Been setting ditty poles on the Cedar.

George and I set our ditty poles yesterday and got 9 fish this morning and when we checked them a few hours ago we got 7 tonight. Theres a really good bite here right now. Checked our lines this morning and had the 9 channels and the rest of the hooks were bare, it surprised both of us because we were expecting a slower bite. We rebaited this morning and started checking them a few hours ago and had another 6 very nice channels. The biggest 4 were close to 9 and 10 pounds each, we don’t weight them. We got another 2 or 3 around that size this morning and by tomorrow after we check them I’ll bet we go over the 100 pound mark because were close to that now. The bite is really good right now here on the Cedar for channels. We had a 5 OT. stainless broke in the gullet this morning on a ditty pole, it takes a nice fish to break a 5 ot. on a ditty pole, he must have been nice. Had another ditty pole this morning where the fish eigther struck so hard or when it finially broke free from the hook the rod pulled the line out of the water and looped it on the ditty pole, the hook was hanging about a foot above the water, another nice fish. I brought my camera tonight to get some pics. but when I laid out the 4 biggest fish and went to take a picture the screen didn’t come on, drat! I’ll try to get some pics tomorrow morning of the ditty poles and fish with recharged batteries. Its still too early for a good bite for flatheads, were thinking early June but we were wrong about the channels being as good as they are right now so who knows. Good luck to you guys

Man that sounds like fun. I remember when I was a kid in southern Illinois we called them bank poles. It was exciting going from pole to pole not knowing what was on the next one. I bet you are getting some good eating out of this

Good way to catch a few for the pan and all but not much sport in this.

Ya Whisker its not regular fishing poles but you still have to know how to fish, you don’t always get a fish on every strike, its like fishing with more then one pole. Heres a few of the fish we got this morning, a few around 8 to 9lbs. I think the flathead will go 12 to 13lbs. We had a 1″ ditty pole broke this morning right where it enters the bank and the only thing left was the stump in the bank, he was a big one. We think the flatheads are starting to go a little and will know more in the next week. Going out again later this afternoon after I get bait. There was no bait left on any of the hooks again and the waters rising very slow with the small amount of rain they got upriver a few days ago, theres a really good bite right now, even in the daytime. I don’t think the fish will even notice it when the waters going down so the bite should stay halfway decent for the next week. Im going out and clean fish this afternoon so we can keep fishing, we got a few friends who want some fresh fish. Its a blast going upriver to eachpole and trying to see which ones bouncing because they can hear the motor as it gets closer and trying to guess how big the fish is, right then thier trying thier hardest to free themselves from the hook and the poles really bend and bounce. The last picture is George who i fish with. Good fishing guys and the bites really on here in Iowa on the Cedar.

No offense Mossy, we used to run bank poles on the Wisconsin all the time back in the day. For me catfishing is about the presentation, seeing or feeling the strike and setting the hook home, and fighting a big fish. The biggest challenge to bank rod fishing is to get your stuck fish out of snags. It was for us anyway. I also didn’t like that I couldn’t have other fishing gear on board when running the lines.

Ya I know what your saying Whisker, The bite is really really good right now. We’ve checked our poles for the last two days and none of the hooks except maybe a (few) have had any bait left on them, thats a really good bite. You have to set them in the right places but the fish have to be biting too to be that good. Alot of trees came down with the flood last year and theres new holes underneath all of the bigger ones that Id bet go to 16′ and thats where the flatheads are. When I get to fishing later on with my regular fishing pole at night for flatheads thats where I’ll go. I just got a heck of a deal on a 20 pontoon boat and a 35 hrs. Evie for $600 with a trailer and after I get a cabin built on it with AC and a big recliner on the back deck thats where I’ll be on those hot July and August nights, pole fishing for catfish. You can only eat so many catfish with giving a few away while fishing with ditty poles, then the summer pole fishing begins.

Ya Redneck, this is the time of year that the fish taste about the best, after the winter cleaning thier systems. Im going to clean some this afternoon, anybody want some?

Cool! I learned something new today. Looks like a blast to me. Anda great way to fill the plate!

We checked our lines around 6 last night and the water came up about 6 inches. Some of the poles we had were set for the previous water level and now with the higher water levels and now current in some of the sets we took a few of those poles out. We also relocated a few poles a couple days ago with the slight rise in the water levels then that came up about an inch. Our hunch paid off with the rain they had up river, theres now deeper water we can motor through with the higher water levels in flooded timber. There was already water there but not enough to go through without being careful not to hit the prop, now there is. We checked our poles in this new spot yesterday and all the bait was gone and we only got 4 fish last night and all were under 4 pounds, the bite was good but the smaller ones have moved into this new spot and took the bait befor the bigger ones could get to it. All our other poles had no fish and the bait was gone, for some reason the hookups weren’t good yesterday. Were thinking the higher water puts the bait too far down in the water where as befor we’ed run the bait about 6″ to 8″ below the surface but we don’t know forsure. There were small limbs that washed in on a couple poles which the catfish will use to wrap the line around and free themselves so maybe thats what happened to some of the others where the hooks were bare, so thats why its called fishing and not getting.
With rain forcast this morning were going to let the lines soak and go out when we can so we don’t get a soaking ourselves. Alot of our previous fish were hooked deep with just a few hooked just on the edge or thier lips. We like to use a net on all the fish because you never know when they will pull a hook free even though they are hooked good, most of the time they will stay hooked but why loose a fish on a chance.