Cats on the ice

[Mike Walerak]

There is a lake nearby that walleye fisherman catch cats every once in a while. I want to target them. What should I do? What kinds of areas do they prefer in the winter, bait?

I have only fished for cats once in the summertime and by accident in the spring, so I am a newbie to the game.

[barnyard]

Look for flats near deep water. Look for them on your Vex, they usually suspend, like crappies. We use minnow heads on Swedish Pimples or Salmo Chubby Darters. Once you get one, you should be on a bunch.

Tom B

[Dennis Steele]

I find cats on steep breaks near the deepest basins in the lake or area. If the break occurs near a sunken island, hump, or like barnyard suggested, a flat, all the better.

The cats typically will suspend off the break anywhere in the water column but most of the time its usaually about 5 to 10 feet off the bottom. I start looking for them at the bottom of the break where the bottom starts to level off. If you don't find them there, you may find them suspended anywhere along the break and even at the top of the break or on the flat or hump aswell. You just have to search for them. I have at times also caught them right on the bottom.

I usually will not stop to fish untill I see large suspended targets in the area. Sometimes you will see only one or two, but most of the time I look for the Marcum to be lit up like a christmas tree.

My favorite technique is to jig for them using jigging spoons tipped with a hunk of minnow. The best jigging spoon so far for me has been either a 1/8th or 1/16thoz Scenic Tackle Go Devil. I have also been experimenting with JR's Flasher or Crusher spoons with good success. Color seems to depend on the water clarity,color or even time of day. I prefer chartruese/orange or chartruese/green during the mid part of the day, them switch to reg glow or blue glow in lower light conditions. The fish will tell you what they want. If you have a school of cats under you and not one is taking a look then, switch up colors or spoons untill you get a response. I should also mention that you should change the hooks regularly. A lot of time you only get the cat by the verytip of his lip. A good sharp hook is a must.

They can be a bit picky when it comes to bait also. Somethime they will want the head of a fathead, sometime a large chunk of shiner. It seems that early in the seaon larger baits work better and later in the seaons small offerings are best. Even a panfish sixed spoon with a waxie will take a cat.

Other baits I have had success with are, shrimp,chicken liver and little bits of tulibe. I have tried prepared baits like stink bait but have had little success.

Cats will sometimes smack your bait, but I have found that most of the time the bite is very light, and sometime almost undetectable. A good sensitive rod is a must. This year I had a custom rod built by Midwest Rod and Reel. Its a 32" medium. Plenty of back bone and very sensitive. The lenght helps keep the slack out of the line and the fish on when a cat is shaking his head back and forth and rolling up and down your line. There fight is like no other fish and it helps to have a little extra lenght in the rod.

When the cats are biting the lightest you might also want to try a deadstick holder like Rock-n-Reel or a Lazy Jigger. You balance your rod on the deadstick holder and when a cat bites you can barely see the rod pivot a fraction of an inch.

Good Luck Mike.

[Ed Carlson]

Great tips Dennis!

Since your in the SD area the big Mo has a lot of channel cats. A spot to look in the deep water break off the major creek arms leading into the basin. Look for suspended schools of fish, likely they will be cats.

Walleye on reservoirs also like to lurk around below these cats. So a good cat-pod holding on a creek arm may yield a good multi-species trip.

[Mike Walerak]

Thanks all of you! I will have to go out and give it a whirl. I was on the local cat lake this morning looking for a perch or two but ended up coming home skunked. Should have read the posts before I went. I let you know if I have some success.

Oh, one more question: Is this at night or during the day you guys fish? Is one better than the other?

Thanks again,

mw

[Ed Carlson]

The pods do not move much in the winter so it is a matter of moods. Day bite can be as good as the night bite. You often see groups of cats move away from the pod at night and feed on close by structure. Some feed and some stay with the pod. They may spread out more in the same general area at night and become more active. I feel the cats away from the pod are the most catchable. They are on the move to feed.

If you find a good holding pod you just need to tinker with them tell they clue you in on what they want and when. They are often very moody critters under the ice. The challenge is a big part of the appeal for me on cats under the ice.

Even the biggest cat can bite as light as a panfish, or if they are in the mood they may smoke a jig like a pike on rails. Moody mysterious critters, yup-yup.

[Trouthunter]

I live near a local metro lake that was stocked with Channel cats. I'm thinking of trying to ice one, but I've never fished cats before, much less through the ice. The lake has one deep hole at 16 feet, but there are bubblers in that spot so I cant get my shack over it. The rest of the lake is about 8-10 feet. Understanding that deep water is the best place to start looking for them...where's the second best place?

BD

[Dennis Steele]

Its kind of hard to tell without looking at a map of the lake.

With a lake that is that shallow I am assuming that its pretty feature-less. So I guess I would look for any kind of structure that might attract them such as a steep drop or a small hump. You might also try to find areas where the is a transition in bottom content.

If its just a big bowl, all you can do is just keep searching for them. The schools of cats may just roam the lake.

[DARK30]

Cats tru da ice...it just aint right. Me thinks its almost time for a road trip.

WET NETS

[Lost]

Dark, through the ice is the fun way to get them. Hard to fit them through that 6 inch hole in the ice. LOL.