Chasing Channel Cats - 2012

[Didgeridoo]

Here's a few pics from this year's action.

May 12 - 32" and 34"

May 14 - 32"

 

[theboz]

Nice catties Nick. Are you dragging your flys on the bottom for those big boys? We fish a small dam on the Susky and catch medium size channels at mid depth on leech patterns . Curious if the biguns feed any different.

 

[caseywise]

love it nick!
you are a true master:bowdown::bowdown:
is that an okuma slv reel i see?
love that reel bro

casey

 

[wabi]

Some very nice channel cats there!

So far this year the best I've caught were some of the little ones the state stocked in the local lake last year. Only 7-10" long, but still fun on a 3 or 4wt rod.

 

[hal_sch]

What sort of fly do you use for cats? I've yet to get one and would like to get one this year.

 

[jhammer]

Very nice! Great looking cats!

 

[tbblom]

I caught a little guy going for bass once, great fight. I'm assuming some sort of bottom cruising crayfish or leech pattern?!

Nice kitties... I want one!

 

[Didgeridoo]

They're a hoot! Such a blast with the long rod!

Was out again today and got a few more, biggest was around 35-36".

I use weighted streamers with a sink-tip line. Lead eyes and those Sculpin heads by Fishskullz work to get your fly to where the cats are. This time of year you have to put it in front of their face. As the water warms however, they'll chase your fly and crush it.

Biggest thing with these fish is you need good strong knots, 12lb+ tippet minimum, a stout rod, and a hook that is at least 2x strong and preferably one that has a wide gap. I like short shank hooks as well as they hold better.

Nick

 

[brookfieldangler]

Bad ass!! Those are some NICE cats. Any biproduct catches or are you actually sight fishing these things?

 

[mcnerney]

NIck: Great looking fish, congrats! I can only imagine how those big guys pull once you set the hook!

 

[tbblom]

Are you using a 9-10wt?
Thanks for the tips!

 

[Didgeridoo]

We catch everything. You literally have no idea what you're going to catch. The water clarity is less than 2-inches in the Red River. lol. But, it's the only fishery I've been to where you can catch 50 fish in a day over 20" of various species.

This time of year you'll catch a lot of freshwater drum, the odd goldeye, if you're lucky a carp, catfish, sauger, suckers, and there's a few sturgeon. Later in the year the river is a world-class walleye fishery as the big "greenbacks" run up the river in the fall. You can catch them over 30". The greenback is actually a different subspecies of walleye with a deeper overall body and emerald green iridescence on the back. They get very large as well. The provincial record is 39" which weighed in at around 22 pounds. 3 pounds shy of the world record but longer by a inch.

---------- Post added at 10:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:33 AM ----------

And yes, I use a 10'6" 9-weight for fishing in the main current. You need something with a lot of backbone but a soft tip to cushion your "tippet". I use a 5ft piece of 15lb Maxima for tippet. Even with my 9-weight and me leaning into that rod, the cats will do whatever they want. They're so incredibly strong!

 

[jpbfly]

:thumbsup:congrats Nick...these cats should be a blast on a flyrod
you should come here....a 190 pounds one was caught in river Orb this week

 

[Didgeridoo]

I'd love to get into some truly monstrous fish like that! I'll have to invest in a 12-15-weight rod and see if my body could handle it! lol. There was about a 6ft sturgeon coming up and rolling on the surface on Monday. That would be a heck of a battle! =P

Nick

 

[hillbilly rick]

Aw come on guys, you don't really think that fish is that big, Do ya? I mean my wife has a couple of them yard gnomes that have fishin' rods. Them thar rods is only a foot long, it makes the fish look big, and yeah, that next one too, and ...holy, I mean the one he's holdin' is obviously photo shopped...right? Um, everyone knows ya can't catch nuttin' bigger than a bluegill on a fly rod, right? Ok, I ain't caught nuttin' bigger than a bluegill. WOW I'm goin' to bed to dream about real fish.
Fantastic fishin', I'm jealous.

 

[Didgeridoo]

Tuesday was our fly club outing at Lockport. I ended up getting there early before everyone and ending up catching over 15 drum before the first person showed up. I actually went 8 for 8 as well! 8 casts, 8 fish.

I did manage one catfish as well! Was a pretty decent fight but I use a 10'6" 9wt and even if they take me into the main current, I can lean on that rod and turn em back. Don't get me wrong, these are very strong fish, but if you work the angles, you can usually get them to do what you want. You are guaranteed to see your backing at least once though with these cats!

Still no monsters yet but this one was getting up there. =)

Everyone showed up and lined the one major reef out near the current seam. Was pretty hilarious to see 12 fly fishers "combat fishing". lol

Nick

 

[FrankB2]

Those are some HUGE catfish!!!! I don't really know the difference between catfish, but here are some of the cats Yvonne and I have caught on the local stream. All were caught with an 8'6" 4wt, except for first picture. The reel has a "6" on it, but it was a 9' 5wt with a 6wt line. All were caught with a 3" Clouser (lead eyes), except for the one at my feet. That was caught on a little Green Weenie, and it ran me to my backing 3-4 times!!!

Last month:

Yvonne caught two in two days last July, but I only took a pic of one. Both were within an inch of size:

Caught this a couple of years ago, and it ran more than any fish I've ever caught! I had just bought an Orvis BBS III, and was hoping to hear the clicker scream; the fish obliged and then some. (Shoe size is 13):

The catfish at the bottom is darker than the others. It was caught in late March, and I don't know if it's the same species, or if they change color....???
The catfish in this stream are not shy, and you often wade up to within a couple feet of them. The catfish we've caught were all caught at the bottom of a deep and narrow channel, except for the one between my feet.

 

[Didgeridoo]

Yup those are channel cats. There's a lot of colour and body shape variation between individuals. Even the little kitties put up a heck of a fight! I've had fish in the 24-30" range jump several times when hooked in shallow water also. They're such powerful fish!

How could you not like em with a face like that!? :icon_wink

Here's an old picture of my personal best from 2010. We had 2 week window between run-off and the rains where the cats were just unbelievable! This one was just shy of 39" and the thickest fish I've ever caught. Was over 30lbs.

Nick

 

[FrankB2]

Jeez Nick! Those fish are huge!!! I managed to catch a 17" channel cat this afternoon at 1:30. I had seen a bunch of them in a section of the local stream (there usually there), and they were the size of my leg. One swam over to get a look at me, and then swam off. I was using a Clouser tied on a #10 popper hook. Certainly not a big fish, but it hit like a ton of bricks! It ran, and I had to crank the drag down pretty far. The fish in this stream are generally psychotic, and even the sunfish fight until the very end. I was using my 9' 5wt Z-Axis, and there was enough bend that I considered pulling out my video camera. I decided to land the thing instead, but took a couple of quick pics:

They change colors when viewed at different angles. I'd love to catch one of the real beasts that roam that stream. This "little" one hit so hard, I thought that maybe I did hook one of the big ones. A month ago I did hook a couple of larger cats, but both broke me off with a head shake (3X tippet). One felt like a snag, and then it swam toward me. A shake of its head, and away it swam.....

 

[Didgeridoo]

Ya they're a blast. That's a nice rod! Almost a shame using it for cats. =P

Nick