Rootski-

Your post this summer about the bullhead on the popper is what prompted me to post this. Promise I wasn’t trying to one-up ya!

About a week or two after you posted that, I wandered down to one of my favorite shore spots on pool 2 and was throwing a popper for smallies after dark. Something slurped my lure off the surface over 8 ft of open water. Thought I had my PB smallmouth on, the way it was dogging me. But it wasn’t jumping at all.

To my astonishment, it was about a 5 lb channel cat. Immediately thought of your post. Pics below:

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I don’t fish the river much but that seems weird. Same with Steve’s Bullhead.

You catch alot of smallies after dark?

I catch very few in places that are loaded with em.

Deuces wrote:

You catch alot of smallies after dark?

I catch very few in places that are loaded with em.

I’ve caught one in 20 years in the dark. It was on a lighted bobber walleye fishing by accident.

Tons of largemouth, but only one smallmouth.

Deuces wrote:

You catch alot of smallies after dark?

I catch very few in places that are loaded with em.

Depends on water color. Clear water will get them hunting after dark.

Yeah I’ve caught quite a few after dark. Less than during the day but still do alright. River fish are weird

@rootski

That’s awesome! I’m always impressed at the tremendous fight a Cat puts out. That’s great. Thanks for sharing.

SR

Thank you sir! They really do put up a fight.

I have yet to pull out a fly rod on the river. I have some 3, 4, and 5 weights sitting in the basement from when we used to fish out in Montana and Wyoming. I’m sure the 5 would be fun with a smallie or walleye on the other end! I mainly used the 3 weights for small/average SE MN browns, but also for panfish on local lakes. So much fun catching gills on little poppers and ants. Need to get back into it.

Has anyone else here ever caught a cat on the surface? I’m genuinely curious, as I had never experienced nor heard of it before that night. Or even just catching one on something out of the ordinary? People don’t give catfish enough credit as opportunistic predators, IMO.

munchy wrote:

Depends on water color. Clear water will get them hunting after dark.

Bingo boingo bongo. It happens in turbid water enough, but especially when it’s clear. Usually an incidental when targeting eyes or crappies for me on the river. That particular night I just couldn’t make it out until after sunset. Normally I don’t target them after dark.

LabDaddy1 wrote:

Yeah I’ve caught quite a few after dark. Less than during the day but still do alright. River fish are weird

I’ve caught a fair share after dark on the croix as well. Pretty much all on crawlers tho. A few on big whopper ploppers as well