I could kiss TubeDude

[idahoron]

[pirate] Well maybe I shouldn't he's a big guy.
Your catfish tips worked and my Son Jacob & I got our first Cats, not counting bullheads.
This weekend started out in Three forks MT, then we went to Henerys lake for a short go at some Cutts. Then we came back and stopped at milner for a little while, but the weather would not let us in the water.
Today we took another stab at some catfishing.
We got to sugar cube Res about 7:30 and the water was about 65 degrees. I started out with a worm on one pole and a minnow on the other. I started out catching small trout and throwing them back. As the water warmed to 68 I started to get into the cats. The first one was a little whisker. Ya I know it is tiny but hey that is my first one.
I bet TubeDude uses fish that big for Bait!
Not long after that one I got my second. I was on a roll and I was bringing in one right after another. Jacob was using a jig with a piece of worm and he got his first.
Then I got a nasty tug on the ultra light, I set the hook and it was a fight. Jacob got a picture of the whiskery fight in process. I was so excited I could hardly stand it, Jacob helped me net the thing.
Then It was Jacobs turn at street fighting a whisker fish.
This one took him for quite a tug, and I got it on film. We were quite a pair. We both know why people love catfishing, THEY FIGHT!!! A 14" catfish fights harder than a 18" cutt, I can say that for a fact.
We ended up catching for the weekend two Henery's lake Cutt's, a couple of Bass, One bluegill, 10 little trout, and 15 cats, but most were very little.
I will be using the Jedi catfish lessons from TubeDude to try to hook some better ones at Brownlee later.
Ron
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[Big_Mernie]

Sweet story and pics. I must agree that b/c of TD I will be trying to get in to whisker critters this year. What were you guys doing? Minnows and worms on the bottom?
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[idahoron]

I forgot For some reason I could not get the picture of my big fish to load. I click upload attachments and it won't let me do it. Both Jacobs big one and mine were both 21" long. One weighed 3 3/4 pounds and the other was 4 pounds. Anyway here is the pictures of my big one. Ron
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[idahoron]

Ya worms and minnows on the bottom. Jacob also got a few on a jig tipped with a worm. Ron
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[Big_Mernie]

Thanks, I had my tube out for the first time on Friday, I will post story and pics in a few. I am fired up to try some cat fishing from a tube!
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[idahoron]

I got the pictures posted of my big one above. Ron
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[idahopanfish]

Wonderful cats so where is sugar cube res? I want to play with the kitties.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]Hey - hey - hey. I'm spoken for. Well, maybe a little appreciative peck on the cheek would be okay. I'll check with TubeBabe.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Glad you guys had a good weekend...and especially glad you got to play with some whiskerfish. Ain't they a hoot? Your biggest would be a braggin' fish anywhere. And even the small ones will bend your stick and stretch your string, especially on lighter tackle.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just in case you were wonderin'...and even if you weren't...any cats you keep on a stringer or in a basket should be "neutralized" while you are holding them in your initial "death grip". That means you need to use pliers or side cutters to clip or break off the spines on the pectoral and dorsal fins. That prevents punctures of your tube and of your tender flesh. Also makes it easier to grab them and fillet them later, if the spines are gone and they will lay flatter on the fillet board.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The spines on smaller cats are especially sharp and can really zap you. As they get bigger the points wear down over time and they are not as dangerous. Still, it is a good idea to break them off if you are keeping them in a basket. They can get those spines tangled in the wire mesh and trash your basket if they do a death roll.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Good luck at Brownlee.[/#0000ff]
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[bmitchell]

I am interested in trying to increase my attempts at catfishing and was wondering what kinds of minnows you were using? Where do you get those? Thanks for the help.
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[idahoron]

I work for a fish farm. We don't sell them to the public sorry. Ron
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[OlDirtyBasser]

Looks like a blast! I accidentally caught my first cat in a long time over the weekend, on light tackle as well. In my case the only tube around me was the one I carry everywhere I go. I definitely want to target cats from my tube at least once this year.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]There are a few lakes with some BIG kitties in your part of the country. Is it legal to dunk in Capitan?[/#0000ff]
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[OlDirtyBasser]

Yes, you can definitely tube there. Pretty much all of the lakes around here hold big channels and most have monstrous blues as well. Problems with El Cap are the water contact folks (crazy!) and how hard it is to access most of the lake if you don't have a boat. Still, I'm sure you can get into some around the entrance and launch area.

Usually when I fish that lake it's in a very nice bass boat, my buddy would kill me for even thinking about bringing bait aboard.
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[TubeDude]

[cool][#0000ff]I know all about the bassboat mentality. Been there, done that. Finally went on a 12 cast program and saw the light...a headlight on my float tube catfishing setup.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Seems like there is always something standing between us and what we would consider a "perfect world". That is why I have had to be so creative over the years...to be able to launch my inflated yacht on different waters and to fish for different species. [/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]As my wife tells me...CONSTANTLY...Deal with it.[/#0000ff]
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