Catfish under the ice?

[SkinnyLynnie]

I've caught lots of different kinds of fish through the ice (trout, burbot, crappie, white bass), but I've never caught a catfish, or even heard of anyone catching a catfish when ice fishing. So I've wondered what catfish in places like Utah Lake do in the winter when the surface is frozen over. Do they hibernate? I realize that the ice is gone off Utah Lake for this year, but I'm still curious. Can anyone enlighten me?
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[r2u2]

You definitely can. They are usually concentrated, some time roaming in small schools

Like any other fish, ya just need to find em. Usually if you get one, don't waste time get back down to get the others.
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[SkunkedAgain]

We found them a year ago through the ice but they bit very lightly in fact without a graph showing the fish moving up to hit your lure I don't think you would have recognized the bite. It's doable but not easy in my experience. Last fall in late November I was still catching catfish just a while before ice over so I don't think they hybernate but they do slow way down and are less likely to want to feed. Later J
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[ratnest]

Caught a small mud cat this ice season out of UL. Contrary to a previous post, it had a decent bite, or more like a pick it up and keep on swimming.
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[SkinnyLynnie]

Thanks for this information. I'll try ice fishing for cats next season. Do they tend to congregate in deeper holes or just roam around anywhere when there's ice on top?
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[Urbanangler98]

I caught one under the ice this year at a small pond
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[gaardvark]

My first time ice fishing (about 20 years ago), I went to Kaysville ponds. I had no idea what I was doing, I took a metal bar to hack a hole in the ice, and was jigging a small spinner. I was moving to a new spot and spoke to a guy that was catching lots of tiny bluegill. He offered to drill a hole for me nearby, and offered me a wax worm to tip my lure.
I watched him catch several more bluegill, without feeling a bite. Then suddenly my rod just stopped on the upswing. I thought I had a snag, until it started to move, and then I brought it up to the hole and the head of a channel cat filled the hole. I tried to lift it out, but the hook popped loose. I dropped to the ice and flipped it out of the hole as the guy who had been so gracious just shook his head in disbelief.
It was the largest fish I had caught in Utah to that point, the first channel cat I can remember catching, and my first fish through ice anywhere. It was probably 3-4 lbs, and in spite of not catching anything else, I went home happy. So yes, they can be caught through the ice, though I have only done it the once.
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[PACKFAN]

I have caught catfish thru the ice in several places in Utah. I use to ice fish Newton years ago and I remember catching cats on the upper end fishing for crappie and bluegill, I think this was back in the late 80's or early 90's. I also caught catfish out of Holmes Res. back a few years ago when they changed it to a community fishery, they were stocking it with cats then. I'm not sure if there are any left in there, I think they took it off the community pond fishing list, I don't fish it any more as they pretty much ruined the little pond[:/]
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[Flyfishinglover]

I've only caugh Bullhead and channel at pineview, utah lake, and a few local ponds. For me I've caught them by accident while targeting other species.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Channel cats remain at least a little bit active all year. Even under the ice. Those of us who fish Utah Lake and Willard through the ice have caught more than a few ice kitties. But they are usually caught while fishing baited jigs for other species...or anything that wants to bite. Hard to specifically target them.

Here are some pics from Utah Lake and Willard. The second picture shows 7 channels caught on one white bass excursion to the "Abyss" at Utah Lake. Most cats I have ever caught in one day through the ice. Usually one here and one there.
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[Blackellunge]

this kitty drilled a gold spoon i was jigging for bass last winter ...only one i've personnally pulled through the ice.
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[SkinnyLynnie]

Wow! I'm impressed. I would think that a catfish hitting a gold spoon is also pretty rare--even in summer.

When I fish though the ice I usually use lighter line because I'm expecting smaller fish (white bass, crappies, and trout). If you do the same, how did you manage to land this big catfish without it breaking off? Was the fight long, or is there less fight in catfish during the winter because of colder water temperatures?
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[Blackellunge]

yeah i was pretty shocked when i saw the whiskers coming through the hole! i was using 20lb suffix ice braid , which i use when jigging heavy stuff for pike and bass ( jigging raps and bigger spoons mainly) - really good fight on the short stick, peeled drag on me for a good long run right after i hooked it ..
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[SkinnyLynnie]

Maybe someday I'll be so lucky.
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