Cat Guys vs. Musky Guys

[Ed Carlson]

Ya..."Scars make for good stories"... they say.

Red River Sumo Kitty's can speed that process along a little bit more than I would like at times.

[Esox_Magnum]

Having fished both I have to say the equipment takes more abuse by the muskie guys than cat guys, my partner was a big time flat guy and when we started hunting skies his high quality cat gear didnt last long for muskies, now he's all muskies.

I got more money invested in just 1 muskie tackle box as my whole cat arsenal amounts to. As far as injurys the cat guys ony have 1 hook to worry about we have at times 9 needle sharp 7/0 points trying to find a way into our bodys....

Both are apex predators and each deserve the passion each group gives their fish, you cat guys are no better than us muskie guys and we are no better than you, we both share the same passion for the fish we love to hunt.....

[Steve Foss]

Shoot, EM, that's no fun. Keep the pot stirring!

Musky guys = pretty obsessed.

Cat guys = ugly obsessed.

I've fished gazillion hours for both, so I consider myself stupidly obsessed.

Agreed that musky fishing takes the bigger toll on gear.

[Esox_Magnum]

Well according to your description Foss I'm in the ugly obsessed muskie club.........I'm ugly, boats old and ugly, equipments dinged and scratched, baits glued and torhced togeather.......

[cbrooks]

Holy man. Reading the list of Eds war stories is impressive.

[Muskiefool]

Most of the guys I fish with don't have all the latest fad gear, some do and they have never said anything to me about my 10 year old 7000's or 5-12 year old rods. If your fishing with guys like that its pretty easy to find new people to fish with or just go it alone.

The best net you can afford is probably #1 for me.

Cat guys and Muskie guys are very alike in some aspects. I know C.O.s have very, very few problems with either group.

Not much time left to enjoy either, where did the summer go.

[Esox_Magnum]

John we got 2 months yet to go, aint over yet....

[mainbutter]

Musky guys think you can't safely catch muskies with bait, and cat guys think you can't catch flatheads with artificial lures. They're both equally wrong

[DTro]

I'd like to comment, but what do I know, I'm a Sturgeon guy.

[Ed Carlson]

Ya....and we all know Sturgeon aren't hard on gear..right?

[RK]

Hiya -

Most of the best muskie fishermen I know (and frankly I know some of the best there are) do NOT necessarily have the most expensive equipment when it comes to rods and reels. They all have pretty high standards for performance and durability, and have no patience at all for stuff that doesn't hold up over time. That doesn't always translate to the most expensive. I think every single one of them I can think of uses some reels that are more than 10 years old. I know some that use rods that haven't been on the market in more than 15 years, and they refuse to give them up because they do exactly what they need them to. I know the muskie rods I use most often went off the market at least 10 years ago...

Yeah, there are certainly some prima donna muskie fishermen that measure how serious they are about muskie fishing by how big a dent it puts in their wallet. They have the most expensive rod and reel combos, drop $200 on a custom lure, and all that stuff. You find those guys in the bass and walleye crowds too frankly. (Although I do think the muskie guys are more obnoxious about it frankly...heh.) Some guys just plain like having the latest and greatest and it's part of the fun for them. Personally I like stuff I'm comfortable with. (I think I still have tennis shoes from high school...) To each their own. Fish don't care either way really...

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[Shack]

Local Musky/Cat Pro and Legend Wink Dinkerson was asked these very same questions last year and was quoted:

"Muskies are tough, Cats are crazy tough, but watch out! Carp and rough fish is poised to become the next species to take the spotlight."

I agree RK.

I am out to launch on this debate. Stigmas are only as good as those who care. If that is your thing, then stigma away I guess. If not, you will see you can go cheap or deep in either species. With some over the top (very cool stuff though ) on both sides being displayed, while some still producing in both species while floating in a 12' bathtub, power by 12 volts.

Still!!! Hands down!!!! No contest!!!! Hold the phone!!!! You put a very large muskie in a pool and have it go up against a flathead of the same size in a cage match style format rumble, the flathead would crash the muskie and come up the winner in record time and without a scratch.

[pureinsanity]

You ever been stung by a channel? I'd rather get shot!

Id rather be stung by a channel than bit by a channel. Pound for pound they have the most jaw power of any fish ive caight. Channel cats are the pitbulls of the water.

[pureinsanity]

I'd like to comment, but what do I know, I'm a Sturgeon guy.

Sturgeon don't fight! The are like timid or tame catfish I bet they do not put any strain on gear!

[pureinsanity]

Ed, you have some impressive stories. Care to enlighten us some more? Your dentist trip made me think of a time an 8lb cat was thrashing as I was pulling it out of the water and it made my 5oz bank sinker break my 80lb test and fly off and hit a buddy clear in the shin. Took him down!!! I would hate to get hit with a sinker

I am going to start bringing a mouth guard out catting with him. If I came home with missing teeth from fishing the woman would hide my gear ...

Guess you can add to the list of "don't do before your wedding day" "Cat fishing"

[Kodiak]

cat guys from what i heard are extremely territorial of their spots on the river. maybe that applies us muskie guys but we are always on the move.

