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As you
probably have noticed by now, summer has arrived! The days are hot and long,
not to mention muggy. So what are an
avid outdoorsman’s options? Jogging? Uh, no. Swimming? Maybe. I suppose it’s safe
to say we have become nocturnal. This leaves very few options open. There is
the sport of hanging out in bars and there is the sport of catfishing. Anyone
who is skilled in improvisation can easily see how Dave and I could combine
these two sports into an enjoyable evening….or not. We here in the TGM outdoor
department take these two sports very seriously and for the sake of keeping
this short, we’re going to write about cat fishing as we could go on for hours
about the sport of drinking. So let’s get started.
First
we have to define what we are pursuing. The all elusive Mr. Whiskers or “Ole
Joe” as my grandfather used to call him. Catfish are usually the root of all
unbelievable “huge fish” stories like the one about the divers seeing catfish
at the base of the dam at C.J. Brown reservoir near Springfield. Yeah, whatever. Sounds like a
bunch of Bullhead to me. So what is a catfish, you ask? From the name, one
would assume that there is some resemblance to a cat. Yep, it’s the whiskers
or, more correctly, “barbels.” All catfish in North
America have four pairs of barbels. These appendages help the
catfish to find food in the muddiest of waters. They also have sharp spines on
their fins. There is one spine on the leading edge of the dorsal fin and one on
the leading edge of each pectoral fin. Catfish have no scales. Catfish also
have an adipose fin on their backs. This article will discuss the “big four”
catfish for our area. This includes the Bullhead, Flathead, Blue and Channel
“cats.”
Bullheads, in our opinion, are the least desirable catfish.
The two most common in our area are the black Bullhead and the yellow Bullhead
(yellow belly). Anyone who has fished the nearby lakes and rivers has probably
run across these annoying little critters. They range in size from 5 to 12
inches and weigh anywhere from ¾ of a pound to 2 pounds. They eat darn near
anything and the sting from their spine is probably the most painful we’ve
experienced.
Flatheads, also called Shovelheads, are next on deck. These
are the big boys. Our rivers, lakes and ponds can house these monsters and pay
lakes stock them because everybody wants to catch a fish the size of a picnic
table. These guys are probably the ugliest of all the cats in our area and are
a brownish yellow to a mottled brown. They are effective predators and prefer
live bait such as fish, night crawlers, soft craws and large leeches. Stink
baits don’t usually attract Flatheads, but that’s not to say one won’t feast on
other stuff when presented with a free dinner at its doorstep. Ranging in size
from 12 to 60 inches and weigh anywhere from 5 to 70 pounds, Flatheads don’t
have the excitement of a quick, action-packed fight and can take hours to land.
Blue catfish are equal in size and bigger than the
aforementioned Flathead. These cats are usually a slate blue to gray color on
their backs and white on their bellies. Around here they range in size from 6
to 45 inches and weigh anywhere from 3 to 80 pounds. Blues are active year
round and are always roaming, meaning they are more likely to be found in lakes
such as Grand Lake St. Mary’s, Indian Lake and Kiser Lake. They eat live bait
such as bluegill, shad and chubs but have a nose for stinkbaits such as dead
fish, shrimp and chicken livers. Blues are great fun to catch as they really
put up a fight.
Channel cats are the most popular and so we saved them for
last. Easily recognized by their silver-blue to gray color with a white
underbelly, the Channel cat is more slender than the blue or the Flathead. It’s
also cleaner than a Bullhead. They range in size from 6 to 36 inches and can
weigh anywhere from 1 to 25 pounds. Bullheads will eat just about anything;
fish, soft craws, leeches, frogs and night crawlers from the live bait category
and, from the stink bait category, we can offer dead fish, shrimp, as well as
chicken livers; the smellier the better. Channel cats will put up a great fight
when caught. We love ‘em!
So now
you may be wondering what type of equipment it takes to rope one of these
denizens of the deep. The truth is, you can catch catfish on just about any
type pole there is, from a cane pole to a large surf fishing rig. For the
purpose of this article we’ll stick to a standard “cat pole.” These range in
length from 5 to 10 feet and are rigged with 10 to 50 pound test line. Some of
these poles are even tipped with a luminescent color such as neon green or
fluorescent orange for use in low light conditions. Other types of rigs include
a “trotline” (a line stretched across two points with several baited leaders
hanging at different depths), a “limb-line” (tying a baited line from a limb
overhanging your favorite fishing hole), and a “jugline” (which is where you
take a milk jug with a baited line tied to it and let it free float. You
typically need a boat to fish this type of rig). The tackle needed is really up
to the fisherman and, since we don’t want to be barraged with e-mails telling
us what the best setup and hook size is, we are going to just say that a #1 or
#2 sized hook or treble hook works the best for us – you can use what works
best for you.
Let’s
look at one of our typical excursions to the Great Miami
River. First we need to gather
what we’ll need; a fishing license (unless you’re on private land), a cooler
with our favorite refreshments, lighting (lanterns, flashlights and perhaps
materials to start a mini-campfire), POLES
(we know this seems obvious, but you’d be surprised), tackle, and bait. This is
about the extent of our gear but you are free to add to as you see fit. If you
get comfort out of kitchen sinks then, by all means, take one. Once we arrive
we choose a spot keeping several things in mind. We want to look for deep holes
below what are known as “riffles” (small rapids) which tend to be productive
because of the chumming effect these areas have on the water. We also need to
make sure there is enough open room to cast our poles since we ain’t fishing
for tree bass on this trip.
