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Posts: 761
| I've viewed several surveys and largemouth bass were still on top at number 1. So, number two has to be panfiish, nope. Our favorite, muskies? No. Walleyes? No. Salmon/trout? No, again. The answer is catfish! All three species, channels, blues, and flatheads. I tried rationalizing what makes catfishing so popular with the masses. They are one of the best eating fish when cooked properly. They grow big, very big, particularly blues, and flatheads. Not to complicated to catch, generally fishing bottom structure areas with various live or cut baits. But I think what really makes it popular is that is does not require a small fortune for gear to get started, and almost anybody could do it. Am I missing anything here? For the guys in those mid-south areas, does anyone do some serious cat fishing when the water gets to warm for muskies? Any trophies? Kdawg |
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Posts: 532
Location: NW WI | I believe it. I'll add 2 points in my opinion though. 1 is that the style of fishing appeals to the lethargic fisherman. Not making fun, But it's true. And on the opposite side of the spectrum you have point #2. Your hard-core go getters fall in love with noodling. |
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Posts: 20221
Location: oswego, il | They are a species you can easily target without a boat and really end not a lot of expense. I target them when I fish LaSalle lake. Blues are fun and eat lures trolled or cast. I caught a 37" blue there a year ago and in 2018 I netted a 47.5" flathead from there. Lots of fun on a spinning rod casting. Blues fight more like a striper, they make long runs. They do hit and push forward a crankbait so if your line feels like it just broke, reel fast and catch up to the fish.
Edited by ToddM 9/11/2023 3:36 AM
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Posts: 8786
| I would have guessed that, but I never saw the appeal. It seems to be the one fish you can catch on literally anything, any time, While sitting on shore on a bucket with your rod on a stick and a beer in one hand. Not that there's anything wrong with that.... while I've never targeted them specifically, I have caught quite a few. They are pretty far down the list as far as eating, though. Somewhere between rock bass and carp. |
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Posts: 32888
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | Nothing lethargic about catching flatheads. I used to fish channel cats casting cranks, same as bass, walleye and muskie. Blues, too. Properly cleaned and cooked right, catfish is really good. It's a staple in many southern restaurants and very popular table fare.
I used to fish them on the Fox at the mouth of the bay by the discharge at the plant. Big cats mixed with walleyes, but wouldn't eat either back then. |
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Location: PA Angler | I would think bass and trout would be the top 2. As that’s what I always hear targeted here. I’m big into my catfish and carp in the summer as they eat the same baits that I used. Mostly my homemade doughball and bread. Got some a little over 10lbs nothing huge yet. I’ll just set up my automatic rod holders with medium gear and 10lb line. |
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Posts: 761
| Don't know if it's a good thing or bad, but I believe fishing for some species, muskies and some others, are, finance wise just out of reach for some. For the price of one higher end muskie lure, you can be completely rigged up for catfishing. And mentioning carp, I would not be surprised if they move up on the popularity list in a few years for the same reason. Kdawg |
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Posts: 1288
| Doesn't surprise me at all. Channel cats are in virtually every river, small and large, throughout the midwest and south. Virtually any rod and reel that aren't broken, will work. Shore fishing is very effective and easy to find. And they taste great. No need to know any special ways to cook. Do what you do to any fish you make. 1 to 4 pounders are my preferred size, as with most fish I eat. My preferred way is 3 to 1 cornmeal to flour, salt and pepper. Deep fry or pan fry, which ever is handier. Many of the folks who enjoy fishing for them, aren't "fishermen". They are people who just enjoy being by the water once in a while, and enjoy picking up a couple fish while they hang out. Might only go out once a month at the most. Plenty of mid-western grannys enjoy an evening or morning, sitting on the river bank. |
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| Have a couple of extended family members who fish for cats on the Wolf. One because he loves to eat them, another who focuses on very big cats. The trophy fishermen uses live suckers roughly the size we use in N. WI for musky in the fall. Both love river fishing, love knowing where the fish are when the water is high, when it is low, etc. Get them talking about it and just sit back and listen to guys that are passionate about their sport.
All I know about catfish is that they can be some very fine eating. |
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Posts: 1745
| kdawg - 9/14/2023 1:35 PM
Don't know if it's a good thing or bad, but I believe fishing for some species, muskies and some others, are, finance wise just out of reach for some. For the price of one higher end muskie lure, you can be completely rigged up for catfishing. And mentioning carp, I would not be surprised if they move up on the popularity list in a few years for the same reason. Kdawg
Bingo. The cost is getting crazy. Quality rods, reels, bait's net, release tools all make Muskie fishing hard to swallow for young fisherman. Add in the fact that nearly everybody says you need to hire a guide to learn.
BTW, how is sitting on a bucket on the bank with a beer in your hand any different than ice fishing? No TV's and heaters on the bank. |
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Posts: 160
| Never caught a catfish in my life, 25+ years fishing. I know a couple of friends who occasionally do it, and they do exactly what was described here. They go out at night and sit there with beer and dead/stink bait, waiting in the river. Right up there with ice fishing and sucker fishing for muskies in my book. Hard pass |
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Posts: 75
| I grew up catfishing on the river and it's a ton of fun. They also get real big which is why I always enjoyed doing it. Biggest I've seen caught in person was a 48 pound flathead...massive fish. My biggest is only 27 pounds, but very few freshwater fish offer that kind of "man vs beast" rod and reel experience. When the catfish are on the action can be ridiculous. Over Memorial Day weekend my girlfriend and I went to the family cabin in Illinois. She had four 2-3 pound channel cats landed off the dock using raw shrimp before I had my 1st beer finished. |
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Posts: 1288
| gimruis - 9/18/2023 12:10 PM
Never caught a catfish in my life, 25+ years fishing. I know a couple of friends who occasionally do it, and they do exactly what was described here. They go out at night and sit there with beer and dead/stink bait, waiting in the river. Right up there with ice fishing and sucker fishing for muskies in my book. Hard pass
While a lot of people fish catfish that way, when I was a kid, we did it a bit differently. The neighbor kid's mom, would dump us off with a canoe, in the morning, and pick us up downriver, in the evening. We would anchor above holes and fallen trees. Toss a night crawler in the whole, or the upstream edge of a tree. If you didn't get bit in 5 minutes, reel in and toss again. Usually get 2 or 3 at every stop. We'd catch 20 or 30 fish in a day. Also would catch occasional walleye, smally, carp, or sucker, as well. Usually kept 3 or 4 3 lbers for eating. Always a blast. A real "Huck Finn" day for a couple little guys. |
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Posts: 1418
Location: Brighton CO. | Years ago tried it once just sitting on shore with the whole family having a barbeque, caught nothing and as we quit a big storm come in and we got in our cars the sky opened up. |
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