It’s not really all that complicated; first you have to understand why fish do certain things and when they’ll do it!

What you need to do is to think like a fish.

In order to understand fish, you first need to understand the senses a fish uses to survive.

One of the most misunderstood senses of the fish would be its lateral line.

A fish’s lateral line is made up of a bundle of nerves whose projecting hairs is enclosed in a gelatinous substance located on either side of the fish.

The lateral line is sensitive to changes in the water pressure and as the pressure changes either by a change in depth or an approaching fish or creature causes the hairs to vibrate, sending signals to the brain allowing the fish to detect movement that they may not have see.

The lateral line also helps fish to swim in tight schools with out running into each other.

The eyesight of a fish is similar to that of we humans, they’re able to detect both brightness and color.

Fish that roam the shallow water, such as bass have excellent eyesight.  In bright light, bass see many of the colors that humans are able to see.

Other species of fish won’t have the full line of color perception that humans do.

Since water filters out colors, fish located in deeper water can’t detect all the colors that shallow water cousins can.

Walleyes for instance see primarily orange and green, with all other colors appearing as different shades of gray.

Fluorescence hold their color longer in deeper water, what this means is that the fish are more apt to see a florescent colored lure better in deeper water.

Fish that feed in deep water aren’t able to distinguish the different colors so instead of responding to color, they respond to vibration and the flashes of light coming off predators, prey fish or your lure.

All species of fish have an excellent sense of hearing.  Part of the reason that a fish hears so well is because water conducts sound better than air.

Fish don’t have ears like other animals; they pick up sound through the bones located in their head.

The way one species of fish will relate to sound varies from one species to another.  The vibration made by an angler walking along a bank can spook trout, but panfish don’t seemed to be bothered by noise.

I can attest for this first hand as a few years ago, we were SCUBA diving in Lake Francis Case, most of the fish in the area that we were working, moved away when from the bubbles coming from our gear.  The panfish weren’t afraid at all and came closer with the more racket we made.

Taste is another sense that fish have.  Taste is not one of their primary senses and not many fish rely heavily on just this sense when feeding.

The exception to this rule is the bullhead and catfish family.  They have very poor eyesight and rely heavily on the taste receptors located on the outside of their mouth in their barbells or whiskers to help locate food.

The sense of smell is excellent in most species of fish.  As they move through the water, their sense of smell is continually being used, checking out the surrounding body of water.

While swimming through the water, the water passes through the nasal sac located in the snout.  The water enters through the front openings, passes over nerve endings or receptors located inside the head and then flows back out the rear openings.  The receptors send messages to the fish’s brain letting the fish know what’s happening in their aquatic environment.

The sense of smell varies from one species of fish to another.  Larger fish generally have large openings and more receptors making their sense of smell much better than that of a smaller fish.

The species of fish with the premier sense of smell is the salmon family.  When it’s spawning time, they use their sense of smell to travel hundreds of miles back to the stream where they were born.

Since fish have five senses that they use to locate food, it makes sense that we as anglers should use bait that arouses as many of those senses as possible.

In dark or stained water, the sense of sight won’t be as important as other senses such as their lateral line, smell or hearing will be.

When fishing dirty water, I’ll use a noisy, flashing lure with some type of live bait or attractant.  The noise or vibration given off by the lure will let the fish zero in on the bait using its lateral line and hearing.  The flash will help the fish to pick up any light changes coming off the lure and the live bait will not only add to the vibration but it will also be giving off a scent trail that the fish can follow.

In clearer water conditions, I’ll tone down the flash, as a bright flash in clear water is more apt to spook the fish.  If I’m using a spinner and crawlers, I’ll go with a lure that has smaller blades.

By knowing how the fish is going to hunt for food, you can use bait that will arouse more of the senses and lead the fish to your offering

Think like a fish and you’ll find that your fishing will become more enjoyable as your fish catching increases.

TEKAMAH, NEB. — It probably wasn’t the kind of day you would pick for catfishing, but nobody told the cats.

