Dogs and Cats

[karstopo]

Before lunch, I was just about to pull the trigger on a salt water trip, but a lively north flow made me reconsider. The wind fell off about 4 and that was my cue to hit the lake in the flatbottom. I brought my landlubber dog Tate along. He does alright in the boat, but isn't crazy about my overhead cast. A tungsten bead hitting the aluminum does make an impressive thump. At one point, he's trying to climb over the transom. I really don't think a fly could even penetrate his fur but, nevertheless, I'm right there with reassuring words like "get back in the boat, you varmint" and "Sit, dad gum it" Tate settled in as low as he could get on the deck and as far away from me as possible. Smart dog.

In between my attempts at dog training I made a stab or two at fishing. My casting was a little off today, but if I got in a good cast near the shore, I had a good shot at getting a take. I only tried one fly, a size 6 tungsten beaded olive Woolly Bugger I tied Sunday. That fly brought 4 channel cats to hand and one healthy bluegill. No sign of the largemouth bass.

The wind went to zero and the day really ended as a picture perfect late fall day. Tate inspected the fish I caught and then would retreat back to his panic room. He's asleep at my feet happy to be home and safe from flying hooks. I'm glad we could get out and he'll get used to my casting.

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[fredaevans]

FEAR!

That is a trained KILLER! No 'murrcie' as you are ATTACKED by a small sloppy face. Years back wife type had a small dog, got a Baby carrier thing, under her down coat, pooch snuggled in, face peeking out. Fellow's would walk up, fluff ear's ... the beach 'Good Luck Charm.'

fae

 

[Ard]

Those channel cats are fun aren't they? DO they race when hooked down there? I used to catch some big ones swinging at night in the Susquehanna River (West Branch) long ago and they were like catching a steelhead once you hit the 2 foot size. Some even jumped to go with the runs. Are yours lively like that?

 

[karstopo]

Those channel cats are fun aren't they? DO they race when hooked down there? I used to catch some big ones swinging at night in the Susquehanna River (West Branch) long ago and they were like catching a steelhead once you hit the 2 foot size. Some even jumped to go with the runs. Are yours lively like that?

They are lively, the channel cats. The one in the bottom of the boat came up to the surface and did some head thrashing and then dove and ran off to the side. I had made a longer cast when I got that one so it was out away from the boat. I also had on Seaguar GM fluorocarbon 20# tippet (to be able to withstand getting hung up in hidden submerged heavy cover) so I didn’t feel like I needed to give it line but the fish really bent my 7/8 weight glass rod with some strong bursts of power. I think channel cats are a lot of fun and especially when they get into that size you mentioned. People think of catfish as sluggish, but they are anything but that in my experience. Since I moved to this lake in July, I’ve gotten where I am increasingly targeting these channel cats. There’s one other fly fisherman I see out on the lake. He said he got a 7 pound fish and I think it was on a surface fly. It surprised the heck out of him and he said it put up quite a fight. I don’t think I’ve cracked 5 pounds on any of mine yet, but I’ve released them all without weighing. My daughter caught a 22# channel from shore that we did weigh, but she caught it on a live tilapia. Olive woolly buggers seem to be the best thing I’ve found to get them. I have gotten one or two on a olive deer hair diver, but with the cooler temperatures, most of the fish have moved a little deeper.

My mind set had been geared towards fly fishing for mostly largemouth bass since I moved out to the lake, but with the catfish being so eager to take a fly and since these catfish are fun, I’m sort of looking at this there are two great fish to go after. It’s been a nice surprise.

 

[Ard]

I remember the first one I caught on a fly............

When I lived in the town of Williamsport PA. I was a short bicycle ride from the lower end of Lycoming Creek. This is a large freestone creek that dumps into the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and the upper stretches (some 30 miles upstream) are stocked with trout. There is limited natural reproduction in the upper creek also so common sense said that there should be some wanderers down near the confluence. On warm summer evenings I would ride to the creek about 8) PM and stay until 10 or 11 well into the darkness. I liked a stretch where the creek funneled swiftly into a long deep pool that extended downstream about 100 yards before it welled up into a tailout.

My night flies were pretty simple but large, a black leech imitation made with marabou to keep weight down. I didn't weight them because that only led to getting caught in the slower moving parts of the long pool. There I was holding onto my trusty 7'9" Far & Fine cork when I got a good grab. There was no need to worry about setting the hook because immediately following the grab something was off to the races down through the pool.

I figure the year was in the 1994 - 95 range and I was familiarized with steelhead and salmon fishing by those years so I thought of a steelhead given the speed of the fish. Now I knew I probably wasn't hooked to a steelie but stranger things have happened when guys fish near the big water of the West Branch. The Susquehanna is a big one and I was only about 3/4 of a mile (if that) above the river. So there in the darkness with something making that little Hardy Featherweight sing my imagination was free to run wild with expectations. My leader was 12 pound because I had learned when fishing near big water don't use light leaders, anything can happen.

When the fish hit the surface for the first time all I saw was thick silver flanks and that didn't help to clear up my mind as to what the heck I appeared to be catching. It took a while but I beached the fish and having turned on my Flex Light (remember those?) the brass tube type with the flexible neck extension and twist on switch.......... I focused on the fish. It was definitely a channel cat but the size was what astounded me. It appeared to be at least 2 foot long and very bright silver sided. It was truly a beautiful fish. After that experience I tried to target them with some success but they were hard to predict in so much water. Over the years I caught some big ones though once I knew to be hunting for them.

