25 pounds of “hurts so good”!

Cold front moved in…gusty winds…low clouds…just begging to rain… What a great night to go catten! One thing I found out, on nights like this…the ol’ Miss is a dark place.

Caution: Suzuki, don’t read any farther!

I really didn’t have time to go out tonight but I only have tonight and Wednesday. The family is heading up to Winni and from what I’ve heard…there aint no cats up there!

I figured I would take 8 suckers out with the idea that I would run out of bait and come home early. Thought I would be on the road by midnight…this did happen for a change. In fact, I surprised my wife by being home at 11:15

I left home early because I wanted to get to the hotspot in the light. Well with the cloud cover, it was dark by 9 p.m. So I never did get to the hotspot I wanted to go to…they will just have to wait for me. I set up on the outside snag that had good current. Thought I would sit and relax for a minute before making a route home on the gps. Didn’t get to do that. By 9:15 my clicker was telling me my line was leaving the spool..slowly. After a good fight

“man to fish” (the drag was locked down) my personal best (don’t laugh Jetcat) a 21 pounder was up to the boat. Brian was a puffing but happy man! I tried to get some good pictures, but it was tough…we were both working hard…so I sang a little Toby Keith while she was getting her breath back in the water and shortly she turned and waved goodbye with her tale. What a beautiful fish. I think she winked at me as she turned to go home.

Once I got settled down again, I figured I better get the route completed on the gps. I didn’t get very far and I heard a short zig of the clicker…maybe about 10 – 15 clicks. I got back to the rod and that was it..nothing more. Jet Cat was talking to me about holding the rod and sometimes a flathead will hit without taking line..almost like they are holding it in their mouth and just lying there…so I picked up the rod to at least see if the sucker was working. I detected a little pull, then a little bite…then a little pull again. This went on for about 15 minutes, never enough to make the clicker go although I didn’t have the clicker engaged. I thought at least I’d know what a turtle feels and looks like at the end of the rod, so I continued to hold the rod. I’ve been known to catch a few leatherbacks before. Finally I said that was enough…(no one else in the boat..but you have to talk to someone that makes sense) I tightened er up and let her have it. Must be a small turtle I thought, didn’t feel like much. As I’m looking around for my knife to cut the line with when ol’ snappy came up….it was just like someone turned the switch on that turtle. All hell broke loose. My Quantum Big Cat rod (otherwise known as my “Whoa” rod, because when you pull back on it…you say Whooooa!) was doubling over and bouncing up and down like the needle on the Richter scale in a 9.9 earthquake. (Ps Tony…the curse on this ARM Auction Rod is gone for good!)

Not only was I worried about the wood all around, but I was worried about the anchor ropes. I wasn’t going to have the same problem that Catten Addict and I had the other night when his big one pulled the boat and his 20 lbs navy anchor 50 feet to the snag…I had three anchors out. She came to the boat with out a hitch. As I reached down to lift her over the side, my thought was…Brian, this aint walleye fishing!

My new personal best (quit laughing Jetcat) is now 25 lbs.

It’s amazing! Less than twelve months ago, I went out with DirkW for the first time catfishing. When I got in the boat, I told him…treat me like a baby, I don’t know anything about catfishing. He was very patient. I’m sure he thought that I would be eye or bass fishing the next day. But the bug bit!

I have to applaud IDA, and it’s members that will share their sport. If it wasn’t for this site and the members I’ve met, I still wouldn’t have the fun I did tonight (although I would be in bed already)…Hats off to you guys! And Good night!

BrianK, Great play by play!
Charlie

Great post Briank.

You’ve either got some great spots or you are becoming one heck of a cat man!

If you are only detecting bites when the clicker sounds, I’d think you are missing a lot of fish. I would say that 50% of the flatheads I’ve caught or seen caught never pull hard enough to sound a clicker. It sounds like you are getting enough time on the water to where you could leave the reels engaged and detect light bites by watching the line and the rod tip.

Of course your method seems to be working fine for you.

Thanks RB…although I love the sound of the clicker in a hard run, listening to you and others and the bite last night…has me thinking the same thing.
Question. Would you lock down the drag totally without using a clicker?
Or would it be better to have it tight, but able to take a little line.

By the way…the 25 pounder…that I thought was a turtle? The hook was buried clear down his gullet. Had I know, I could have set the hook 10 minutes earlier.

I pretty much keep my drags locked tight, or close to it.

Idealy you’d have a moderate drag but then hold the spool with you thumb on the hookset and then adjust your drag according to the fight and the structure. But I always forget to hold the spool, and missing a fish after your drag slipped on the hookset is a pretty poor feeling.

I haven’t had much trouble with a cinched down drag so far. With a little practice, I’d think you should have been able to detect that second fish by watching your line and rod tip. There is a certain satisfaction when you set the hook into a fish after just a light bite on your rod tip. Once you think it may be a fish, pick up your rod and feel just like you described. If you don’t feel anything you can always set the rod back down.

Way to go Brian. Last night when the wind was howling I thought I made the right decision not to go with you. There’s no way he’s catching anything in this, I thought. As a matter of fact I figured you wouldn’t go.
YOU GOT 2!!!!!!
Congrats. That is sweet.