Pat Carter, Elk Point, S.D., and I arrived at Summit Lake in the middle of a morning rainstorm, but when the downpour turned to sprinkles, we launched my boat and headed out.

Pat had fished the lake a couple times before and was impressed with the channel catfish to be found there. When he suggested we give it a try, I was quick to agree.

For the past seven years, Pat and I have gotten together prior to Sioux City’s one and only catfish tournament and spend a day or an evening chasing “ole whiskers.”

It’s a tradition now and what began as a U.S. CATS sponsored tournament is now a local tournament with Pat as the director. Strong sponsor support from local businesses, headed by First Class Credit Union, and individuals is quickly making this event one of the premier catfish tournaments in the country.

Last year the First Class Cat Attack attracted 51 teams with entries from a seven-state area. This year Pat hopes to top 60 boats and is well on his way. Current entries exceed last year’s.

This year, the boats will blast off from the South Sioux City boat ramp with waters of the Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers eligible.

Last year’s event was won by Dean and Bruce Strobman of Sioux City with a single catch — a 56.60-pound blue catfish. Second was taken by Keith Copenhaver, Sioux City, and Chris Sharp, Merrill, Iowa with 10 fish weighing 40.90 pounds.

In all, anglers weighed in 155 fish totaling 500.15 pounds, the highest weight in the history of the tournament.

This year’s event will be July 24 with anglers fishing from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event has a $5,000 guaranteed payout. Cash awards will be given for first through 6th place with additional cash placements for over 30 teams. Seventh to 15th place teams will win door prizes. Additional door prizes will be offered including a trolling motor, depth finder and rods and reels.

Entry automatically qualifies teams for the 2010 Night Tournament from 7p.m. to 8 a.m. Sept. 4.

The public is welcome to the weigh-in at the ramp. A free cookout and drinks will be available beginning at 3 p.m.

Entry fee for the event is $100 with an optional $10 for the big fish Pot. Entries are being accepted at the Bacon Creek Country Store at 2520 Gordon Dr. Entries will also be accepted, cash only, the morning of the tournament. A mandatory rules meeting will begin at 6:30 a.m.

For more information, contact Pat Carter at (712) 281-1841 or email: imcoolcatpat@yahoo.com.

Check out the web site at: www.firstclasscatattack.tk

Oh, our Summit Lake catfish?

Suffice it to say that had we been in a tournament, we would have done well.

Isn’t that how it goes?

Lake Information:

Summit Lake

Where: 4 1/2 West, 1/2 South of Tekamah

Size: 190 acres

Max Depth: 30 feet

Boat Ramps: Two

Camping: Yes

Fish: Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Walleye

Motorboats: Limited to 5 mph (no wake).

Panfish: Daily bag limit is 10; channel catfish daily bag limit is three.

SELKIRK, Manitoba — It was back in 1986 when I first fished the Red River below the dam at Lockport, Manitoba, with Stu McKay.

Stu was working with the railroad at the time, but aspired to become a full-time guide on the Red River along the stretch long known as the Miracle Mile.

It was in early June and I just couldn’t believe that five of us boated over 1,000 pounds of channel cats in two days. I wrote about it and the next year came back. Stu had realized his dream and had purchased a concession right there called “Lily Ann’s.”

That quickly grew into “Cats on the Red,” and today he has a row of cabins and several guides working with him.

For several years, I fished the Red annually on my trips north. But, I had not been there for 10 years. It had been our 35 wedding anniversary and in eight hours of fishing with Stu, Fran and I landed 38 channel catfish with the biggest topping out at over 30 pounds.

We were there a week ago to once again sample the catfishing and to do some photography.

Fishing with Stu and his head guide Holly Chow, on Stu’s 24-foot pontoon boat, we landed 12 of the big cats in less than two and a half hours of fishing. And, we managed to prepare and eat breakfast on the boat at the same time.

We used big chunks of sucker meat for bait. Later, as the waters warm the cat’s preference will switch to big chunks of goldeye.

We fished the holes, looking for baitfish and cats swimming near the bottom with the depth finder, and then anchoring above them.

