08-27-2016, 02:09 PM
[#0000FF]Yeah, verily. I have been an admitted cataholic most of my angling years...and that's a lot.
There are a lot of misconceptions and false notions about catfish that will always be a part of the belief system among the poorly informed. Some of the ones...like nocturnal only, stink-bait only, scavenger only...have origins based upon realities in other parts of the country where those things might be real. In waters that are typically turbid and stagnant the cats have to rely on their olfactory senses to feed and often are most active after dark.
However, in most Utah catfish waters the channel cats rely on clearer water to become sight feeders and active daytime predators. The same is true in other waters around the country where the cats can chase down live food. In most such environments it is not unusual for anglers to catch a lot of them on a variety of lures...even flies.
Willard Bay is a prime example of channel cats adapting to their available food sources and doing what is necessary to dine. For as long as I have been fishing Willard I have caught as many cats on jigs, spinners, crankbaits and flies as I have on bait.
You mentioned shallow jugging. I have experienced a daytime version of that on Willard multiple times. For example, it is not unusual to hook cats on the surface, while fishing a wiper boil...over deep water. But I have also caught cats while fishing either jigs or baits only a few feet under a bobber while in over 20 feet of water.
By the way, I have also done some juggin'. When the cats are spooky it is a real workout to try to chase them down in a rowboat...or in a tube. They are sensitive to sound and keep zinging off in different directions as you get closer. Had to rig up a heavy rod and treble hooked spoon to snag the line on the hooked cats to be able to have a "fighting chance" of getting them in.
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There are a lot of misconceptions and false notions about catfish that will always be a part of the belief system among the poorly informed. Some of the ones...like nocturnal only, stink-bait only, scavenger only...have origins based upon realities in other parts of the country where those things might be real. In waters that are typically turbid and stagnant the cats have to rely on their olfactory senses to feed and often are most active after dark.
However, in most Utah catfish waters the channel cats rely on clearer water to become sight feeders and active daytime predators. The same is true in other waters around the country where the cats can chase down live food. In most such environments it is not unusual for anglers to catch a lot of them on a variety of lures...even flies.
Willard Bay is a prime example of channel cats adapting to their available food sources and doing what is necessary to dine. For as long as I have been fishing Willard I have caught as many cats on jigs, spinners, crankbaits and flies as I have on bait.
You mentioned shallow jugging. I have experienced a daytime version of that on Willard multiple times. For example, it is not unusual to hook cats on the surface, while fishing a wiper boil...over deep water. But I have also caught cats while fishing either jigs or baits only a few feet under a bobber while in over 20 feet of water.
By the way, I have also done some juggin'. When the cats are spooky it is a real workout to try to chase them down in a rowboat...or in a tube. They are sensitive to sound and keep zinging off in different directions as you get closer. Had to rig up a heavy rod and treble hooked spoon to snag the line on the hooked cats to be able to have a "fighting chance" of getting them in.
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[signature]