Time to get creative

The cats were slow this afternoon, a couple bites and a couple fish. Its not that the fish are not there, they are.. feeding on the billions of emerald shiners stacked up! I seen a couple huge black fork tails come out of the water today while fishing, and lots of smaller ones. There is a whole lot of life happening in the slack water, and nothing is going hungry. Every fish landed lately has been very fat. Its tough catching fish successfully that dont have to(or want to) eat, and are suspended above the bottom.

So.. rather than making excuses, or pointing fingers at people for letting the word out that fish are biting, or claiming its the end of the world because a GTG happens in a popular public place, or always blaming it on the pressure..

Quit making excuses and get out and fish! If there is not a fish on the end of your line on occasion, you havent figured out the pattern yet.. neither have I… However, I will be happy to share with others how I managed to get these stubborn fish how to bite when I figure out the system(probably just in time for it to change)

If none of us can figure out a successful pattern.. it probably means th fish are not biting… blame the fish, not me!

Dave – I need someone to blame, but I will not blame you.

I snuck out of work today to get some fish but was again skunked. Fished at Rice Creek again up in Fridley. We sat about 50 yards off the main channel where the crrek flows in trying to avoid the dearth of leaves in the water.

We had a couple bites but nothing was really taking our cut sucker. The guy out fishing the ‘point’ where the creek meets the river started yelling and reeling in a fish. We waited and through the binoculars I saw a healthy 10 lb channel come out of the water. We yelled down to tell him he had a nice cat, and all he yelled back was “chicken livers”.

Ouch.

I might be trying to catch some suspended cats using a float system since there is not to much current. It will cover some area and hopefully pinpoint where the fish might be stacked up.

I figure its worth a try and its a lot of fun catching cats on floats!

I also am thinking about a modified 3 way system with a little longer drop line. I am going to use 10 lb test for the drop line in case I snag then I dont have to re-tie every time I hang up on something.

Marc, since I can’t get out (I haven’t figured out how to blame that on Dave yet.) try down sizing your hook with a float. Just large enough to fit two live fatheads on it.

The channels are activly feeding…just not where we are placing the bait as Dave said.

PS Mr. Scott, don’t fret the small stuff. If you like, I’ll pull up last years posts where everyone was thanking you for being so unselish about holding a gtg at a public park where there is a good (sometimes) bite happening.

Ya, what Brian said! You have a great help to me and to many others Dave.

The first channel cat that I caught at Mill Ruins was under a bobber. I’ll be trying that again on Sunday, but it will mean fishing down by the barge tie-offs more, as it would be a bit tough with masses of people fishing.

Marc,

Check out the latest infisherman. They are using boards like bobbers. Probably better in moving water than floats. We have done similar things with suckers for musky but never thought of it for trolling cats. I know a certain lake around here that is going to get this treatment come warmer water.

Its really no big deal guys.. I’ll be honest, a caught a few comments around the greater internet with people throwing the blame-game my way that fishing was unproductive right now.

Its pretty simple, when its 55-80 degrees in the spring of the year in a known fishing area… there are going to be people fishing, fish biting or not, people will be there. I thought it was very misled comments that were directed generally my way. 30 people fishing an area on a warm weekend, and I knew 3 of them.. had to be my fault

In all honesty, appreciation for me is unneccesary, but respected when it comes my way. I do what I do with providing fishing reports and information within limits because its someting that I like to do.. help other anglers be more successful at catching, or generally locatng fish to catch. I also organize contest based on fun, keep them fun.. and most everyone walks way after having a great time and look foreward to the next wheather that made the payout or not.

There are lots of fish in the waters.. I am not revealing all locations carelessly. I think in general, many people online(especially other sites) have gotten so protective over information its not even worth turning the computer on anymore for some, or participating in forums that you get your head bit off for sharing information… THAT IS NOT COMMON PRACTICE ON IDA. Unfortunately, people in the online world are getting poorly shaped by some of those other forums.

Here is what I think about that.. I DONT CARE WHAT THEY DO . I will be here, keeping a positive attitude, spending my thought and energy on creating better fishing experiences for myself, and sharing some of that knowledge with others with hopes that I can somehow contribute to another persons success on the water.

If anyone in the future has a problem with me informing people there are fish in the lakes and rivers in minnesota and they can be caught.. thats their own problem, I’ll be out fishing and doing what I like to do.. sharing accurate fishing information!

There, I am glad I got that off my chest!

Dave,

Tell us how you really feel.

thanks dave, it is really nice to have someone like you who will take me, or anyone, I belive, out fishing. there is always something to learn and learing from one another is the only reason I joined IDA, thank you for keeping this site fun and full of knowladge

Well I would hardly blame fishing pressure for the slow down at said spot. Let me throw my 2 cents in. I think people too often people try making excuses instead of figuring out what the fish are doing. If you fish an area 365 days and the same way every time, you will be disappointed more often than not. There are a lot of factors here at work and no one could convince me that fishing pressure is the major player. Dave has been a great help to many of us on the board and so I am glad you are blowing off this undeserved criticism. Maybe these guys should read a magazine or two on pattern fishing and fish behavior.

Exactly!