Willow Cats

Does anyone know if there are any waterways/rivers/creeks/etc in the Hudson, WI area that would hold willow cats? I’d love to try fishing with one for walleye. I’ve heard that if you string together a few empty soda-can and sink them for 24 hours or so in the weeds that willows will swim into them – pull up the cans and you’ve got a few willows to fish with. I live near Willow River State Park and thought I’d try to see if I could ‘catch’ a couple in there but don’t know if that water holds willows.

Of course, I could go the other route and just buy some but haven’t found any local bait shops that carry willow cats. Anyone know if they’re for sale in the area (and redtail chubs?)?

You can usually buy willowcats at Evert’s.

I think asking where/how people catch them is sort of like asking for a guy’s best walleye spot…

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I think asking where/how people catch them is sort of like asking for a guy’s best walleye spot…

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It’s more like asking them for their bank acct. number…

you guys have to be kidding! I’m not asking for your GPS coordinates of a particular spot that holds willows, just what bodies of water might hold them…

Kidding? Sadly, no. Willowcat guys won’t take extended family within 10 miles of a good cattin’ spot. Don’t take it personal. They’re very hard to find.

King, I’ll give you a little help. The WI DNR website has survey results available. I don’t recall seeing anything around Hudson, but I was able to find some near my family’s cabin farther north. Worked for me…

John

Thanks John! I found a website that maps out survey results from the past 80+ years. They even list coordinates for the sampling sites. I now have several locations to try that are within easy reach of my commute from Hudson! I think I’ll stop by one of the spots on my way home tonight to drop a few ‘traps’ and then I’ll check them in the morning!

Thanks again John… I’ll let you (via a PM) know if I have any luck.

What the hell is a willowcat? I live in the east and never heard of them.

its a member of the catfish family – they’re small (3-4 inches) and have a hell of a stinger. They’re also known as ‘tapole madtoms’. Walleyes either hate them with a vengeance (some say they’re spawn-eaters so walleyes eat them to protect their eggs) or they love them as food. Either way, walleyes will hit a willow cat when other live baits aren’t working.

I don’t know what the overall range for these little guys are but I’d expect it would be pretty broad ranging – river systems, lakes, streams, etc – pretty much anywhere you’d find other cats/bullheads and other minnows. I do know they’re not ubiqitous and that they seem to live in ‘pockets’ in certain waterways/lakes. I think their lifespan is pretty short (couple of years) so they probably don’t migrate and spread out very much.

When you find them you often find a BUNCH. Tom Donaldson had 55 nice ones in a single scoop earlier this spring when we went out.

In case anyone is wondering, 55 cats = $$$$$. What are they going for a dozen these days? $15.00

so let’s say I get real lucky and find a bunch (we can all dream, right!)… what’s the best way of keeping them happy and healthy? I have a decent portable baitwell and also have a small ‘decorative’ pond in the backyard. Could I stick them in the pond along with the coy or should I keep them in the baitwell with frequent water changes and aeration?

Did he squeal like a little girl each time he got pricked while counting them?? Or does he have one of those silly hold/cat grabber devices??

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Did he squeal like a little girl each time he got pricked while counting them?? Or does he have one of those silly hold/cat grabber devices??

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I use a spoon to pick’em out! James on the other hand…..I thought he was going to need counseling after a day of handling those little water bees….

Make yourself a scoop; maybe 2 1/2 feet wide, screen on the bottom, handle across the top, wood frame. Then try the streams with moderate to low current.

I will tell you that the gas between getting to the streams and back, and perhaps having to try 3 or 4 just isn’t worth it. Also, in the Winona area willows cats are a bit less expensive, more around $9.00 per dozen.

Finally, although a few kids still bring then into the West End Bait Shop, most are caught much farther north and transported back.

King,

Use water from the stream you caught them in, preferably, or be extra careful with whatever other water source you try … I’d recommend putting just a few in new water overnight to see how they do. My experience is that every single source I’ve tried other than a river or lake has killed them, even bottled water! They don’t need to be kept particularly cool and a single bubbler aerator works best (I took the stone off an el-cheapo and it works great).

John

P.S. I look forward to hearing how to do and where you caught them!

