Bear river 10-08-05

[pennyfarmer]

Well I went out to Bear river with three daughters in a 12' boat. Here are the highlights.

First off the water is pretty high. It is running AT LEAST 2' higher than it was in the last couple of months. In the areas that I was hitting the bottom it is now 2.5-3.5 deep. The currents are pretty fast now when before it was kinda like a slow mud flow. The current was dragging my weights around quite a bit. On the kids zebcos I put split shot and it was no where near enough to submerge the bait, but hey they were fishing with their princess poles. On two poles I had 1/2 oz. egg sinkers and it was not enough to really hold it on the bottom. On another pole I had 1 1/2 oz. of weight and when I would cast upstream the current would finally deposit my bait almost directly under the boat. So lesson to be learned today is use more damn weight next time I go.

We ended up with 3 cats, they were not real big and we only kept 2 of them. I may have caught more but I was busy with the kids. There were TONS of bites most likely alot of small ones. We were using chicken livers. The hole we were fishing is just the first bend downstream of Corinne boat ramp. That hole is about 16' deep according to the fish finder.

All in all it was a pretty good day.
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[wiperhunter2]

Thanks for the report John, did you catch all the fish on the line with the heavier weight? How long did you fish?
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[pennyfarmer]

We fished for about 2.5-3 hours and I caught one on the line with 1.5 oz. and 2 on the lines with 1/2 oz of weight. All the bites we were recieving were on the lines with at least 1/2 oz. of weight. We were constantly getting bites but I believe the fish were pretty small and not big enough to get all the bait in their mouths at once. Last Sunday I went to the Bear river and we caught lots of fish but none of them were big enough to keep. That is why I say I would have caught more but I was busy keeping kids lines baited and in the water.

I use #2 circle hooks and when the fish are small they tend to work around the hook. ( I think).

I bet that further down stream in a few of my favorite places there are some bigger ones to be caught.
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[Fishhound]

Hey pennyfarmer,

You are correct, when the current is stronger, you should use more weight(don't be afraid to go up to 2-3 oz in a strong current as long as it is rigged in the slip sinker fashion and, be sure to protect your knots with a small plastic bead). Also, if you find your egg sinkers move in the current more than you would want, try "no-roll" in-line slip sinkers - I have not found them available locally, but, Smith and Edwards does have something similar - a flat sinker, that if rigged properly, will keep your offering in a stationary position long enough for the catfish to locate it and grab on to it firmly enough for a hook set. That may have been what you were experiencing. Your choice of liver in that environment was a good one in my opinion - it has a lot of potential attracting power.

Might I suggest for the next time, you try a double hook set-up using a three way swivel on at least on pole. One hook with the liver you were using, and the other hook with liver that has been "aged" somewhat(I have found that this is more effective in that kind of situation than using two very different types of baits because it concentrates and amplifies the scents being distributed downstream) . When you age the liver, put some gizzards and/or hearts in the batch and you can also use them as they will remain on a hook for a longer period of time. Remember to change bait often(I try to do it at least every 10-15 minutes - no longer) as the aroma or drawing power fades quickly in the current.

My rule of thumb for catfishing: if the current is moving and the fish are holding stationary - use aromatic baits to draw them out. If the water is stationary and the catfish are mobile - use the most common forage found in the environment. Caveat - when in doubt, annelids almost always work.
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[pennyfarmer]

When I was stationed in Charleston SC. we used to fish from the ship in the Cooper River. I would rig up a single hook with a 3 oz. piramid sinker on a drop line (I never really used a 3 way swivel). I would get a big hunk of ham from the galley and fish all the time. I am not real sure the catfish in that river hatch out under 3 lbs. There were some monsters and the variety of fish you could catch made it very interesting.

The currents in that river were always changing cause the tide coming and going. I am no expert but there was a few different catfish in there and I believe one was some kind of special brackish water catfish, it had somekind of sail or long extension on its fins that made it extra ugly or at least different to me.

Oh if I only knew how easy life was then I am not so sure I would have been complaining that much. Get off watch at midnight and fish till 3 am get some rest go to work then fishing again and I never went more than 300 feet from bed.
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