Once we found our spot, we dropped anchor and never moved.

I’ve often said that every fisherman owes himself at least one day on the Red. And that holds true today.

For more information on the Red, contact Stu at (204) 757-9876 or check out his website at www.catsonthered.net.

on the Red at Lockport, Manitoba, nets a catfish for a client. (Submitted photo)

Reprinted from the Sioux City Journal

LOCKPORT, Manitoba — When Holly Chow steps into her guide boat, she has to catch fish.

After all, anyone with the nickname, “Mama Cat” has to live up to her reputation.

And she does. A lifetime of experience in waters throughout the country sees to that.

But she didn’t really begin to fish for catfish until last spring. That’s when she began guiding full time for Stu McKay’s “Cats on the Red” resort.

“A typical day would be eight guys standing at the dock and they’d see two boats there and they’d see the girl and they’d go, ‘Oh, god, somebody’s got to fish with the girl,’” she said. “Then we’d come in with 24 fish and they’d go, “We were with ‘Mama Cat!’”

The Red River below the Lockport dam is recognized worldwide as a premier big catfish river in the summertime.

“The average size channel cat is about 20 pounds,” Holly said. “I would be ashamed if I took you out and we didn’t get three over 36 inches weighing between 24 and 26 pounds.”

In the fall, big walleyes (locally known as ‘greenbacks’) move up the river from Lake Winnipeg.

“In October the greenbacks begin coming in and life gets good,” she said. “The biggest in my boat was really big. It was three days after I had my hand surgery, I had 30 stitches in my hand, and I was fishing with my beautiful daughter,” she said.

“I passed her the rod and she set the hook into a walleye that went 31 1/2-inches.

“It was a great walleye fall,” she said. “And catfishing was good all summer long. It was so consistent. It’s all catch-and-release, but you can keep one under 24 inches. We supply all the equipment, all you bring is a smile.”

Holly’s outdoor background is extensive.

She grew up in Riding Mountain National park in southwest Manitoba. She was rodeoing full time at the age of 14, had her own half ton truck at 16 and a racing car.

When the family moved to Falcon Lake, located in the Whiteshell Provincial Park in southeastern Manitoba, she pursued the walleyes the lake is noted for.

“I’d spend literally 15 hours a day on the water,” she said. “I guided a little, fished a few little tournaments in the area and was placing high in them. If I was not working, I was out on the lake.

Then she began fishing tournaments seriously.

“I’d be home on Sunday night, work Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and pull out for a tournament. I did that for 18 years,” she said.

She fished both walleye and bass tournaments including the PWT trail down south and bass circuit up north as well as a bunch of unsanctioned tournaments.

“I think the first year I fished 18 tournaments,” she said.

Then came a stint with Bass Pro Shop.

“I was the first woman on the Red Head Pro Hunting Team,” she said. “I was treated very well by that company and was able to hunt Africa and around the world with bow and occasionally the muzzleloader.

She did a lot of competition shooting with the bow representing the Red Head team.

“But I found targets were boring and they were so hard to cook,” she smiled.

She really enjoys promoting women in the outdoors.

“It’s not really as tough as many women might think,” she said. “The worst thing you can do is give a woman men’s used equipment or take her out to a place that is cold, wet and nasty.”

With the right equipment anyone can be comfortable in the outdoors.

“And it’s a whole lot of laughs,” she said.

Although many of the larger ones may look like it, they’re not the creature from the black lagoon, it’s the catfish, one of the most popular yet under utilized sport fish species in the Midwest.

Catfish are very highly regarded for their food and sports value with thousands of them being raised commercially throughout the U.S.

They can be found in about any body of water, while some species prefer bodies of water that have clean bottoms of sand and gravel.

Other areas that they haunt include logjams, beneath tree roots protruding into the water, beaver runs and they can also be found in rocky turbid areas as long as a food source is in that area.

Found throughout the U.S. with the biggest populations being located in the central part of the U.S.

