Cattin' guys lurking in here......

[cjac]

Hey all,

We have a few guys that are first and foremost cat fishing guys that have been visiting in here quite a bit lately, and I think its great! They actually have a lot in common with the muskie crowd, specifically regarding reels, line, knots, and above all an appreciation for big fish and protecting the resources.

If you have not looked around in the Catfishing Forum, I'd encourage you to! Great stuff, great info, and great stories too, just wait 'til May when us muskie guys are still idle, and see what they're doing on the river.....it's pretty darn cool!

Thanks to dtro, Hanson, and Ralph Wiggum for their input in here. They're actually great all-around fisherman, hard and open water both! Special recognition to RW (Ryan Bielat) for being pictured twice in the latest In Fisherman issue for their Master Angler program! 31" channel and a 42" flathead, both from the Mississippi. Page 96, check it out! Congrats Ryan!

[DTro]

Thanks Chris.

Actually my love of big fish blossomed with the Musky. I had some days on Vermilion that would make your head spin (this was when nobody even considered it for Musky).

Anyways your right, a lot in common, cept for the energy consumed during an outing. There's times where I may cast less than a dozen times during a 6-8 hour period

[Flaco651]

I'll admit, I stop in a check whats going on from time to time in here. Never caught a pure strain ski yet, but have picked up tigers through out the metro.

[Shack]

SHHHHHHHH!

I started a year ago in the "cat" forum (much later than most "I wished I owned a home computer before a year ago), but have learned so much from this forum. I have been catt'in for many years and this forum has opened new idea’s that (will) lead into a giant cat for me.

Plus the guys are great in this forum.

Threre are many more than Cjac named.

Sorry, I seen cattin' on the side bar, with Dtro named and had to take a look . I do look in here from time to time also.

[hanson]

Lurking???

I read the forum here DAILY.

Never did until I accidentally hooked up with that 48" last fall trolling walleyes on Cass.

Now I want ANOTHER one!

Common theme... Flathead Cats & Muskies are both THE dominant predator in the waters they inhabit.

[cjac]

Congrats to Hanson as well for a 18" White Bass! Top White Bass for Region 1!

These river guys have skills, makes me want to take them out on the Croix for muskies......did I say that out loud?

[Jim Hudson]

D-Tro and Hanson

I'll trade you a Musky Trip for a Flathead Trip!!

Oh, but Hanson, you owe me a trip yet, so that will be two trips.. hehehe

[DTro]

 Originally Posted By: JKH431

D-Tro and Hanson

I'll trade you a Musky Trip for a Flathead Trip!!

Oh, but Hanson, you owe me a trip yet, so that will be two trips.. hehehe

Sure, anytime Jim

[Tim_Anderson]

Although I'm pretty much the hard core musky guy, I'm not quite a purist. I really enjoy chasing big fish of all species...especially in the "off-season" (musky). This means walleye and sturgeon in the spring down on the Mississippi and up on the Rainy. It means Bass in the early season, and pike whenever and wherever I can find them. Sometimes I make an early trip to Canada to the Quetico Wilderness.

A couple of weeks ago, I hooked my first flathead catfish, which we snapped a quick picture of (estimated it at about 15#) and then let it go. But that kind of piqued my interest. I started asking around, and I am now hearing about guys catching 40 and 50 pound cats. WOW! Another big fish opportunity that I have been missing out on.

So I started checking out the catfish forum just a couple of days ago, and have been really enjoying it. I've got alot to learn, and I'm sure that forum and the guys in it are a great place to start. I hope to eventually get out fishing with you guys...again, if I can help you out in any way with the musky thing, or other fishing styles that are on "your agenda", just let me know. But I do know this, I gotta learn how to start targeting those big cats!

[Tim_Anderson]

Oh, and don't let the "guide thing" scare you. After 40 years of fishing, one thing I hold near and dear is integrity. Fishing spots are pretty sacred. I share mine with clients in order to help them fulfill their dreams, but these are spots I have found on my own. I also share my really good spots only with a few close fishing buddies. But, I would NEVER bring clients to a spot that a friend confided in me, unless I had their permission (which I wouldn't expect). As I understand it...I need to find my own spots. That's the way it's always been.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Yeah, I can't confess to ever catching a muskie, or even targeting one (might have to change that this year), but big fish pique my interest. Plus, as mentioned, reels, lines, knots, etc. are very much the same. I figure I can learn from both schools of thought!

