I was wondering what method you all fished up there. From what i’ve read there is alot of night fishing that takes place. Is it done with rod n reel or lines or what Just curious what the best method is up there.
Catking: There’s a mix of guys from Iowa, Wisconsin, and Minnesota on the board here for the most part. It’d be hard to answer your question for all of us, as the state regs for cats are incredibly different for each state.
For truly big cats, I think it’s fair to say we all pretty much do the same thing: Anchor and throw something big and alive out there attatched to a hefty weight with rod & reel. What gets thrown is again dependent on state: Wisconsin lets you use bluegills, Minnesota does not, and Iowan’s have trouble getting a straight answer to whether or not it’s legal. I think everyone can use bullheads, and for many that is the bait of choice anyhoo since they are tough as nails and stay alive longer.
For eaters, the difference is even bigger. In that respect, Iowa is a very ‘southern’ state, where almost anything goes (99% of our water is in rivers, as opposed to Minnesota and Wisconsin’s being in lakes). Bank poles, trotlines, you name it. My personal favorite way to fish is to jug-fish, which is legal here if you stay within the max number of lines alloted a normal rod-n-reel angler (2 lines, 2 hooks per line). It’s a great way to have fun, catch some fryers, and enjoy a few hours on the water. After the first bottle tips and heads under, you feel a little bit like this guy:
Gianni,
Jug fishing or Blocking is how we primarily fish down here. We are allowed 50 jugs per boat which is plenty for 2 people to try to keep up with on a fast current. Our bait of choice is pond perch, which is not considered a game fish here, game fish for bait is illegal, skip jack is also popular as well as pork melt. The last couple of days have really turned on down here . almost 200lb. of blue cats the last 2 days with one more day to go this weekend.
Happy fishing all!!
Quote:
We are allowed 50 jugs per boat which is plenty for 2 people
I was only counting the ones being used for fishing, not the ones filled with beer/shine still in the boat.
Seriously… Wow! I can’t imagine trying to manage 50 at a time. There’s times when three guys in the boat (6 bottles here) get strung out in slow current, let alone trying to keep 50 in sight. <- Maybe that's the one thing I forgot to mention – Iowa regs state that you have to keep your 'tackle' in sight at all times. If you could spread out a bit more, then I suppose you'd just stay with the leaders and pick the rest up when running back upstream.
What is Pork Melt? I’ve heard it mentioned a couple of times. Sounds gross! It must work with a name like that.
Pork Melt is a inner lining of the stomach. It is alot like liver but has a back that will stay in the hook. It stays real bloody for a while. I get it from a sausage plant for about 15 cents a pound, truly a waste if it can’t go into sausage(lol)
catking
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