PPHA Forums
Everything Else => Off Topic => Topic started by: muttbuster on April 08, 2009, 09:25:36 PM
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Need tips on Catfish. Any ideas for catching the big river cats?
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The one fishing I was good at was catching channel catties.
I never really tried hard for them in the river..mainly in the smaller creeks around here such as the Conewago. Really surprised at the size catfish you can pull out of some of the small creeks.
I always used a set rig or slip/set rig baited with chicken livers. Plus I used to fish a lot at night. (maybe thats why I like predator hunting so much)
I like the set rig better because I was always worried about my lead breaking at the split swivel.
All other fishing...dont ask me...I couldnt catch a cold ;D
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Yea, I love night fishing. I plan on doing a lot this year so I'm looking for the little tricks that are used to improve my catch.
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bring a pole and come down.
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Yep. Thats what I'm talking about. Nice fish. I'll be there asap. Do we need to let the water warm up first?
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would be nice.lol..see the closest pole,dani my daughter left it so i through it out,had one heck of a fight,it was like 6 pound test,and a small rod.humid nights, then when it cools down is the best.but they eat all the time,i like the warm weather for fishing,i hunt the colder days.
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You lost me on that one buddy, "humid nights when it cools down is best"? When what cools down? The air or the water?
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TrophiesOnly. Man did you gain weight since this picture. Did you really eat that whole catfish. LOL
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it was steriods they had me on for the lyme,i weighed about 260,i only gained 40 lbs,but all muscle...lol...
nope fed it to the yotes...jj
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You lost me on that one buddy, "humid nights when it cools down is best"? When what cools down? The air or the water?
i guess both probably cool..but i meant on hot days,,,late as l2f siad at night is when they seem to hit the best.When the air and water cools.
i start after turkey season.
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I wonder if groudhogs make good bait for them big'ins ? ;D
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Just the little ones Longhair
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Any ideas for catching the big river cats?
Fish in the rivers. From my experiences, there are no river cats in lakes.
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I've caught channel cats in lakes in the past. But the big boys are in the rivers. I need some new ideas and techniques on how to catch them.
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There are some really giant flatheads in the river below TMI. I caught one last summer that went 41" and about 28lbs. You need really big bait and it MUST be alive to catch them. Big sunnys or bluegills work the best but medium size shinners will catch them up too, just not as often. I will try to post a pic of the big flathead I caught. Oh yeah I caught it while I was fishing from a kayak!!!!
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I know of a couple of guys that use some REALLY heavy tackle when fish'n for the big ones. I think it's like salt water stuff. Talk to the people at "tackle unlimited". That place on 51 between elizabeth and large, on top of the hill.
There's some people that fish around the power plant that get some big'ens. They also get some below the lock too.
Don't rule out the yough river for trout. There's a bunch of places that are stock'n trout now. I know west newton stocks trout and some big cats and some of them are tagged for prizes. You got to be a member to collect though, but it doesn't cost much.You could even go to layton, by perryopolis, and rent a boat and drift fish all the way to west newton and then they will bring ya back. It's pretty cool. ;D
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Hey George, how long of a canoe run is that? I could get into that. Where do you join to be a member to fish the yough?
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82dead. How long and far did the beg cat pull you?
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Hey George, how long of a canoe run is that? I could get into that. Where do you join to be a member to fish the yough?
Gee, I think just about anywhere in west newton sells them, but I think stans baber shop is the head quarters. Cross the bridge,hang a left, go to the end and hang another left and look for the "crossing inn bar". I think it's down stairs. 724-872-8111
Miles !!!! Try here,youghiogheny canoe outfitters inc, 724-872-7585. Hang a left BEFORE the bridge and it's a couple miles down river in collinsburg. Hey, you might be able to sign up there too.
Note~ if float'n down river from layton, there's other places that you will pass through that stock the yough too. Perry and smithton does too and each one has their own sign ups for tagged fish if I remember correctly. ;)
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If'n your into fly fishing, Try it . You might really find something special. ;)
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I've never done much fly fishing. I never had the time for another hobby.
