Tips for pond cats?

[Quetico]

Ok I dont fish cats ever. Never had the opportunity. I came across a lightly fished cat pond(channels) No motorized access since its a bit of a hike in there.

Someone quietly told me they start biting out there right after ice out. I talked to a contact at the DNR and was told there are plenty in there. He said they have been dumping some monsters in this little pond.

I have a few ideas, but not really sure what I am doing.

My plan would be to drift around with the canoe. Use slip bobbers set low with chicken livers, cut minnows and maybe live fatheads.

Better ideas? My concern with straight bottom rigs is the lake is fairly weedy.

Any advice would be great thanks.

[pushbutton]

your plan sounds good. had a place on the sauk chain for 3 years and bobber fished low current areas instead of bottom rigs. do not know if this will apply to your situation, but shallow early and late and deeper during the day...... before the water warms up. if there is any current(stream/drainage) would certainly target that. while a little unconventional, i used gumball jigs and never gut hooked a fish.

[popriveter]

I catch them in the spring while fishing crappies from shore. A crappie minnow a few feet under a bobber works in spring. If I were targeting them, I'd just use a live fathead, small sucker, crawler or crayfish with a hook and a split shot. A jighead with a gulp worm has worked for me too, but I have more confidence in live bait.

You shouldn't need much weight and there won't be a lot of weeds anywhere early in the spring.

The place I catch them is in your general region, but they've only been stocked there one time, so I think it is unlikely we'll run into each other.

[wooduck26]

Are there good numbers of panfish in the pond? That may open up a new technique for you to try..... Need more info.

[Quetico]

Supposedly there are tons of smaller pans in there. I was told not to mess with crawlers or worms or smaller live bait. I was told the sunnies with harass you all day.

Its not close to home so I'd like to make it a successful trip when I go.

[mathshop]

haha, i think i know which lake your talking about I haven't fished there in about a few years, but all i remember is if you go off the dock as the sun is setting, use cut bait( we used cut fatheads at the time) and just threw em as far as you can with no sinker or bobbers. The bait wont even hit the bottom, and all of a sudden you see your line taking off.

[Quetico]

Yeah this little pond is not near the metro.

[pureinsanity]

Keep in mind a small catfish could take in a large bait. so don't be afraid to use a bigger bait. raw shrimp, liver, or cut bait. just throw out a bottom right and wait.

Patience is key

[Solocam Hunter]

Sounds like the McColl Pond to me, that place is no secret.

[DTro]

Holy Cow, he said it was nowhere near the Metro. LOL You guys are more intersted in figuring out his spot than helping the guy.

"No motorized access and a bit of a hike".

If everyone is chomping at the bit for metro cats, check out the FIN program. Lot of places to find cats.

As far as tips, if you plan on fishing it early in the year, use a bottom rig with a piece of cutbait. The weeds should be minimal and the fish right now are focusing on the dead stuff after ice out. Try windswept shorelines on the Northside of the pond. If it is too weedy, try suspending your bait under a float.

[Quetico]

McColl might have been a secret to some but I guess its not now that its all over the internet.

The pond I am talking is far from McColl. Its not a metro spot. To despite the comment above there are decent cat spots not within the metro. There are plenty of cat ponds in this state. Just do your research and when you find one do be stupid and post it all over the net.

Thanks for the info.

[Carp-fisher]

I think your chicken liver idea is a good one. I used to fish pond cats quite abit, and I would either still fish liver on the bottom or slow drift. They love that stuff. If you want to catch larger ones, I'd recommend cut sucker.

This time of the year, the channels tend to gather on the east and north sides of lakes/ponds after several days of wind from the W/SW.