We
usually get right down to business. Thus starts the trials and tribulations of
bait selection (for squeamish people, this can be a very anxious moment). For
this outing we have opted to go with chicken liver that has been cooking in the
sun for the last three days. Trust us; it stinks. At this point it has the
consistency of wet paste. To keep it on the hook, we must be creative. The
solution to this (and to any wet, pasty-type bait problem) is old pantyhose (or
new pantyhose, for that matter). Cut a three by three inch square and put your
nasty, smelly liver into the middle, connect all four corners and tie it off
with fishing line or string, then thread your hook through it several times. If
you don’t follow these rules for chicken liver, you will cast your line over
one hundred times while watching the slimy mess fly off into the dark as three
day old chicken liver won’t stick to anything but your clothes. For this type
of bait, it may be smarter to use a treble hook (which can be just as
frustrating to remove from a fish as rigging them on your line). Next we must
add weight to the setup. We are going to fish off the bottom with no bobber (a
technique known as “tight-lining”), so we’ll probably need ¼ to ½ ounce of
weight depending on the speed of the current and may have to adjust
accordingly.
Now
it’s time to make that first cast. Make sure, as with all types of fishing,
that you are clear of obstacles such as trees, tackle boxes, lawn chairs and
people (in that order). Now that we are officially fishing, we can go onto less
important tasks such as setting up our area or getting a beverage. NOTE: remember, you have a line or lines in
the water. Keep a vigilant eye on your pole. One thing to consider when
fishing with friends is the spacing of the poles. Ignore this and you will
experience the most maddening knots you’ve ever seen. Kids are real experts at
creating impossible knots out of simple situations such as this.
Are we
having fun yet? Have you got a bite yet or are you being bitten by one of the
many types of flying parasites that haunt these parts? It may be time to
re-apply the bug repellent. Welcome to Catfishing!
Soon,
we hope to hear the sound of someone yelling “there goes your pole.” Now this
can mean multiple things such as “Whose is it?” or, worse yet, “Where’d it go?”
This involves further discussion at this point into the whole concept of
tight-lining. We like to employ methods to prevent our poles from being yanked
at warp speed into the abyss, never to be seen or heard from again. Wrap the
line around a small twig or stick pushed into the ground. You can even flip up
the pop-tab on a beverage container and wrap the line around it. When the can
falls over, you may have a bite. Leave the bail on your rod open so the line is
pulled off the reel without pulling the rod into the water. Ever hear the
sounds of some wild creature along the river at 0’dark thirty in the morning?
If I lose another rod, you will.
If you
aren’t having any luck with the nasty bait, you can always switch to live bait,
such as night crawlers, minnows, BIG
minnows, suckers, chubs and bluegill. You can also try other stinkbaits or
shrimp, pastes etc. Other species of animals like catfish bait too; Carp are
the most annoying, with snapping turtles and soft shelled turtles jostling for
second.
HOLY
MOLY! I got a bite! It is now time to set the hook. This can be a very delicate
moment. Rank amateurs will often yank the pole from their ankles to behind
their back at this point, causing a very dangerous situation when the bait and
hook come flying out of the water at well over the speed of sound,
indiscriminately piercing ears and other unsuspecting body parts. Safety
glasses are an option around these rookies. The correct way to set the hook is
to slowly remove the slack, if any, from the line, being careful not to offer
the fish any resistance or reason to spit out the bait. Once the slack is taken
in, tip the rod back toward you in a short jolting motion, not a major league
baseball swing. With any luck, you now have a hooked fish. Considerate
fishermen will reel their rods in. If not, everyone will get a piece of your
action. During the fight, keep your rod tip high to keep the fish off the
bottom and away from visible snags and riffles or rapids. Ignore this advice
and your fight has just gotten worse and the odds of losing the fish have just
increased exponentially.
So
let’s say you just landed a catfish. Outstanding. Now, you must remove the
hook. For those of you not all that familiar with catfish, this can be a hassle
and a pain at the same time. No we aren’t talking about the hook. Remember the
sharp spines mentioned earlier? These things are sharper than hypodermic
needles. It’s not a good idea at this point to step on the fish to work the
hook out. Remember, sharp-as-needles. You can grab the catfish by placing the
dorsal spine between your index and ring finger and the two pectoral spines in
front of you thumb and pinky finger. Two
important things; first, Channel catfish make a noise that old timers call
barking. Don’t ask us why it’s called barking when we are talking about a catfish,
tt just is. It sounds more like aarrrrrr
aarrrrrr aarrrrr. Second, they will flap their tails. When holding a
catfish and they engage in one or both of these things, it is never a good idea
to freak out and throw it. It may end up hitting your friends (which they will
not like) or worse yet, back in the water. If you do however get “horned” by
one of these little devils, wash the affected area with water and apply
antibiotic ointment or cream. Flopping on the ground howling “He got me, He got
me” will not help, no matter how much it might amuse others around you.
If
you cannot remove the hook safely, don’t pull it out. This is not humane to the
fish. Cut the line as close to the end of the hook as possible and it will, in
time, remove itself by rusting out (hooks are designed to do this).
Now
you’re done with the outing. Let the stories begin. These stories must be
cultivated if you are ever going to become a professional catfisherman. Stories
such as the one that got away or the one that took three guys to land. Well,
Dave and I are off to new adventures. I think we may try our luck diving with
harpoons at Caesar’s Creek near the dam this weekend.
We’ll
let you know how that turns out.
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