Whos ready to get fishing..! (happy TK?) haha

[assateague]

I've only got two places where I could set them, and it's be a pain if I got 70 pounds a crack That's the last thing I want to do is have to clean 20 catfish every time I put that bastard out

[rebelp74]

20 fish ain't bad, try cleaning 1000# of whole fry sized cat. That's a PITA, but it pays.

[assateague]

My wife hates it, but the kids love it. If I could manage to reliably catch two decent ones (maybe 18"-20" tops) when I go out, I'd be a happy camper. I know for a fact that nobody catfishes there (they're under the impression that the water is "bad" because it looks like tea, and I'm not gonna tell them that that's just tannins from the swamp it drains), and the ones I have caught, I have caught while fishing a topwater lure. If there's enough of them to hit that, surely there's plenty more on the bottom.

[jarbo03]

My wife hates it, but the kids love it. If I could manage to reliably catch two decent ones (maybe 18"-20" tops) when I go out, I'd be a happy camper. I know for a fact that nobody catfishes there (they're under the impression that the water is "bad" because it looks like tea, and I'm not gonna tell them that that's just tannins from the swamp it drains), and the ones I have caught, I have caught while fishing a topwater lure. If there's enough of them to hit that, surely there's plenty more on the bottom.

Carolina rig, circle hook, shrimp

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[assateague]

Ok, I'll try it. What size hook, and what size shrimp? I'd imagine the biggest cats where I'll be fishing would be 24", max, most more like 16"

[jarbo03]

For that size, a 4 or 5/0 with a 40 or so shrimp per pound size, raw frozen bait shrimp. Big enough weight to cast, or hold if current, swivel with 2-3 ft. of leader to hook. I do drift fishing ob the flats with this same set up.

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[assateague]

Ok, sounds good Jerry. I've got that one in the books.

[assateague]

Weight at the bait or at the swivel?

[jarbo03]

Swivel, prefer egg sinker. Let's fish take bait without feel of weight.

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[assateague]

No bobber, just let it drift/sit on bottom?

[jarbo03]

Yep. Lawn chair and cooler are recommended. Around June, they will begin spawning, shalliw flats as the sun begibs to go down can be fadt and furious.

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[The Duck Hammer]

Cant wait for the flatheads to move into the rocks. Tossing the shrimp into the cracks in the rocks is the way to do it.

[banknote]

Some steelheads and a chinook.

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[assateague]

See, right there may have been why I was screwing up. I started trying to catch them around late June, and kept trying throughout the summer, but I was fishing deep with the catfish rod in the boat while I casted shallower with another rod around structure trying to get some bass and crappie. I thought cats stayed deep, so I was off one side of the hybrid with a chicken liver on the bottom in about 20 feet, while casting out the other side with a topwater into about 4 feet. And that's where I was catching the couple cats that I did. Oh well.

[Bootlipkiller]

Banknote you got the Eddie Bower pose down.

[jarbo03]

See, right there may have been why I was screwing up. I started trying to catch them around late June, and kept trying throughout the summer, but I was fishing deep with the catfish rod in the boat while I casted shallower with another rod around structure trying to get some bass and crappie. I thought cats stayed deep, so I was off one side of the hybrid with a chicken liver on the bottom in about 20 feet, while casting out the other side with a topwater into about 4 feet. And that's where I was catching the couple cats that I did. Oh well.

Now you're learning. When the timing is right, you can stockpile em fast in 1ft. of water. When it is sunny, look for holes or breaks close to flats. If in boat, drift from shallow to deep or vice versa, find their depth. They like to hang out around shallow structure also, flip a shrimp on the shaded side.

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[Baysider]

No bobber, just let it drift/sit on bottom?

We use fish finder rigs in the rivers. Probably something similar you would use when surf fishing.

[jehler]

My wife hates it, but the kids love it. If I could manage to reliably catch two decent ones (maybe 18"-20" tops) when I go out, I'd be a happy camper. I know for a fact that nobody catfishes there (they're under the impression that the water is "bad" because it looks like tea, and I'm not gonna tell them that that's just tannins from the swamp it drains), and the ones I have caught, I have caught while fishing a topwater lure. If there's enough of them to hit that, surely there's plenty more on the bottom.

you can't see a trot line from the surface, allegedly

[assateague]

Got that right. Although I don't know if it's a good idea to run an illegal trotline in the same pond I'm running illegal jug lines and illegal turtle lines

[jarbo03]

That might be where the sayibg, "enough is enough" comes from.:lol:

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[assateague]

Either that, or "in for a penny, in for a pound"

[rebelp74]

Got that right. Although I don't know if it's a good idea to run an illegal trotline in the same pond I'm running illegal jug lines and illegal turtle lines

With the hoop nets, if you get a short one(3-hoops) you can use it as a turtle net. Throw trash fish or guts from cleaning fish in it and you'll tear em up.

[banknote]

Banknote you got the Eddie Bower pose down.

Yeah well, if someone's taking a picture, it may as well look good.

Some tips:
- Take off your sunglasses, look at the fish, relax and be happy. Fishing is fun! Catching fish is more fun! Reminiscing over old pics is way better when it looks like it was a good time.
- Getting a good angle on the fish in order to best convey its true size is important, but don't hold the fish way out in front of you. It's obvious and doesn't make for a well composed shot most of the time, anyway.
- Avoid the "catcher's stance," wherein you squat down, knees wide and present not only the fish for a picture, but also your bulging, tightly Goretex-wrapped franks and beans. Take a knee or two, it's much more relaxing, anyway.
- If the fish is alive, keep it clean and hold it so it looks alive and still very wet. Dirt and grass on a dry fish, especially held up over dry ground, make it look like it's probably gonna end up raccoon food.
- If the fish is dead, don't pretend it's alive and hold it horizontally with two hands. Grab it by the gills and proudly hoist that sucker up! A streak of blood down the side is even better.

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[assateague]

I know that's illegal here. The only legal method of take for turtles (as far as I can figure out) is by hand.

[rebelp74]

Really? That sucks, y'alls rules and regs are a pain.

[assateague]

That's an understatement. Although it only really sucks if you try and follow them all.

[rebelp74]

Yea, frog gigging was made illegal here. You can only catch them with grabbers or your hand but I still fill up a cooler full of poked ones from time to time.

[assateague]

I just don't get that shit. Why is frog gigging such an apparently heinous crime? Stupid.

[3legged_lab]

Fishing here we usually have 8-9 rods, downriggers, Dipsy divers, planer boards, flashers, spoons,meat rigs, jplugs... 150 quart cooler, bait cooler, food cooler...thank god for jr

More Joe Dirt talk.

[jehler]

We got husked do's, husked dont's, whizz bangs, whistling whizz bangs...