[nlcatfish]

I had a good day at last on the river. Trip started out well with netting 3 small shad and 1 8 inch Skipjack for fresh bait. I had a number of bites which was different from my last 4 trips.

I did try drift fishing, but no bites. I finally boated, 2 channel cats, one 3 pounds 3 ounces, the other one was 4 pounds 3 ounces. One hit raw shrimp the other liked shad oil seasoned chicken. The fish were released to the river fight another day. So I finally got some reward for my efforts.

 

[sherman51]

sometimes persistence pays off. good to hear you caught some fish.
sherman

 

[nlcatfish]

I may go out again this Friday morning, cooler weather might fish a little longer.

 

[Daveo76]

Way to hang in there!

 

[sherman51]

have you tried night fishing for cats?? I use to do a lot of night fishing for cats with fresh chicken livers. we have a small lake near me that has some great channel cat fishing. I would just anchor down and put out 1 line with a slip bobber about 9 ft down. then I would put out 2 lines on the bottom. and I always caught fish. the best luck I had was the first couple of hours after dark and the last couple of hours before day light.
sherman

 

[nlcatfish]

I have not night fished in about 3 years. I keep hearing bad stories of cars being broken into while you are out on the river. So it is not very safe around here to leave your car at a ramp.

 

[nlcatfish]

Here are the details of that trip. It is a little long.

8-31 UPDATE 08: 00 I netted 1 small Skipjack and 3 small gizzard shad at the ramp. Water temp was 83 and river was still cloudy. 08:30 I had 3 rods out 1 suspended, 2 dead line. I had 2 taps at 0840-45, one on the shad and 1 on chunk of the skipjack. 08:50 a hard bite on the suspended rod circle hook so I did NOT pull the rod. It bounded the rod a number of times then just left it go.

09:15 I headed up river to the deeper water, there I tried to drift fish. I put out 2 rods, 1 shad the other cut skipjack. I thought I had set the lines to be at least 4 feet off the bottom and started my drift. I put the trolling motor to use and I did control the boat much better this time. 09:50 started my 2nd one of the lines got hung up on something even though the depth finder showed deeper than I set the line, I had to break the line. So I gave up on the drift and headed down river.

10:30 I was at the 3rd spot, had 2 gar runs one on raw shrimp the other on seasoned chicken breast at 10:35. 10:50 I finally hook a fish I was so rusty it took some time to know how tight the line had to be to set the hook! The channel cat was 17 inches, 3 pounds 3 ounces. Not big but that was my 1st fish in months. That fish hit the raw shrimp; I had a couple more taps on the shrimp.

11:30 went down river a little more marked fish by schools of bait fish. No action so I decided to go back to my last spot, since I was getting bites there. 12:05 I hooked my 2nd channel cat, it was on the bobber rig. This cat was 4pounds 3 ounces and 21 inches shad oil seasoned chicken breast is what it liked. Just as I was putting the rods away to head for home had another hard bite on the raw shrimp but miss it.

It was getting HOT so I called it a day at 12:30 and headed to the ramp. I finally boat some fish at long last! I took photos of the fish and returned them to the river to fight another day.

 

[sherman51]

I have not night fished in about 3 years. I keep hearing bad stories of cars being broken into while you are out on the river. So it is not very safe around here to leave your car at a ramp.

yeah I totally understand. its a da#n shame to that nothing is safe any more. I hate a thief but hate a lying theif most of all.

a few yrs ago I was down at black house mountain 4 wheeling. and when we got back to my van we found somebody had got on the back side of the van and broke a window out and got in the van and cleaned out my tools and my dewalt power tools. there was a new shovel laying over a few feet in the woods. I figured they stole the shovel to break out the window. but I did take the shovel.
sherman

 

[NCbassattack]

That's the way it goes, Sherman. Work like a dog to have some good things, and some lazy piece of garbage takes it from you, like they're entitled to your stuff. I hope I never catch someone doing it..May be in jail next day.