Several species of catfish can be found in all types of water, including rivers, creeks, ponds and in our larger lakes and reservoirs.

They feed primarily on fish, crayfish and insects, depending on the species, they can be caught on a number of different things which include night crawlers, minnows, live bait or about any stinky concoction, including shad guts, chicken liver, blood baits and fermented cheese.

Channel cats are know to feed at night in swifter moving water, but can be caught throughout the day.  At spawning time they’ll travel up smaller rivers and tributaries such as the Niobrara, James and Sioux Rivers looking for suitable spawning areas.

Identifying a channel catfish from other species of catfish is quite easy because of their distinctive appearance.  It’s a good bet that if your catfish has a deeply forked tail and spots that it’s a channel catfish.

Other catfish have forked tails including the blue catfish and the yellow/flathead catfish but neither of these is ever spotted.

In addition to being spotted, some channel catfish may have a black dorsal fin especially the males when they spawn.

To know for sure what individual species catfish you have, you’ll need to count the number of rays on its anal fin.  Blue cats have 30 to 36 rays, Flatheads have 14 to 17 rays and Channel cats have 24 to 30 rays.

Catching channel catfish isn’t all that difficult, but it can be smelly proposition, as channel cats prefer dead or decaying prey to live bait.

The reason that catfish are easily caught on smelly concoctions is that they have very poor eyesight, so they rely heavily on their sense of smell to locate food.

By using their sense of smell, the channel cats can locate and follow the “flavor” upstream to these smelly concoctions.

The inside and outside of a catfish’s lips are coated with taste receptors and these along with their barbells or whiskers help them to zero in on a meal.

You won’t need a whole lot of complicated equipment to catch channels as the old hook line and sinker is the name of the game when it comes to catching these cats.

Anglers using setlines with live bait do very well with many a big catfish being taken each year using this method.

A setline is one that’s anchored to the shore or sandbar. They can be tied to tree limbs or made up using a willow branch that’s stuck in along the shoreline.

Anglers putting out setlines us much heavier cord or line than used by fishing with a rod and reels because a setline is put out over night in areas where big cats feed.

The tackle attached to the setline consists of:  some type of makeshift weight to keep the bait down in the current and large hooks baited with live bait or some type of cut bait.

Laws pertaining to the use of gamefish for bait varies, depending on the state you’re fishing in. Some states require that any gamefish used for bait must be caught on rod and reel. While in other states, the use of gamefish for bait is illegal, so be sure to check your state laws before using gamefish for bait.

Some of the most widely used gamefish used for bait include bullheads and bluegills. Other baits used on setlines for cats include large creek chubs, shad and shad entrails as well as numerous types of cut bait.

Cut baits can include cut up frozen shad, strips cut from rough fish and even shrimp.

Rod and reel anglers that pursue catfish need a heavy-duty rod rigged with a large capacity reel.  The large reels give the angler a heavy-duty drag system and the capability to hold heavier line.

Since catfish are found around snags or some type of underwater debris, heavy line is needed with 35 and 45-pound Big Game getting the nod from many competitive catfishermen.

Catfish rigs used by these anglers consist of a heavy or sliding sinker, allowing the line to slides down the line, giving the catfish an ample amount of slack line when he picks up the bait.

Since you may catch catfish that run from a couple of pounds all the way up to 50 plus, a heavy-duty snap swivel is required and a short leader with a large hook.

The amount of weight depends on the type of water your fishing and the amount of current you’ll have to contend with. Anglers fishing in heavy current will often have to use a 5 to 6 ounce weight in order to keep their bait on the bottom.

If you’re expecting to be in an area with big catfish, you’ll want to go with a larger 5/0 or 7/0 Kahle hook.

If you’re after a few cats for a meal, you won’t need larger hooks with the smaller stink bait worm rigs will work fine.

Stink bait rigs consist of a short 12” monofilament leader that runs through a ribbed plastic worm with a small treble hook.

Stink baits account for many catfish each year. By dipping the plastic worm on the rig into the stink bait and working it around with a stick, this gooey mixture adheres to the plastic worm on the stink bait rigs.

