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Never had much interest in catching catfish, but I decided to give them a try. I want to start with channel cats, so I figured I'd stay away from the ones in Utah Lake due to the consumption advisory. Luckily there's a community fishery nearby that has them.
The heaviest rod I have is a 5'6" medium action spinning rod that I used for years before getting UL gear to go after the trout I usually target. I'll plan to use that with 6lb mono line. I'm not going after humongous fish, 20 inches will probably be on the long side. I'm hoping I can be okay with 6lb; does anyone with some channel cat experience recommend stepping up the line weight?
My main question is this - from my reading, it seems like going after these guys on raw chicken with a circle hook on a Carolina Rig is a good recipe to start things off. Thing is, the only time I've ever used a Carolina Rig is going after stocked rainbows in lakes, and my understanding is the reason it works is because I use floating PowerBait with tiny hooks, so although the egg sinker is on the bottom, the bait floats up off the bottom so it's suspended at the leader length off the bottom where the trout can get to it.
If i just throw chicken on a Carolina Rig, won't it just fall into the mud, sit on the bottom, and be out of the strike zone for the channel cats? Is there a better rig to start with?
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[#0000FF]Welcome to the dark side (catfish). Utah has lots of good cattin'. And Utah Lake is one of the best spots. The advisory (PCB) applies mainly to larger and older cats so the smaller ones are both good and safe to eat. They all hit hard and fight well so if you want to play with them and then release them that's okay too.
There is no one-size-fits-all bait or rigging for cats. In truth, you can fish with just about any kind of bait and rig up just about any old way you want and you will still catch fish. But depending upon the water, the time of year, water temps and clarity, current food resources and other factors there are some baits and riggings that will produce better than others.
Chicken liver on a circle hook...on a Carolina rig...WILL catch some cats, somewhere, on some trips. But so will shrimp, nightcrawlers, carp meat, hot dogs, cheese baits, stink baits, white bass or perch meat (where legal)...and even plain old dough balls.
I haven't used chicken livers in decades. And I never use circle hooks. Nor do I ever rig up with sinkers...but I fish from a float tube. You may need sinkers if you are fishing from shore.
Catfish are not snobs. And they are seldom line shy or finicky. It is better to use a bit heavier line than 6 pound simply because of the potential for having to pull free from rocks or snags...or for abrasion resistance. Not a matter of breaking strength or visibility.
I catch lots of cats on the medium light rods I am using to fish lures for other species. But the rods I specifically rig for cats are usually medium or medium heavy...with some backbone. And again, it is not so much the actual weight of the fish. It is more a matter of being able to get a good hookset in a tough fish. Wimpy rods will result in missed hooksets and fish lost after hookup.
Size and type of hook should be determined by the size and type of bait you are using. For crawlers and small minnows you can use a regular baitholder hook in size 4-2. I favor Eagle Claw #84 with a ring eye...and I get them in bronze, red and nickle finishes since I also use them for other fish and sometimes color can make a difference. For fishing larger baits for larger fish you can use either larger size bait holder hooks...or go up to "octopus" style hooks. And circle hooks are good in the larger sizes for larger baits. They tend to lose their effectiveness when smaller.
Have fun in your new quest. We have lots of kitty chasers on the board and I am sure you will be able to get plenty of suggestions and assistance.
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There are many ways to to go after channels. My best advice would be to go on Youtube and check out all the different rigs for them. That way you can get a good idea of what you might want to try. As for your tackle I think you should be just fine with what have for the water your going to fish. Big fish can be caught on almost any setup. It's mostly trial and error until you get the water your fishing figured out. As far as bait goes cats while eat almost anything at one time or another so try taking a couple of different options with you to better your odds. Good luck and don't worry about eating fish from UL they are tasty.[fishin]
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My favorite hook for cats is size 1 octopus in red. I don't use any weight as the bait is usually enough for casting. Utah lake is piece of white bass or carp meat and local ponds a shrimp is the go to.
Cast, leave bail open, let fish run with the line for a bit then set the hook like you mean it.
Good luck.....
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Don't discount a float. Whether shore bound, or boating, a bobber gives you something to watch, easier to manage if your dealing with wind and waves, and oft times the fish can hook themselves.
Some folks add a few beads above the hook, I like to throw on a spinner blade too, especially for under a float, bit more flash and clank to draw them in.
But sliding sinkers are pretty common for bottom riggings.
As suggested, lots of bait options. Never done any good with the commercial dough baits, but worms and all the rest can get their attention.
I've used braid on my bigger cat-rods. But I have commonly used 8lb mono for easier casting.
Get 'em figured out and join the Utah Catfish contest next spring. Boatload and crew can always use the help!
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I swear by a bobber, no circle-hooks, and just a plain 'ol crawler or cut bait (carp). Med action or higher rod like Tubedude said.
