Cutler catfishing...

[lavaman]

Nice cat, Jeff!!!!! Is that close to your personal best Channel?
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[SkunkedAgain]

Thanks Derek, I've had a good year so far and got a 29, 28.5 and two 28"er's. So it was my number four on the year, but my personal best was a 29.75" last year that was just shy of 30. I keep hoping to someday break that 30" mark. It's really hard to do for me. But this has been by far my best year. I'm usually stuck around 26". I know you don't want to hear that when you're working six days a week, but I hope when you get out you can get a good one. Later J
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[Tin-Can]

Jeff, Thanks for the Benson dock report. My small boat and trailer, never had any trouble launching off that ramp. Just keep the motor trimmed up till I get out into 3' fow. But without the dock in the water, its a bit to dicey to "beach" along there in order to go park the rig because of the sharp, broken edges of concrete.

Think maybe they will have the dock in by Memorial Day?
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[lavaman]

Little something from Benson Marina. My first 30"er. Lucked out because my drag wasn't set. She made several runs. But still swimming to be caught another day!
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Nice work HGS. Well, I guess I have allowed you nawthen boys enough of a head start. Better actually tie a hook on my line now and start puttin' some numbers on the board.
[/#0000FF]
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[lavaman]

Thanks Pat!! I'm sure you'll get yours. Nobody in here doubts that!
I hope all is well.
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[Ahi1953]

Nice one. only found one 25 iner in a Chanel off the main river . Ran into Forest not sure if he found any after I moved down river
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[lavaman]

Nice one Ahi!!!
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[gaardvark]

Very nice fish!

I like that you had the presence of mind to take the video as well. Thanks for posting here as well as the contest.
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[SkunkedAgain]

Way to go Derek, that's a beast and l love the video, that helps put things in perspective... beast perspective... Later J
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[Tin-Can]

Hey Derek, NICE CAT ! Catch that on a worm? Looks like a piece of crawler just sticking out of its mouth. Great bump for the North, think you may have got TD just a wee bit concerned....[sly] [fishon]
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[Tin-Can]

Hey John, Thanks again for the use of your long handle landing net yesterday. Got to get me one..... That one Carp you netted for me, and the one that broke the swivel on my wife's line were the only fish we caught yesterday.
You catch this one from that spot where we honked at you when we were leaving?
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[Ahi1953]

no I got it at the very first canal when coming into the refuge
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[gaardvark]

I got out of work just a little early today, so headed over to Cutler. I went looking for a spot to set up, and found a bank where the carp were think and looking preoccupied. I decided to set up even though my only bait was carp chunks. I put a smaller piece on in hopes that I might hook up with a hungry fish, and tossed it out a foot under a bobber. Before I could even get a second line rigged, my bobber was behaving suspiciously, and as I watched, it was yanked under. I set the hook and it was game on. It fought hard, and I thought I might have foul hooked one of the carp, but then it got close and rolled near enough to see it was the biggest cat I have caught this year, and of course, I didn't have a net. It was interesting to see the carp ignore the commotion until one hard run, all of the carp that had been ignoring me before and during the fight suddenly spooked all at once. Not sure what the trigger might have been. It was another 20-30 minutes before I saw them coming back. And in the meantime, I caught a couple of other cats. It was a good trip, possibly the most successful I have ever had in terms of quality fish per hour. The big one was about 36 inches long until I got it near a yardstick, then it shrank down to 27. The others were both 22. I brought them all home, but only one of the 22" had eggs, and the others had no distinct indicators of gender, either eggs or milt. I don't think it's likely that they have spawned yet, but I'm no expert. The one with eggs was a lot brighter yellow in color.
Interestingly, I also found a vacant turtle shell, though it was still smelly enough I didn't pick it up. I can't recall ever seeing a wild turtle in Cache Valley.
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[SkunkedAgain]

Boy your trip sure turned out better than my last two... All I can find is mudcats lately... Nice fish!!! Later J
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[CoyoteSpinner]

[quote Tin-Can]
Think maybe they will have the dock in by Memorial Day?[/quote]

They wait until Memorial weekend, it seems like they could get them in a lot earlier, but they always seem to target that. Before free-fishing day.

Ya'll are too kind. I've missed "hanging" with my angling buddies. I totally missed the Willard Floatilla didn't I !?!?!
I'll be getting out, I do still have a rod, or two . . . actually had an invite to the Gorge today, if it weren't for this cough - I might have got up at 3am for the trip!
I did score a 4-stroke last fall, and it's nice to have a reliable motor for a change!

Maybe a little Piggy Piggy venture. Congrats to you all on the great catches, those kitties are calling!

I may not have been fishing much, but I have been catching, and catching is good. She's a keeper!!!
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I'll be getting her and her kids out to the water, maybe this weekend even. Live is good!

[gaardvark]

Congratulations!
Just remember there is a pretty strict limit on those
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[lavaman]

Nice work Sean! Those fast times are rare, glad you enjoyed it.
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[SkunkedAgain]

Congrats Yote, Hope to be seeing ya out and about again... Have fun this weekend... Later J
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