Willow cats need oxygen and stable PH. Use river or stream water to keep them alive, add an aerator. Gas prices right now make it hard to be successful scooping cats. You better really hit the motherload when you go or it is just cheaper to buy them from a bait shop.

Also, for those of you who have never scooped cats, let me tell you it quite possibly could be the hardest thing you have ever done. It is like lifting weights for 4 hours, chest deep in stinky mud. I am sure those that have done it, will concur

I’ve done it. The farm boy in me actually enjoys it. But then I enjoy some pretty starnge things. Like I said in the walleye forum earlier in the summer, when you’re doing it right its like dead lifting a bale of wet hay… over and over and over.

An ol’ fart I know told me of a much easier way to catch them – you’ll only get a few at a time but how many do you really need at one time anyway?

He said to take some empty beer cans (back in the pull-top days), throw some small rocks/pebbles into the cans, tie several together with string, sink them in a shallow, weedy, mudbottom area, and leave them alone overnight. The madtoms are nocturnal, will come out to eat, then look for a good place to hide by morning. He said they’d swim into the beer can and hang out in there until the next morning, then you pull up the cans and you have ‘canned catfish’. I guess the tricky part is getting them back out of the can. I can’t remember if he told me that all you have to do is pour them out or if you have to cut the can open. Either way, if you sink a half-dozen or so cans, you should come away with at least one per can, assuming you found the right spot. I’ve never tried to do this so I don’t know for sure if he was pulling a fast one or not…

The cans method is a good way to catch a dozen willowcats… if you’re in the right area. When we go scooping we can get 50+ dozen in 3 – 4 hours… on a good day.

50+ DOZEN??? I have no idea what I would do with that many madtoms (maybe contact Jimmy to see if he’d want some at his place??). I’m thinking that if I can find a good spot somewhat near home and if I can pull out a dozen or so at each visit, why bother with trying to keep them alive in a bucket/pond/whatever at home… If, on the other hand, I end up having to drive an hour then it might make sense to either get a bunch at one time and keep them at home or just drive down to Evert’s a buy what I need…

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50+ DOZEN??? I have no idea what I would do with that many madtoms (maybe contact Jimmy to see if he’d want some at his place??).

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Dustin and I can go threw 100 – 150 dozen in a week or so guiding.

Whoa!!! 150 dozen (1800) over 7 days means your going through 257 or so in a day! If you’re fishing for 12 hours of the day, that’s about 20 per hour. If you have two boats out with a total of 6 anglers, that’s 3.5 cats per person per hour (assume the entire time is spent fishing!). Of course, all of this assumes a zero mortality rate during storage and transportation to the fishing site…

OK, I know – I’m a bit of a math geek but that sounds like an awful lot of bait fish to go through in a week!

lead paint chips…. mmmm mmmm good – sweet and crunchy!

Here is a pic:

That is awfully good. Only question is do you go for the Willow Cats in your area or farther north.

As for the fellow that mentioned the mud and stuff that is usually true; howver, there is a creek just south of Winona that is relatively easy to walk and always produces some Willow Cats. However, never in the 50+ range. If we get 10-12 that is good.

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Whoa!!! 150 dozen (1800) over 7 days means your going through 257 or so in a day! If you’re fishing for 12 hours of the day, that’s about 20 per hour. If you have two boats out with a total of 6 anglers, that’s 3.5 cats per person per hour (assume the entire time is spent fishing!). Of course, all of this assumes a zero mortality rate during storage and transportation to the fishing site…

OK, I know – I’m a bit of a math geek but that sounds like an awful lot of bait fish to go through in a week!

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When you’re fishing 2 boats with 3 – 4 customers a boat and each boat is landing 40+ fish a day the bait goes FAST.

Just last week I watched Martin V catch 26″ and a 26.5″ walleyes within 10 minutes of each other on willow cats. I’m sold!

dd

While prefishing for a River Tournament, 2 guys in the boat and not fishing Wing Dams the entire day. We plan for 8 Dozen a day for as many days as we are there. Last year I brought down almost 100 dozen to Moline for the FLW Championship.

now you guys are pushing me over the edge!!! I’ve always thought willow cats (madtom) would be ‘fun’ to try but now I’m totally sold — my new mission in life is to find my own little ‘honey-hole’ for these little critters!