And you can catch any fish in Utah with 6 lb. test...but for bigger cats go with 10 lb.
No real tricks to it. Just give it a cast and be ready.
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Thanks for all the tips everyone!
The largest hooks I have right now are Eagle Claw size 6 baitholders in red (the ones that come pre-snelled, although I just took off the snells since I tie my own with lighter line and longer leaders). I'm guessing they are a bit on the small side to catch channels, so I'll probably pick up some slightly larger ones. When I get to the store I'll decide if I want to go with circles or octopus hooks or just regular baitholders.
I think I'll try a Carolina Rig as well as a rig with a float and see what works better this time of year. I suspect they'll be on the bottom right now with the weather the way it is. Still hoping for some kind of freak warm day that I can head out with the fiancee and hit Utah Lake... forecast isn't looking super promising. I may have to wait until ice season or just go alone on a cold day.
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You'll probably want to steer away from circle hooks. They're a specialized hook that are fished differently.
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If you want to float your bait off of the bottom, you can use a corkie. They come in different sizes so experiment a bit for how much lift you want.
Here is an example of what corkys are:
http://www.fishermans-corner.com/LilCorky.htm
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[#0000FF]This is not the best time of year to begin fishing for cats. In most lakes they are going deeper and slowing down a lot. Tough to reach from shore in most cases and a lot tougher to get to bite.
The best action usually starts about April and gets very good through May and June...when the cats are in close to shore for spawning and feeding. But the good fishing continues near shore until fall, when water temps begin to drop.
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The problem with size 6 hooks is the cats will swallow your offering and you'll belly hook them. Which isn't a problem if your keeping them, but if you like to release them, I like a lip hook so the bigger octopus hooks are my choice. I like 2 0's or 2 oughts. Have fun cats are a blast for fighting. Later J
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Those corkies look interesting - I should give those a shot to fish for trout in the day without having to use floating powerbait.
I wondered if the size 6 hooks were small enough to cause a lot of gut hooking. Guess I'll have to either step up on hook size or plan to keep them. I'm kind of doubting I'll have a lot of luck getting cats from shore at this time of year anyway, so I may want to just hold off.
When you say octopus hooks, are you talking about circle hooks specifically? It's not totally clear to me, but aren't circle hooks just one type of octopus hook? I don't know that I understand the advantage of a non-circle octopus hook over a regular baitholder. I thought octopus hooks just mean that the eye was bent outward (ideal for snelling and retaining an in-line pull direction with the shaft).[reply][/reply]
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I just wanted to say Chanel cats are a beautiful fish, just beautiful, the coloring, the spots the shape and tail. They are good eating. I'm thinking they would be easy to hatch and plant, hmmmm
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I'm no channel cat expert. But I know one!
PM to Pat (tubedude) and if you ask nice, he may email you a PDF he wrote about Ol' Whiskers. It's got more catfish lore in it than you can imagine. I learned a lot from it - as I do from anything Pat writes. You will, too.
Just click on his name, then click on Send Private Message.
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You can always cut your line and leave the hook in the fishes belly if you gut hook one you want to release... They tell me that the fish live through it, so I guess I believe it... I'm not a good source on definitions of circle hook, I just know I like the Gamagatsu's in the Octopus style, they work great for me on cats..
Also I am still catching some cats from shore, but I'm fishing deeper water areas and I'm fishing on the bottom right now... I have to use weight to get the bait on bottom where I fish and it's still working... If you want to, you can still catch cats... Later J
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[#0000ff]Sounds like you wanna get semi serious about ol' Mr. Whiskers. And you are posing a lot of questions that you could probably get answered by creative use of your search engine.
I have a couple of writeups on Catfish from Utah Lake and Willard. PM me if you would like a copy.
In the writeup on Utah Lake there are sections showing pics of different hook styles. Also discussions of different kinds of baits and how to hook and present them. That should take you a bit further down the road in your learning process.
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Awesome information Tubedude! Thanks a million!
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Pat...Too bad you don't have a writeup on "Cutler Catfish"...
I know, it would require you having to live up here in Cache Valley.
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[#0000FF]Oh, are there catfish in Cutler?
A lot of the general info in the other two pieces can be tweaked to fit other waters. But every catfish pond has its own little differences...and those differences can make a difference on how you fish them.
Many long years ago I used to fish more in the Cache Valley area. But when there are so many good ponds closer to home it is hard to justify spending the gas money...just to say I fished with the Cache-ites.
Ya never know though. I might just wander up that way with my ice gear if Mantua caps soon. It's been about 3 years since I fished it...hard water or soft. It would be good to fish with my HGS again too.
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Nope no cats in cutler just bait fish. What's HGS? If you get up this way before hard water we need to go check out those bait fish. Little tough to get in and out now, but I can find a spot that I think is still good to launch tubes. Let me know. Later J
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