[TruthWalleyes]

Two different animals IMO. And yeah, i said animals!

If catfish guys looked to lakes to catch the big kittys, we'd probably buy $20 lures and empty our massive live bait tanks...upgrade reels etc

If muskies were in the Big Muddy Ditch, muskie guys would probably skip over the expensive lures, buy cheap hooks, and $20 in bait.

[Shack]

If you wanna talk bait, if an avid cat guy who fishes the as much as a guy like Dtro does, buys his live bullheads and suckers out of the local bait store tank, that would add up to (my guess) about five big bills ($500) per season. People learned last year all two well, buying those cheap hook bundles for (if I recall) $50 was a bad lesson learned. The hooks we use are not cheap. $20 of hooks for a week of heavy water time in snaggy locations is not out of the ball park. Swivles are the cheap part but add up when you buy name brands. Weights! Too expensive for me for the start up cost to pour my own like the majority do, but adding up buying 4-8 oz weights off the shelf is insane. In the same snagging week you can add around another $20 on top. With a typical decoy suck setup going, I would say retail (depends where you buy, goid decoys i have seen at some shops push $10)is pushing $14.00. 90% chance it will be lost during some point in the evening. Back to bait, some of the bait tank systems I have seen could hold a $1000 price tag on the open market. New RP on the river this year must have been pushing $30,000.00. I know it is possibly barley scratching the half way mark with some Pro Muskie boats. Some of the first guys on the water who had Humm SI were cat guys. The price we paid for our units compared to what they are now is crazy, but would never leave the launch with out it. People who start out may buy cheap combos to get started, but those who get sick of those combo (keeping or exceeding the Jone's is alive & well with cat dudes) start custom making their rods (check to see who posts in the rod forum ) and buying reels like this:

Spooling ain't cheap either. Muskie guys know this all to well also. Then you have the "geek" in some cat guys that does not come free. Our smart phone, well my work pays for mine, are $100 a month and retail phone value of $800-$1000, is just the start. The money I dropped in 08'-09' on equipment, just bring good video to HSO, is a dollar amount I will never openly tell my wife. Dtro is the founder, but who has brought live streaming of their fishing for their species of choice? Cat guys

I own about about, I would say, $500 in Muskie lures I have bought over the years. Not much compared to most, but I just love to collect them and use them on occasion. To say either Muskie or Cat guys are better than one of eachother is not possible IMO. Yes muskies have pull downtown, but cats are closing the gap. I never thought I would see the DNR pay this much attention to catfish ever in my life. It's changing.

I personally respect muskie guys and their groups more than I do any other species. Some good friends and good people I know are Muskie advocates. The Muskie world is a great model to follow if you really want to protect the species you have respect for in your fishing life. The most respected people I have on my list, Teddy first, are Muskie guys. Steve Jonsie is right their and Pete Maina is my most have to watch guy going. The day Pete subscribed to my Tube page is still the coolest thing ever. IMO to class either species better than the other is not possible. You take any die hard cat guy out and he lands a 50" Muskie, he is hooked. You take any Muskie guy out and he lands a 50" flat, he is hooked. You love big fish, how can you not get hooked? If I ever win the Power Ball, I could easily drop a $100,000 in a river set up, much like a die hard Muskie guy would.

[Steve Foss]

Good Lord, Shackdude. You need an editor!

[DTro]

HaHa

and less caffeine.

[jwmiller33]

IMO to class either species better than the other is not possible. You take any die hard cat guy out and he lands a 50" Muskie, he is hooked. You take any Muskie guy out and he lands a 50" flat, he is hooked. You love big fish, how can you not get hooked?

well said shack!

[Shack]

All that expresstion from my right thumb and the punctuation police and over posting police are out in force. You guys lol!

Thank You JM33.

[Ed Carlson]

I'm a bit disappointed that the rough and tumble "Trout Guys" have not chiming in by now, I'm sure they have some good Trout War stories for us to.

Like...."Oh.my"....I nearly came to tears when I got a #14 fly in my pinkie...or..."A big mean disgruntle Brook Trout looked at me very crossly the other day, it really hurt my feelings, but my therapist said I should own up to my pain and move on"...or..."Oh no you didn't say that..Listen up here sister, trout are brutes and obviously more intellectually superior than any smelly ugly Catfish or naughty mean Muskie...and don't get me started on your fishing attire...CAMOUFLAGE ZUBA's..like seriously...that's so "80's"...what a fishing fashion faux pas...tisk..tisk..tisk, and as for my equipment cost, not sure really, it all go's on my Platinum Card..I'll have to have my personal assistant check on that for me some time next week...I'll have my people contact your people on that."....for instance.

DING...DING...DING...round #3.

[mrklean]

haha well written shack

[Kodiak]

i believe skill-wise, the muskie is a much harder fish to catch....dont kill me on this that is just what i have been thinking...seems when i go catfishing i usually catch fish but when i go muskie fishing i always go home with an empty memory stick.