Stink baits such as the cheese, blood and shad flavored versions are not something that you want to get on your hands or clothing.  These baits are pretty nasty and can be tough to get off even after washing.

Since catfish are fairly easy to catch, it can be a great trip to start a youngster out on and nothings better than having a fresh meal of catfish after a day of fishing!

]]> http://www.outdoorsmenadventures.com/fishing/theyre-big-theyre-ugly-theyre-catfishing-bygary-howey/feed/ 0 http://www.outdoorsmenadventures.com/fishing/one-big-blue-wins-tournament-catfish-tourney-draws-51-teams-from-seven-states-by-larry-myhre/ http://www.outdoorsmenadventures.com/fishing/one-big-blue-wins-tournament-catfish-tourney-draws-51-teams-from-seven-states-by-larry-myhre/#comments Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:34:02 +0000 Larry http://www.outdoorsmenadventures.com/?p=1135 Reprinted from the Sioux City Journal

All it took was one fish to win last Saturday’s sixth annual “First Class Cat Attack!” on the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers here.

That fish weighed 56.60 pounds.

Dean and Bruce Stroman, Sioux City, caught the big blue cat only a couple hours into the tourney.

They also ended the five-year Carter family dynasty of first place wins in this event.

It was the only fish they caught all day, but it was plenty big enough to beat the second place team of Keith Copenhaver, Sioux City, and Chris Sharp, Merrill, Iowa, who weighed in a limit stringer of 10 fish for 40.90 pounds.

The big blue turned out to be pretty valuable for the Stromans. They netted $1,530 for the first place win, $406 ($100 from First Class Credit Union and $306 from the Big Fish pot) for the Big Fish award and the $1,000 Carter Bounty donated by First Class Credit Union for a total of $2,936.

The second place team cashed a check for $1,071. They had four channel catfish and six flathead catfish. Their biggest fish was a 14.7-pound flathead and won third place for big fish. That paid $50.

In third place was Brant Kurtz and Travis Deeds, Correctionville, Iowa, who weighed in nine fish, all flatheads, for a total weight of 35.7 pounds. They won $715.

Placing fourth was Chad Saunders and Dan Gill from South Sioux City. They weighed two fish, one channel and one blue, for 28.5 pounds and won $335. Their big fish was a 18.75 pound blue catfish with took second for big fish. They won $75 from First Class and $204 from the big fish pot.

In fifth place was Jeff Wagner Jr. and Jeff Wagner Sr., Sioux City, who weighed in four flatheads for a total weight of 25.65 pounds. They won $205.

Larry Carter, Sioux City, and Mike Carter, Hinton, placed sixth with eight fish, seven channels and one flathead, weighing 24.15 pounds. They won $150.

In seventh place was Greg and Kyle Barnes from Jefferson, S.D. with four channel cats weighing 20.05 pounds. They won $130..

Eighth place went to Rick Rivers, Shenandoah, Iowa, and T.J. Hummel and ‘Super’ Sam Hummel, Imogene, Iowa, with four flatheads weighing 19.95 pounds. They won $105.

Cork Lemmon, Elk Point, and Dolly Huss, North Sioux City, placed ninth. They weighed two channels and two flatheads for 17.95 pounds. They won $100.

In fourth place for big fish was Gerald Heibel, Sioux City and Brandon Christiansen, McCook Lake, with an 11.8 pound flathead. They won $25.

Winners of the noon weigh-in were Eddie and Tim Van Dorn, Des Moines, with a 6.35 pound flathead. They won $100.

Bike giveaway winners were Daniel Boyd and Cami Graves.

There was a total cash payout of $6,205 with merchandise prizes worth $2,030 given tenth through 24 place.

A record 51 teams registered for the tournament. Competitors were from Iowa, South Dakota, Nebraska Minnesota, Missouri Kansas and Wyoming.

There were 155 fish weighed in for a total of 500.15 pounds.

That’s the most weight for the past six years. Last year 120 fish were caught and weighed 308 pounds.