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Hello All, This past week I took up fishing, and I'd greatly appreciate some input about catfishing at Aurora Reservoir or even in general. I searched the forum, but I don't find anything recent within the past two years.
Many of my uncles fished, but I never got involved before they passed away. I have one still living but far away, and he's been a big help talking about my rigging and technique, but I'm having difficulties. I'm in a place in my life where I have the time and interest to fish, so I researched gear, tackle, knots, and techniques online and bought an entry-level rod and spinning reel, some tackle, and a license. My interest and goal is to catch catfish from the shore.
The Aurora Reservoir is close to me, so I've been out there three days this past week from 6:30 a.m. to about 11:30. I'm having a heck of a time catching anything. So far, I fished the mid-north bank of Senac Cove for 2 hours getting bites but no hooks. The vegetation where I was was brutal on my rigging, so I moved to the southern tip of Senac Cove where the creek enters. Again, something kept biting and eating my bate, but no hooks.
Today I tried the same southern tip of Senac again but got no bites for an hour. I hiked around to the southern mouth of Senac Cover and tried there, getting a couple bites but nothing hooked. Finally, I walked back to a southern shore about 1/3 in from the Senac mouth and tried there for a couple hours. I kept getting bites, and finally I caught my first fish--ever. An 8-inch Yellow Perch. Despite it not being a catfish or any fish I could take home and fry for that matter, I was grinning. After I let it go, I called it a day.
Would anyone be able/willing to direct me to where catfish might be on Aurora Res. this time of year and comment on my rigging/bait? I'm not really driven by catching big game, but I'd like some eating-sized catfish and the satisfaction of getting into a struggle with a fish every now and then. I was thinking of trying the southernmost Lone Tree Cove, but it's a hike. Some older posts on here claim the dam is good, but others say they've never caught catfish by the dam.
As for my rigging and bait, I've been experimenting with a sliding sinker, a Santee rig, and a three-way rig--all incorporating either ball or barrel joints. I've used 18" and 22" leaders. For the three-way, I've positioned the leader approx. 12" off the bottom when in the water, so about 20" up from my sinker. I'm using 10lb Berkley Pro Braid test, #2 hooks, and a 1/2 oz. egg sinker. Nearby bait shops haven't had any night crawlers this past week (so they say), so I decided to cut up some raw shrimp I have. Whatever has been biting has been liking the shrimp.
I'm totally new to fishing (sorry if I'm using odd terminology or anything), so any advice on my rigging/bait and Aurora Res. is appreciated.
Many of my uncles fished, but I never got involved before they passed away. I have one still living but far away, and he's been a big help talking about my rigging and technique, but I'm having difficulties. I'm in a place in my life where I have the time and interest to fish, so I researched gear, tackle, knots, and techniques online and bought an entry-level rod and spinning reel, some tackle, and a license. My interest and goal is to catch catfish from the shore.
The Aurora Reservoir is close to me, so I've been out there three days this past week from 6:30 a.m. to about 11:30. I'm having a heck of a time catching anything. So far, I fished the mid-north bank of Senac Cove for 2 hours getting bites but no hooks. The vegetation where I was was brutal on my rigging, so I moved to the southern tip of Senac Cove where the creek enters. Again, something kept biting and eating my bate, but no hooks.
Today I tried the same southern tip of Senac again but got no bites for an hour. I hiked around to the southern mouth of Senac Cover and tried there, getting a couple bites but nothing hooked. Finally, I walked back to a southern shore about 1/3 in from the Senac mouth and tried there for a couple hours. I kept getting bites, and finally I caught my first fish--ever. An 8-inch Yellow Perch. Despite it not being a catfish or any fish I could take home and fry for that matter, I was grinning. After I let it go, I called it a day.
Would anyone be able/willing to direct me to where catfish might be on Aurora Res. this time of year and comment on my rigging/bait? I'm not really driven by catching big game, but I'd like some eating-sized catfish and the satisfaction of getting into a struggle with a fish every now and then. I was thinking of trying the southernmost Lone Tree Cove, but it's a hike. Some older posts on here claim the dam is good, but others say they've never caught catfish by the dam.
As for my rigging and bait, I've been experimenting with a sliding sinker, a Santee rig, and a three-way rig--all incorporating either ball or barrel joints. I've used 18" and 22" leaders. For the three-way, I've positioned the leader approx. 12" off the bottom when in the water, so about 20" up from my sinker. I'm using 10lb Berkley Pro Braid test, #2 hooks, and a 1/2 oz. egg sinker. Nearby bait shops haven't had any night crawlers this past week (so they say), so I decided to cut up some raw shrimp I have. Whatever has been biting has been liking the shrimp.
I'm totally new to fishing (sorry if I'm using odd terminology or anything), so any advice on my rigging/bait and Aurora Res. is appreciated.