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A fly rod with a joes fly and a honey hole for small mouths........mercy !!!! ;D
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tackle unlimited is the shop..i have a few pics in there...
those guys are ok,i still use the old mitchel 300's and i get them rebuilt every 2 years,there.
the yough lake has trout also doesnt it .
i never fished it.
but it is a nice place.
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I'm familiar with Tackle Unlimited. I go there often. Yough lake does have trout. I've never fished there for trout but I'm told they're there. You need a boat to fish it right. I am completely out of boats at the moment. I used to have so many my neighbors said it looked like I was starting my own navy. Now I just fish from the shore.
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82...there used to be some nice ones around the warm water discharge of PPL...but that will (or has ceased) since they are or have shut it down and built a new cooling system
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The big cat only pulled me about 50 feet to the center of the channel and then he just kept trying to stay deep. That was at Falmouth last summer and I was using medium tackle and 10lb line. I work with a few guys who catch them on the giant surf fishing tackle, that's where I learned about the flatheads. Also from what my buddies were telling me, the water is still warm down at warm water.
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Once the smallie bite slows down, i'm runnin the river all summer for big cats. Although, we've been catchin them even now, just not in high numbers and the smallies are killin minnies up at the doc street dam, so cats take a back seat for awhile. What is written below has been working for me for years both during the day and at night, usually getting more numbers with decent fish in the mornings and the "catfish hunters" at night haha. I usually catch some bluegills, creek chubs, and trout for bait. Those hatchery trout taste like crap anyways. A lot of my friends always ask what size hook I use, and I always tell'm match the hook size with the size of your bait. In some instances i've used hooks clear up to 0/6, and that was using some very large creek chubs for bait. For tackle, I have a few thick, what I like to call pier rods for salt water, usually with 40lb test. I rig up a triple swivle with one obviously to the main line, one with a 12-16 inch leader to a 1oz sinker, and about the same leader to whatever size hook matches the bait. I'm not a big fan of using chicken livers, they seem to catch nothing but smaller fish, but they're useful if you're going out to catch many smaller dinner sized cats. With the bait I use, live is better for the monster flatheads, but i've caught'm on dead stuff as well, actually my 30lb'er last summer was caught on a work using a #2 hook to be exact. The channels will eat anything, and with the bluegills, chubs, trout i'll slice a few cuts down their body or just straight up cut'm in half, the heads usually work the best. For fun sometimes i'll make up a dough ball bait, and there are millions of recipies online to choose from. One I like to use is soft dog food, mixed with flour and crushed frosted corn flakes, mix in a bowl until it becomes a hard paste. When fishing with these baits i'll use a treble hook, and sink it right into the middle of the ball. Sometimes i'll even freeze these dough balls the night before I go out, and once they hit the water they slowly release they're smell downstream, and stay together better. This is not a bait I would use in fast moving water, they don't seem to stay together long. We've tried taking a few cans of that wet dog food, punch holes in the can, tie it to a line and just drop it over the boat right under it. I really don't know if this helps bring'm in but i'm sure it can't hurt haha. I never really had any luck with any of those pre-made catfish baits, and only ever caught small fish on dipbaits. Cut bait and very large live bait is the way to go for BIG cats, and from what i've fished, the best fishin for large Cats is at Falmouth and Bainbridge access points on the susky. I've also got into some big fish next to the Harrisburg international airport, about the first red signal lights up the runway. Get into some deeper channels, cast in and set your drag for a fight, its def some of the most exciting fishing, even if its not technical! There will be lots of trips made this summer just for this reason, and if anyone wants to catch some monsters sometime pm me and we'll get together for a saturday. Good luck!
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"Also from what my buddies were telling me, the water is still warm down at warm water."
The water is still warm! Fish being caught there with summer style baits like spinner baits since at least march. They are supposed to have that come to an end due to the thermal polution it puts into the water, but hey I like to catch fish year round so, little ecological disturbance is ok with me. Doesn't seem to bother everything else too much.
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Thank you critterslayer51 and everyone else for some great info. I'll be sure to try the techniques you guys have posted. Can't wait to hook on to one of them boys, I enjoy a good fight.
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Here is that 41" flathead I was talking about, not the best picture
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82dead, thats one big ol fish!