Saturday evening gave us high winds that knocked over utility poles, snapped trees, and blew over road signs. Winds were 39mph with gusts to 56mph. And rain. HEAVY rain. From Saturday evening to Sunday morning we got between 2.84" and 3.43" of rain. A couple public ponds I drove by showed evidence that they had gone up nearly 2' above normal, and had since receded but were still high. Water clarity had gone from relatively clear (~2.5') to MUDDY (4").
I headed out to fish after supper for a couple hours...from 5:45pm-7:30pm. Winds were still high...and gusting. Horrible conditions for fishing, and probably the main reason I decided to go...because nobody else would be! Full disclosure...another reason to go was because with all the influx of water into the ponds, I hoped the catfish would be actively feeding in the shallows.
I drove to a nearby public pond and headed to the most wind-protected spot to start fishing. I started with an unweighted black woolly bugger. I caught several nice bluegills on it.
...and then broke it off on a submerged log.
I tied on a microjig under an indicator, but didn't catch anything. I removed the indicator and put on another black woolly bugger. I caught some more bluegills and a largemouth bass. By this time I had worked my way around to the side of the pond that the wind was blowing into. I had a great strike and had a nice fish on for about 7 seconds. It took my fly with it. BUMMER!
The wind was really strong here. I had 2 or 3 casts that didn't reach the water! I put on an indicator again, and tied on a Black Ops fly http://missouriflies.com/all-products/carp-flies/black-ops-carp-fly .
I caught a bluegill or two on this, and then BAM! Another nice fish on. This felt bigger than the one that got off. As usual, I was hoping for a Grass Carp, but several minutes later when I finally got my first glimpse of the fish, I could see it was a good-sized Channel Catfish. The battle raged quite a long time. We strolled together back and forth along the shoreline. It didn't want to come in! With the water high, there was no good place to land it. After several failed attempts, I finally did get it to come into the shallows, and as I reached down for it with one hand, my line broke. Fortunately as the fish turned, it paused for a second and I was able to drop the rod and jam both hands into the muddy water and I luckily found its pectoral fins to grab onto, and lifted it onto shore. WHEW!
It stayed still in the grass as I took a quick measurement (24") and a couple pictures. 2 websites I found suggested this fish weighed 6.3 pounds. As thick as this fish was, I'm sure it was ALL of that!
I released her back to the water, and she swam away immediately. I resumed my fishing, and caught another dozen or so bluegills before I called it quits. Man...that wind can beat you up!
I bet that big cat put up a good battle. Looks like you had a great day....
ReplyDeleteGreat story. My catfish have ALL been by accident with my largest a bit smalller than that nice fellow you caught. They are fighters for sure, even small ones. Guys here do target them on a fly and expect success every time on our Snake River. I need to ask more questions of some I know.
ReplyDeleteGregg
@ HPF: It was a VERY good battle! :)
ReplyDelete@Gregg: I would have to say most of my Channel Cats on flies have been accidental as well. I often get 'me when flyfishing for crappies, bluegills, and bass. But sometimes I've specifically targeted them. Sometimes it pays off, sometimes it doesn't. Much like fly-fishing for carp, its always all worth the effort once you finally hook into one!
Man it seems no matter how much rain we get up here.. there is no evidence of it... water is still low and crystal clear.. That cat looks like it was one great fight! I cannot wait to hook into one myself
ReplyDeleteI'll bet that cat put up a great fight! They are a blast on light fly tackle. Great write up and a very nice blog as well!
ReplyDeleteThanks Patrick! I'll be following your blog at http://bentrods.blogspot.com/ too! You're down in "Fishing Heaven" there in Florida...I love that place! :)
ReplyDeleteJust an update. The 23 rd. I fished a small reservoir near home, tough access for me. But a place to usually find solitude. Using an egg tie, my go-to as of the last couple of years, I caught 6 carp, 2 crappie, (a first on eggs,) 2 catfish, also a first on eggs, and a small bass, again a first on an egg tie. Barry of Drifting the Prairie Ocean Journal, A nice blog, kindly included a picture of me and a catfish of that day under "Conversations with Carp, Crowded Conversations." This day found the catfish actually stupid easy, wish it was like that all the time, well, it was nice this day.
ReplyDeleteGregg
That's a nice fish! Wow...cats, carp, crappie and a bass on an egg pattern? Why do you suppose the egg pattern was working so well that day? Interesting stuff...
ReplyDeleteGee, what a good question I ask myself all the time. I began using an egg pattern of spun and packed yarns about 2 years ago for serious pre spawn carp and found it tremendously effective. They hold on to it well also, in fact last Nov. I took a larger, 12 lb. plus fish, so deep I couldn't locate the fly. They often hook themselves, rare for carp. But it is a year round fly and I am positive it is not taken for spawn most times, just a possible, very visible, piece of protein. The multiple of species I took with it was out of place. The little bass I think was shadowing the carp, eating what the bigger fish disturbed, I had cast to the bubbles the unseen carp made with the egg under an indicator, I often, no, mostly, fish it that way, and the dive of the float was to the poor bass. The crappie must have been on a bed, maybe they eat others spawn? The catfish, well, they eat what they find. But, this day in the Spring, perhaps all the fish WERE on spawn of something. The young bass fisher who took my picture was amazed by the smallness of the fly, when actually a #6 egg is large for us. Yes, for carp, that is fly that has far more positives than negatives.
ReplyDeleteGregg