[hanson]

 Originally Posted By: JKH431

D-Tro and Hanson

I'll trade you a Musky Trip for a Flathead Trip!!

Oh, but Hanson, you owe me a trip yet, so that will be two trips.. hehehe

LOL! 1 trip, 2 trips... who's counting.

Your welcome in the boat any time you come down here Jim.

[DHanson]

 Originally Posted By: Tim_Anderson

Oh, and don't let the "guide thing" scare you. After 40 years of fishing, one thing I hold near and dear is integrity. Fishing spots are pretty sacred. I share mine with clients in order to help them fulfill their dreams, but these are spots I have found on my own. I also share my really good spots only with a few close fishing buddies. But, I would NEVER bring clients to a spot that a friend confided in me, unless I had their permission (which I wouldn't expect). As I understand it...I need to find my own spots. That's the way it's always been.

Tim I saw you fishing in my spot. I was going to confront you about it but being the bigger man that I am, I chose to just live with it. Just kidding man. I respect you're above comments on keeping spots a secret if requested by a friend. I fish a lot of the same lakes as you do for muskie. I'm sure I've seen you on the water quite a few times in the past. I've caught quite a few catfish but rarely target them. I used to target them sometimes on the horshoe chain through the ice, that was pretty fun.

[Nick Kuhn]

Is this implying I should be testing out my new muskie combo by heading out to the Miss. with some stinkbait? I actually know nothing of catfishing, I've caught like a single 12" channel in my life.

[Rebel9921]

Hmmm I have two Abu 6600CB just sitting there collecting dust... Maybe I could mate those to Catting rods and go from there...

[cjac]

It's a lot more ecomonical to make the move from muskies to cats than to go the other way. $30-$40 gets you a decent cattin' rod to pair up with the same reels, can't quite do the same and get a quality stick for muskies.

Few no-roll sinkers and a few packs of hooks and the basics are in place for $100 or so, all said and done.

Of course a River Pro at $25k changes things......

[Ralph Wiggum]

 Originally Posted By: cjac

Of course a River Pro at $25k changes things......

Yes, but a Ranger Z20 is a heckuva lot more than that!

[cjac]

That's why I roll in a 17' Lund!

Really for how and where I fish it fits my needs quite well!

[Ralph Wiggum]

 Originally Posted By: cjac

That's why I roll in a 17' Lund!

Really for how and where I fish it fits my needs quite well!

I wouldn't know

My Riverpro is "a few years" in the future.

[Rebel9921]

Sounds good Chris... but will I be able to get my head out of Muskie fishing??? But then again... what are the season for cats??? Way it sounds... those Cats can keep me busy til Muskie season opens???

[Tim_Anderson]

cjac and others...can you describe or recommend for me what constitutes a good "cattin' rod"? I've got tons of rods, especially for musky, but how does the catfish rod differ from the variety of musky rods, heavy duty bass rods, etc.? (I'm thinking if I'm going for the big guys, I'd better be erring toward the musky side, right)?

[Rebel9921]

Hmmm... a thought... I probably could use the 7'0 EH Grandt rod and the 7'6 MH rod... both mated to 6600CB... Might as well put those two rods to a good use going after Cats???

Now only thing I'll need would be a line recommendation... I probably wont go for anything less than 80lbs superbraid...

[Ralph Wiggum]

Tim,

You'll want a rod with a softer action to be able to lob live baits without tearing the hook out of them. You need good backbone with a soft tip. Some rods to look at are Jim Moyer Boss series, Surge Trophy rods, Berkley Glow Stick, Quantum Big Cat, hmmm, lots of options.

[Scoot]

Oh man, now we've got muskies and catfish info cross-breeding! I don't even want to think what could be spawned from this...

[DTro]

Before you know it, the cat guys will have expensive custom cat combos and shiny boats.

Oops……to late

That’s ok. The cats guys know the true shine and sparkle comes from the sun reflecting off of the Shad scales deposited in every nook and cranny of anything within a 20ft radius of said bait.

And the smell…..oh that smell, is so sweet you don’t even need that big Flatty to take a giant dump on the floor of the boat.

But if (and when) it does, oh boy, you just found a little slice of heaven.