 

[karstopo]

Went out for 45 minutes this afternoon just at sundown. Found some bass and one cat. Broke an inch off the tip of my 7/8 CGR. Should be able to fix that.

Broke off a good bass right when I was going in. Not sure why tippet snapped.

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[okflyfisher]

Wow!! Nice!!

 

[dennyk]

karstopo, WOW, you've got a perfect set up there with that nice lake in your back yard! Good for you!!

Denny

 

[ia_trouter]

Channels are a lot of fun. I caught my first one on the fly this year. Probably not much over 4LB but he sure was fun on a 3WT! I was a little surprised I landed him as he was near a brush pile I was chasing crappies on.

 

[Ard]

How the heck did you break the tip?

 

[karstopo]

Broke the tip shoving rod into underwater brush pile trying to free my bugger. Rod is fixed and was back in action just minutes ago. Caught my best channel at 5.5 pounds on a chartreuse and black woolly bugger.

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[karstopo]

Broke the tip shoving rod into underwater brush pile trying to free my bugger. Rod is fixed and was back in action just minutes ago. Caught my best channel at 5.5 pounds on a chartreuse and black woolly bugger.

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The Catfish had a lot of stamina and I had to give it some line. Caught a couple of big sunfish and another smaller cat. One bass, that spit the hook.

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[karstopo]

The bluegill and a redear sunfish

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[ia_trouter]

How the heck did you break the tip?

I figured it was probably user error in the excitement of catching a fish in the brush. That's the same whippy little rod I showed you at Cabela's Anchorage that is so popular on the forum. A real diamond in the manure pile of Cabela's brand rods. Mine gets a lot of small water use considering it is the cheapest rod I own by a lot. I'd like to know who designed it because they really got it right. He has the big boy 7/8 "channel cat" model though. I've never cast that one.

 

[karstopo]

I figured it was probably user error in the excitement of catching a fish in the brush. That's the same whippy little rod I showed you at Cabela's Anchorage that is so popular on the forum. A real diamond in the manure pile of Cabela's brand rods. Mine gets a lot of small water use considering it is the cheapest rod I own by a lot. I'd like to know who designed it because they really got it right. He has the big boy 7/8 "channel cat" model though. I've never cast that one.

I use my 7/8 CGR for lots of stuff, redfish, black drum, now catfish. It handles the tungsten beads and bushy deer hair flies well and can turn fish away from trouble.

I have 2 of the 7/8 CGRs. I took three CGRs out today, the two 7/8s and a 4/5. The lost inch didn't seem to change the rod at all. Whippy rods work well on the lake. I can hold the cast in load position forever and do lots of creative stuff getting the fly through tunnels in the canopy or under overhanging branches.

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[ia_trouter]

I use my 7/8 CGR for lots of stuff, redfish, black drum, now catfish. It handles the tungsten beads and bushy deer hair flies well and can turn fish away from trouble.

I have 2 of the 7/8 CGRs. I took three CGRs out today, the two 7/8s and a 4/5. The lost inch didn't seem to change the rod at all. Whippy rods work well on the lake. I can hold the cast in load position forever and do lots of creative stuff getting the fly through tunnels in the canopy or under overhanging branches.

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An inch or three isn't going to matter at all on a full flexing rod. The casting power isn't coming from the tip. I have the 4WT CGR.

 

[knotjoe]

The Catfish had a lot of stamina and I had to give it some line.
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They really are somethin' aren't they? Channels, even at fiddler size, always have alot of scrap in them. Once you get to the 5lb mark or thereabout, it's gonna be a protracted argument.

Nice catch and even better because it was on-the-fly. I have about a month or two up here in the hottest part of the season where cats are semi-reliable on flies, usually yellow bugger-like patterns in the upper water column. Gotta be pi$$y warm water, though, anything less and they're not so inclined toward fakes.

 

[karstopo]

They really are somethin' aren't they? Channels, even at fiddler size, always have alot of scrap in them. Once you get to the 5lb mark or thereabout, it's gonna be a protracted argument.

Nice catch and even better because it was on-the-fly. I have about a month or two up here in the hottest part of the season where cats are semi-reliable on flies, usually yellow bugger-like patterns in the upper water column. Gotta be pi$$y warm water, though, anything less and they're not so inclined toward fakes.

Water temperatures here are probably in the high 60’s now. Fishing now seems to be better in the afternoon as the sun warms up the water.

This lake I live on gets a Fish survey done from time to time. I really don’t know the methodology or anything but I did hear that from the last survey there is an over abundance of catfish and there was some talk of a big catfish fry or something to thin out the herd. I haven’t kept any but some do.

I lived on this same lake 40 years ago when I lived with my folks as a teenager. I used to put out trot lines and catch catfish on live bluegills and liver, but I don’t ever remember catching catfish on artificial worms or plugs. Sunday is becoming my tying day and I’m going to whip up some more chartreuse and black buggers tomorrow and maybe a few other color combinations. The usual Olive wasn’t getting it done today.

 

[fredaevans]

How the heck did you break the tip?

95% of my fishing is with a 2hander ... Jeep doors ... stupid moves on my part.