how bout them Cats?

[Tony Payne]

Took my son-in-law on a catfishing trip this past friday night (for his birthday) on the Ohio River...results were pretty darn good... I took away "big fish" honors with the 32# flathead, and there were plenty of 6-10 pounders being caught as the night progressed.



He got Big fish honors on the previous trip, with a 30 pound bluecat.



If you ever get the chance, catfishing the Ohio can be a very "big" evening...



Any other big cat stories out there?

 

[Tony Payne]

more pictures

 

[Rob LaMoy]

GEEEZZZZ!!! What's with that "hole" in his head. Did you have to shoot it to keep it from munchin on ya while you kept fishing? If I ever caught something like that, it would have to be Champy!

 

[Ken Neeley]

Awesome pics...them are some toad cat's!!!

 

[Staci Matheis]

This is a picture taken 4 or 5 years ago and posted back in the grab bag.



I used to go to a lake that wandered through my apartment complex and trap the tons of 3 to 4" bluegill that were there to use as bait up on the Mississippi. There were so many in the lake that their growth was stunted. Kids would try all day long to catch them, but there weren't any that were big enough to take a hook!



When I'd catch flatheads, I'd bring them back in my livewell and release them into the lake! I had always hoped that I might be around when some 9 year old tied into one of my "bad boys" with his Snoopy Zebco..... :^)



If I remember correctly, the fish in this picture went from 11 to 23# and there was still one more smaller on in the livewell.



me!

 

[Andrew Zuber]

A buddy and I hooked up with some monsters last year in the St. Joe River...25+ flathead was big fish for the night...they're a whole lot of ugly, but sure fun to catch!!! We used live 6 inch bluegills for bait.



az

 

[James D.]

man those are some nice cats! both pics. i'm gonna have to go fishin with you guys. i catch a lot of 3-5 lb channel cats and hook one biggen that seems to get away every year. hey - dem cats lum dem sparkles too!!



thanks for posting.



james d.

 

[Jim Clevenger]

This was from this year. Largest was 18#.



Jim

 

[Marke Cicero]

I have ALWAYS wanted to hook into big cats but they just don't exist on the east coast.



Is there anywhere in MI that I can try once I get out there?



Andy, where's the St. Joe's river? Is it someplace you and can meet if Ken gives me a day off?



Marke

 

[Ken Neeley]

Marke,

St. Clair, Detroit River, Saginaw Bay...lots of cats!!!

Mac and I fished a tournament a couple of weeks ago and I caught an 8lb. cat int the Detroit River...thought I had the mother-toad of all smallies for minute there!!!

 

[James D.]

seein those pics makes me want to go catch some! someday there will be big time catfish tourney's.



james d.

 

[Chad Justice]

Kentucky's state record blue cat came from the Ohio river.. Thing's so big I *swear* you can see it's 'nads!!! LMAO!!



Pic attached...



(BTW, I thought for a minute this thread was about The University of Kentucky Wildcats' crushing defeat (77-17) of UTEP on Saturday... Just had to throw that in there, cause I'm proud of'em!! =P )

 

[C C]

Big cats are on the East coast. I have participated in many a cat fish fry after a pre-fish in NC. Fist time I pulled a 20lb cat out of the water I was is total disbelief. Growing up in FL I had only seen channel cats and they were no bigger then 5lbs. The cats that we were pulling were never less then 10lbs. Give the Pasquotank River in North Carolina near Elizabeth City a try if your looking for cats on the East coast.



Cass

 

[JAMES MOORE]

No big cats here my butt, go take a dive sometime in the ST Lawrence River near the Thousand Island Bridge at Alexandria Bay. There are cats there big enough to swallow your leg. Scares the daylights out of the divers that go down to inspect the pilings every few years. Just nobody really fishes for them up here, except a few old souls, and they keep their mouths shut about what they catch.

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Ah Jim, they can keep their big old nasty, dead log pulling cats. We have 40+lb muskies up here to contend with. They'll strip your spool and come back for more.

 

[Staci Matheis]

Rob -



You obviously have never tied into a 40+ pound cat..... They strip your spool but don't have to come back for more - they pull you in with your line, spool and rod!



me!

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Ahhh, pussycats! LOL Muskies are 40+ lbs of rip roaring, run away freight train, razor sharp tooth filled, fresh water barracuda, eating machines! I have seen them eat baby ducks, smaller muskrats, half of a 2lb smallie on the end of MY LINE! They're like JAWS, only smaller! They can leap like smallies, charge like a bull marlin, make endless surges like a tarpon, and have the mentality of a ticked off redneck who's girlfriend/sister you just insulted, only smarter. They're MEAN! They don't sit in some hole in the mud eating dead crap off the bottom. They lurk in the shadows and weeds awaiting the next unsuspecting morsel to come swimming by, and then, WHOOOOSH, no more widdle 2 lb fishy! What you and I call tourney keepers, muskie fisherman call bait! I use 12-14" suckers and shiners, a 7'6" heavy action rod, and 200 yards of 50 lb test when I try for them. And that's still no guarantee!

 

[Rob LaMoy]

So you wanna compare them pussycats to these huh?

 

[Rob LaMoy]

 

[Rob LaMoy]

sorry

 

[Rob LaMoy]

http://www.zjstech.net/~library/1168/musky 3.jpg

 

[Rob LaMoy]

'nuf said! But no, I haven't tied into a 40lb cat. Best was 14 lbs. I HAVE tied into a couple of these bad boys though, but have never landed any of them. I always tie into them when bass fishing and a 7' MH stick with 20 lb test is no match for one of these boys! They bust me off or spool me every time. In fact Jamey went musky fishing Sunday night, wonder how he did?

 

[Ken Neeley]

Rob...come to St. Clair...we'll teach you how to land them. Our boys routinely catch them while bass fishing. ^-7' m-mh rods with 10-14lb line. Mini caught one a couple weeks ago...48", 18ft of water, took him 10 minutes to land.



I'll have Marke send you some pic's after he gets here and lands a couple!!!

 

[Rob LaMoy]

Oh, now I KNOW it's getting deep in here. With 10 lb test eh? You been in the slim jim jar again?

 

[Tom Mann]

I watched Jimmy Houston (on TV) set a record of 40+ on 15# Test.

I figure if Jimmy can do it, this should be nothing for Rob!

T

 

[Staci Matheis]

Jimmy Houston IS nothing compared to Rob!



But, Rob..... Blue, Channel and Flathead cats are NOT scavengers - they are the biggest predators in most of our rivers!



me!

 

[Rob LaMoy]

I am NOT getting a bowl cut! And thanks for the sarcastic compliment guys. But when I can fish 300 days a year and earn 6 figures at it, then you can make that claim. But Jimmy is a funny guy and great fisherman.

 

[Tom Mann]

It really is amazing how agressive cats can be. I've caught them on 7" floating minnows before and it was quite a surprise!

T

 

[Tony Payne]

Those is some nice muskies!



I have yet to catch my first musky, had a couple of good follows last year at the "cave" (Cave Run Lake in KY), and I plan to return there when the temps cool off and try and get a couple.



I have some vacation time coming up early next year and I plan to make a run to St. Clair... any one want to help me catch a musky or two, and a couple hundred smallies??