Cool Cats 2011 - March 5th- Starts at 8 am

[Borch]

Mark your calendars for what has turned into one of the highlights of the hard water season!

Host: Borch

When is the event

Sat Mar 5th 2011 8am

What will we be catching?

Channel Catfish with an occasional Walleye,Crappie and Rock Bass mixed in

Where is the event?

Cool Cats will be on the Horseshoe Chain of Lakes located near Richmond/Cold Spring MN. Roughly 1.5 hrs Northwest of the Twin Cites. From 94 take 23 west to Richmond and then take 22 south to the lake.

We will be fishing the Methane or "Meth" hole. There are two popular points of access. The best one to use for vehicles is the winter access. Please monitor this thread closer to the event to confirm current ice conditions.

What should I bring?

First and foremost, a big smile, because you will be using it a lot

Typically we use basic walleye gear for catching the cats. We will set up one pole with an Ice Buster bobber or equivalent and a plain red hook with a cut piece of minnow (Fathead or Golden shiner) set just above the bottom, and then jig with the other pole rigged with a jigging spoon/minnow head. JB Lures Rattling Varmint in glow red is favorite among the catters.

A spring bobber has proven to be helpful for the light bite days.

Also as in years past, we will be having a potluck at noon, so bring along a favorite food item to share. Hopefully we can work out frying up some catfish as well.

Bring along the whole family and stay for a couple hours or stay all day.

We will try to get a bunch of holes punched for those that don't have an auger.

Click here to see the recap from last year

Hope to see you all there!

Copy courtesy of dtro. Thanks Darren.

[MikeH55343]

What is the story behind the name of this fishing spot? "Meth" Hole.

Probably not a good idea to drive around Stearns County asking how to find "Meth".

[Borch]

Methane gas bubbles up from the bottom resulting in a hole in the ice. I was in a spot last week where I could see the bubbles on the marcum and had bubbles coming up through the holes I was fishing in.

Any bait shop in Richmond will be able to direct you.

[Borch]

Looking for some help.

If someone could bring a couple garbage cans with bags. I will bring a couple tables, a fish fryer, batter and oil.

We will also be doing a short "Cats Through the Ice" seminar starting about 7:15 am for those who would be interested. It will be a hands on seminar focused on getting folks off to a good start lasting 20-30 minutes.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

[pushbutton]

will bring some cans and bags......... jr and i went out and got some cats 2 weeks ago to make my famous catfish balls, ok, they are not really famous, actually i never have even made them before, but i will bring them anyway.

[Brad B]

Borch are you going to start getting a head count yet if so I will start it.

1 (myself)

next person to reply add to my 1. last year there was around 40+ people.

Borch feel free to move this over to the other thread in the st cloud forum if you want to.

[harvey lee]

+2

[Borch]

+3

[pushbutton]

+ 4 1/2

[Brad B]

we are a week away and the amount of interest doesn't seem to be there yet. Hope I am wrong. This event is really fun and I am looking forward to it. I won't get there until around 11 to 11:30AM because I have to pick up my daughter for the weekend(I will go fishing for a while and she will hang out with grandma, win win for both of us).

[Gordie]

+6 1/2

[Papa Grump]

+ 8

[nytelyter]

myself and a my fishing buddy(not my dad as he is still in arizona) willl make it 2 more. i willl be there before most of you. this is a must doo event each season and i think the only one i have missed was the year that travel on the lake was real bad about 4 or six years ago.HERE KITTY KITTY!!!!!!. ... PAUL

[tsande00]

I am hoping to make it out with my cousin. Waiting for confirmation that he can go.

[picksbigwagon]

I am torn right now...perch or cats....if my buddy backs out on me going to mille lacs, I might come over and try cats....so that makes a ghost 9 3/4's.

[Borch]

Looking forward to you stopping by Picks.

[Brad B]

see ya all there. I should be there by 11 to 11:30AM. lets hope the fish are biting. Jeff is there last minute things needed for the G2G. I will check here before I head out in the morning.

[Borch]

Maybe a couple garbage bags Brad just to make sure we have enough.

[Brad B]

as always it was a great time out there for this G2G. the group was small this year but it was still fun. Pushbutton those catfish balls were to die for please post the recipe for them. they are something I would like to try and make sometime. Borch please don't forget to send me a copy of the liquid apple pie recipe. that stuff was so good but I bet it could mess you up if you had to much. even thou we didn't have Icehouse Bob's Beans, Elwood's was just as good(I was tasting them for the second time on the way home, when you can do that you know they are good). Now if the fish would have been there(it has been a bad ice fishing season for me. My numbers have been way down compared to other years.

[Gordie]

WOW what great time..

it was great to see the regulars like Harvey Lee and borch along with meeting a bunch of new guys out there.

The fishing was good in the morning so I was told but the cats were a bit small but still had a few for the fryer...

I think Harvey Lee schooled us this time and he had a dandy crappie for the fry.

As ussall the food was great and I dedicated my beans to Icehousebob (praying for ya bob)

Pushbutton made some great catfish balls and a first for me deep fried mac and cheese. I will be doing that one again. There was some really good pickled fish there also.

Crappiesniffer should have some great pics to share and we even got in some minnesota stlye ice noodlin for cats

The gathering wasnt the biggest that I've heard of but the conversation and the LAUGHS were the greatest...

I would really like to thank Borch for putting this together and being the fry daddy for us guys BTW thanks for the liver which I passed on to PB I think last year I got stuck with like three containers or liver and 2 buckets of stink bait but at least I didnt take home the monkey

Dtro you did miss out on a good time.

crappiesniffer as luck would have it Guess i waited long enough I got the last brownie

As Red Green would say keep your stick on the ice

BTW we drove home with the windows down ...Man those boys stunk it up... beans worked