(05-15-2022, 03:50 PM)Fritzfishin Wrote: Well i couldn't make it to the gathering in time so me and the neighbor loaded up and took my 16' flatbottom to the Saratoga park marina, tried 4 good spots i usually hit with 0 luck, he's never caught a catfish before so we decided the water seemed calm enough to venture more then I usually do. We pulled up the trolling motor and hauled all the way down to the island the north side there's like a little horseshoe area, was about 6' deep, pulled a 25" and I got a 22", wind kicked up so we decided to get out while we still could. About half way back the wind died down so we threw anchor and fished another half hour and called it a trip. Still about 2 weeks until there fired up I reckon, used Santee rigs with whitebass and tried some chub minnows. Had one good hit on a slip float rig, guessing a channel cat but never laid eyes on it before it got off. 

(05-16-2022, 04:45 PM)wiperhunter2 Wrote:

(05-15-2022, 03:50 PM)Fritzfishin Wrote: Well i couldn't make it to the gathering in time so me and the neighbor loaded up and took my 16' flatbottom to the Saratoga park marina, tried 4 good spots i usually hit with 0 luck, he's never caught a catfish before so we decided the water seemed calm enough to venture more then I usually do. We pulled up the trolling motor and hauled all the way down to the island the north side there's like a little horseshoe area, was about 6' deep, pulled a 25" and I got a 22", wind kicked up so we decided to get out while we still could. About half way back the wind died down so we threw anchor and fished another half hour and called it a trip. Still about 2 weeks until there fired up I reckon, used Santee rigs with whitebass and tried some chub minnows. Had one good hit on a slip float rig, guessing a channel cat but never laid eyes on it before it got off. 

Sounds like that horseshoe area by the island paid off for you and your neighbor, nice looking cat. Did the white bass work better than the chub meat?
Both were caught on whitebass,  I did have one of the big orange slip floats out with a chub minnow, it got hammered and yanked under but then nothing. Dont know if a walleye or pike may of attacked it but seems like the cats don't usually let go like that.