Don’t let these cheeseheads talk you out of clicker reels. Tighten up your clickers enough so your bully cannot take any line. I try to silhouete my rod tips against the skyline so they are easier to see. Many fish get nabbed that are first detected by the rod tip, not the clicker, but the clicker is a good backup. Those subtle bites are easier to detect during daylight and if you have your rod in your hand but I think you’ll end up loosing more fish by keeping your reel engaged than by using a tight clicker. With your Quantum reel you may even have to use a pliers to tighten the clicker enough to keep a strong bullhead from taking line, or use a clip attached to your line.

Quote:

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There’s no way he’s catching anything in this

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I had my doubts too. I only had one boat go by. It was just me and the bats!

All I can say Suzuki…is….. this ain’t walleye fishing!

Actually that does make sense Dirk. What your saying is…have the best of both schools of thought. Clicker tight enough to detect the bites but if he decides to head to China…let’er make some noise. Cool.

Last night it was impossable to set the rods in the skyline…well you could, but you still couldn’t see them. I’ve never been on the river when it was that black before. I’m glad Comanchero’s beaver didn’t pay me a visit!

Clickers are a great backup. I turn them on when I can’t focus on the rod tips, rigging up other rods or digging around in the cooler and such.

It depends on your rods too. Most of my rod tips bend quite a bit before a tight clicker will sound, so if your are watching it is obvious. But then I sometimes forget I have the clicker on and set the hook…zzzzzzzzzzz…..

I actualy use the fact that I know I don’t have a clicker on to make myself focus on the rod tips more and thus, theoreticaly, I’ll detect more bites in the long run. I guess it is not so much wether you use a clicker or not but how you use the clicker.

them are some really nice fsih! good job

Brian,

Nice job my man!! Don’t worry I’m not laughing…those are excellent fish. It is truly special when you can put yourself on fish w/out someone else there “guiding” you. As far as clickers go, the point I was trying to make was don’t rely on them exclusively…as you’ve seen it doesn’t always work. I don’t need the sky either, I use a blacklight coupled with flourescent line…let’s me see EXACTLY what’s goin on down there…I watch those rod tips like a hawk, in a few years you’ll be amazed at what you were missing before. Once again, congratulations on some terrific fish!!

Jason.

B

Wait until you get a hook into a 40 or 50. 25 is a nice fish but they are nowhere near the handful a 40 pounder is. Nice work buddy.

The fish is better looking than the guy holding it!

Your right it’s not Walleye fishing. I never get to set back and relax under anchor for hours at a time on the river.
Always working on boat control.

nicely done

CA

Hey, hey, look at him go.

Gator Hunter

No more of that “Wannabe” stuff from you. You have earned your official “River Rat Cat Man” merit badge. You were the only one out there on a dark and blustery night and you caught fish plus you have permanently slimed the front of your PFD.
You are now feared by bullheads, channels and flatheads. Let’s go fishing!!

Great Pix, Brian.

-J.

Nice cat Brian!!

Nice Fish Brian, good pics too!!
Go to Fleet Farm and they have them bells you can attach on the end of your rod.I usually put them about a third of the way down and it will let you know when there chewing on you bait. Just make sure to take it off before you cast because they fly off pretty easy but work great.

Thanks for the congrates guys…I almost feel like I had a baby…

Stevew …keep in mind the cat’s look better in person…

Quote:

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permanently slimed the front of your PFD

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Umm..Comm…umm that’s not fish slim…

Off to Northtown to meet a couple IDA members…oh yeah and get some work done

Thanks again!

Way to go Brian. I was out with Ben and my son, we only got two hits, one of which we caught – 8lbs. Wind was a pain in the arse, and actually kept me from trying the spot I wanted to try. That and the fact that we were wearing clothes that shouldn’t ever be needed in August kept almost everyone else off the water. I should put in something about perseverence, patience, dedication, etc…

Good job. Last night was no night for detecting subtle bites, but the way I do it (from the world of spinning reels) is keep my drag loose enough that it can easily peel out when the hit comes, almost like a clicker. Nine tenths of the time the drag never goes out – it’s all in the rod tip. Suddenly it’s less of a tappity tap from the bluegill and more of a slow pulse of a cat. I grab the rod, give about three feet of line, feel the cat until the line’s tight with the rod pointed at it, and let him have it. I have to palm the spool, just as you’d have to thumb your baitcaster. The best is when there’s a loud THUMP! in the boat, but none of the rods are heaving. That’s when the cat’s inhaled the bait, but hasn’t moved. It can be up to a minute or two before anything happens. The bigguns don’t seem to do that, though, they just seem to start bending the rod over very slowly.

I like the way you give a play by play with your post – very nice. Keep ’em coming. It should only get better as August wears on. Real dog days of summer, eh? Supposed to be a high of 62 tomorrow – a HIGH!

Brian…… just wanted to chime in on your “childbirth” and tell you I’m proud of you buddy! You’ve done your time and your homework! I can razz you all day long about the goofy stuff we set ourselves up for but results is results and I’m proud of what you’ve accomplished in your quest this year!

Now, can you figure out my muskies in the next 12 months? Hotshot? ……….. you knew I had to throw a curve ball in here somewhere……. right?