[fishingkats]

with all this fish for catfish talk i have been
wondering

how far do you guy toss out for the cats ?
what oz. of lead do you guys use ?
lenth of fishing rod do you use ?

 

[Walking Eagle]

How far - I usually try to pick a spot that I want my bait to be, and I throw to that spot rather than think about how far.

Weight - I normally don't go over 3/4 or 1 oz. of weight unless it's a swift river current that sweeps my bait back to the bank. My dad used to fish for cats in the Missouri river which has a very strong current, and his sinker was the cluster gear out of an old Chevy pickup transmission!

And sometimes he couldn't get it to hold in the current!

Length of rod -- I use the same rod for cats as I do for wipers. An 8 foot surf rod with a big spinning reel and 20# mono line.

For me, that's fairly heavy tackle, but you know how catfishermen hate to lose a fish.

W. E.

 

[Guest]

Distance- As far as needed i.e. if I am fishing brush I cast to it. But for a standard muddy bottom I cast anywhere from 100 to 250 feet out.

Weight- Depends on type of fishing. Rivers with heavy current anywhere from 8 to 12 ounces. Lake fishing, I base it on how far I am going out. Typically I use 3 to 8 ounces, more often 6-7, to put me out the 200 or so feet I need to go.

Length- I use everything from 6' to 14'. The short rods are for muscling cats out of brush, the bigger ones to better control fish, bait, and float patterens on the river. I have two 10 footers I use the most from Berkley called Glostiks.

 

[Derajaman]

so do you usually hook up the bait with just it, a hook, and a sinker? No float? If using cut up sunfish/bluegill as bait would they float or sink and is that what cats would want?

 

[Zias]

I caught my 2 cats about 7 feet off shore in about 5 feet of water.

 

[Guest]

My standard rig is as follows: a 6 oz egg sinker slid up my 50 lb mainline, then a big bead, then a 3/0 swivel, then my 100lb leader. I tie two 6 inch pieces of 100lb line to two 7/0 circle hooks and tie them to my leader. If i use a float I slide the float, a Classy or Wazp, onto my 50lb mainline, slide on a bead and tie on a 3/0 swivel. I then attach a 6 inch piece of 100lb leader and tie my hook on. Change the leader length to 24" if usuing two hooks. I tie a bobber knot above the float and adjust it to set the depth I want to fish at. Most cut bait sinks. If you want it to float you can buy styrofoam beads at Hobby Lobby and you add a few just above the bait on the line until it floats. Cats in the spring perfer floating baits because it mocks what they naturally find which is winterkill shad and carp. During the summer and fall I do better with baits on the bottom. But sometimes I mix it up: I put one bait on the bottom hook on the bottom and on the second hook on that pole I put about 4-5 feet up on the main line. I usually use this rig in conjunction with stink baits.

 

[fishingkats]

well im asking this question because in this months
coloradofisherman  he says he uses 3/4 - 1 oz egg sinker

ok well when i go fishing i use a 1- 5 oz of lead
a 2/0 - 5/0 circle hook
and either my 14' poles or my 8' poles
and 20# or 25# string
and most of the time im using half or a whole perch

so i didnt know if i was the only one but i see that
catman29 uses some big fishing tackle too

 

[Walking Eagle]

Well if you are fishing for cats most of the time, or a lot of the time, then I think you are justified in getting specialized tackle that is just for catfishing. In that case you would get some pretty heavy stuff. In my case the catfishing time is more in the minority so that's why I use more general purpose tackle. But I can definitely appreciate the guys who concentrate on the cats, because I came from a line of people who did the same.

W. E.

 

[fishingkats]

the funny thing about me always going for cats i have caught some big other fish

i have caught a 9# saugeye
14# wiper easy 50#+ carp
i have hooked in to some nice tiger muskie that when they get close to shore they just blow right past me like my string is nothing

so most of the time when i go fishing for cats i take a few wipers home with me

 

[Walking Eagle]

I think I can see where this is going...

Big tackle, big bait, big hooks ---------------- big fish

I think you've got something there...

 

[rottal]

I usually fish shallow....especially around here in colorado in the summer, alot of lakes dont give you any other options. usually its no more than 4 feet deep in the peak of summer---some of the larger double digit fish ive caught have been in about 18-24 inches of water. i used to do the same back east...with the exception of winter when the cats would ball up in deeper water in schools.

the shallow water technique isnt the best way to fish all of the time...especially as the water cools. however it is one of the only ways on a lot of front range lakes to utilize some sort of assemblance of key terrain on a lake...many of the lakes i fish have nothing as far as cover, humps, or anything along those lines., so using a "flats" area that has some deeper water near by is often the only choice you have in figuring out where the fish might be. i

it works for me....well, sometimes. this year has keep ka-put (well, for me...) as far as catfish are concerned...but it aint over yet

 

[fishingkats]

what kinda floats do you use cat

i use the round cork ones they seem not to bother my
long cast

the styrofoam ones use to get all tangled on long casts

 

[Guest]

I use plastic floats by Wazp and Classy. For sizes it varies. Shy bites? Pole float. Wind blowing? Weighted floats. River fishing? I can't even get into that because there isn't enough room to explain what I do. I generally use up to twenty different floats for rier fishing because of all the factors involved.

 

[fishingkats]

do you have any pics of the floats you use
i dont know what wazp and classy floats look like

wow twenty different floats
the wife would get mad if i told her i need a nother bag for my floats

she has a cow when i tell her grab my bag and bring it here and it wieghs about 40# +

 

[Guest]

Me and my wife have an agreement: for every $50 I spend on fishing stuff then she gets$50 to spend on fishing stuff.

 

[fishingkats]

how did your wife fall for that one i tell my wife well im buying this for our bag and she never belives me

i have even bought her fishing stuff for christmas
and now she doesnt let me use it
she tells me i have to wait till she uses it a few times
well she hasnt used any of it yet

 

[Walking Eagle]

i have even bought her fishing stuff for christmas
and now she doesnt let me use it
she tells me i have to wait till she uses it a few times
well she hasnt used any of it yet

ha ha, that's a good one, makes me laugh.

One time my wife told me she was buying me a new sewing machine for Christmas. So I told her I was getting her a new outboard motor. It never happened, though.