used to use the tear drop style but got the tombstones this yr. For shore fishing they stick much better. I'd like to check out the pyramid style as well. What does your rig consist of?

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My equipment is just kinda a mishmash of this &that for the most part- its only been lately( last few yrs) that i/ westarted catfishing.

I was using just # 4 ?size bait hooks & worms- but i was losing quite a fish then when i stared using cut up sunfish as bait- as they werntt big enough when buried into a good chunk of fish to hook them.

But i had on hand some bigger long shank bait hooks & bigger treble hooks i had on hand i had bought in bulk packs online from probass shop.

I did cut off the one hook on those treble hooks- just to make it easyier to remove them.

I did also have some of those pyramid sinkers in 1 oz size that i use that i found localy for a good price.

Its a large manmade lake im fishing no current really & i fish from shore always also( a few boat launch areas is where we fish)- tho id love to have a boat & cover some area myself - the lake has some great looking shoreline& many islands ya cant get to without a boat.


I did do a lot of nite fishing from shore as a kid& when younger- but that was for walleyes& bass only tho back then & we used rapala type lures for that.

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Reading the other thread on rigs maybe you ment reels/poles also when asking i relize now also.

Really didnt buy much to just catfish with- just use mostly what i have had for yrs - spinning rods& reels most have 15 lb test on them& 6-61/2 med action ft rods etc a few closed face reels also( have a heavyier boat rod& reel(a abu) i leave in wy tho so far.

Looking at State records for here on tackle looks like that 15 lb line maybe lacking some& not idealy suited to the job if i do tie into one of the big cats:D

channel cat 38 lbs
flathead 80 lbs
Blue 116 lbs
gator gar 215 lbs(240 on unrestricted tackle)

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You let one go! Around here people kill them anyway possible. The water's getting warm enough now that some places you can't fish with live bait because the !@#$% things hit every bait you drop into the water usually cutting off your terminal tackle with their teeth! They are a pretty good fight and I will be going after them just for the sport and to try and thin some out of my catfish holes. Caught one last night about 3 feet, but there was some 5foot ones rolling. I'm trying to come up with a sure hook rig as most steal your bait and not get hooked. The frazzled rope trick hasn't worked for me so far.

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Yep im thowing em back if im not eating them.

Ya i think they where the ones also messing up my baits& lines to at times to.
Just like the water turtles do at times. But its ok.

Last one that i let go wasnt hooked either- tho that one above was( he did break the line- but was halfway on shore by then& did almost get away.


May i suggest dymamite on wire leaders?;)

I had heard/read of that rope thing - but never tryed it.

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I'm using 20lbs (mono)main line and 25lbs (mono)lead.I tie all my own rigs and taylor the hook size to the size of bait. Lead lengths are also dictated by current strength.I like spinning rods and have an Walmart special Mako-Calypso 7or 7.5' med- heavy w/ a fairly soft tip. I like the forgiveness of this set-up, the stretch of mono and a soft tip but strong enough to control the fish. For a reel I use a Quantum Blue runner I think BRF 60, it holds 210yds of 20lbs test and 240-14. I have used 25lbs test for main line but didn't get a very smooth cast and alot less distance. 25 mono is a little much for this rod, but the wife used 50lbs braid for awhile until it burned a hole in an eye when she fighting a REALLY good fish, broke the line too. No matter she only had 15yds left until she hit the backing-20lbs mono

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Looks like a good set up- but that penny looks funny;))

Sounds like one big ol fish she tied into breaking that braided 50 lb line~!

( wheres the hole for the sinker?)

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think those are big then look them up for texas especially on the alligator gar

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World Record - 279.00 pounds, caught in the Rio Grande River, Texas, in 1951.
Thats a bigin alright.

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Didn't think you guys would see the leaves on the penny...... LOL
And the hole for the sinker is thru the center. The wgt sits right on the bottom.......... about 1/4" high. Awesome weights, there is little way for the current to catch them.
An childers I would love to go for GAR....... just we don't have'em. Me thinks wifey hooked into a sturgeon. Hit just like'em....... tap....... tap...... tap........................ bang down the rod goes. Looked like a teeny bullhead and bang....... line being pulled off drag for what seemed like over a min. All she did was set the hook and lean back to enjoy the ride and then pop she fell over backwards. But like I said as soon as she hit the 20lbs mono backing she would have more than likely lost the fish. what a waste of line tho....... I had just respooled hers[&o]

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I thought maybe yall had sturgens there& that might be what it was possibly.
Oh barbless ? I didnt relize that either- just thought the barbs looked kindasmall in that other picture or it was my eyes my eyes arent great( i rely on one eye mostly)did look a little blurry to- tho i could see that maple leaf;)

( i use to poke fun at my cuzin in ontario& there weird queen mum funny money:D- ( thats of course after they called me a yankee hot dog eater:D);)