Catfish, Stripers & other Big Fish

[kneedownnate]

Lay it out.  Details and PICS.  Where'd you go, what did you use, what worked and what didn't.  Catfish bite seems to really be coming on and I've been wanting to start this thread but didn't have the motivation till I caught something worthwhile.  I did catch a monster on nightcrawlers when fishing with Ironclad on Oroville lake... a whopping little 7 incher, but I caught a nice 8ish pounder last night.

He hit on BarS hotdogs at almost exactly midnight in maybe 6 feet of water on Shasta lake.  Kept coming toward me slacking the line, then took off like a bat out of hell when he got in close, making me go out around the point to finally land him.  Nice fat belly will hopefully reveal what they've been feasting on.  Will have pics after my landlords leave and I get him off ice and process him.

[IronClad]

Already sent these to you but i'll post them anyway

Knights landing area on the sac river ( sorry not gonna give exact spots unless i know and like ya =P)
All but 1 fish were caught on anchovies

We were fishing from about 7:30ish or so last night till 2 pm today and between three of us caught about 40 fish or so. Bunch of shakers and small cats, I pulled in about a 10 pounder but line snapped on the bank and he flopped back in the river :|.

My buddy rob's nice little eater striper. just a hair under 3 lbs



The first striper that i caught for the night....



Goofy little fish, Hopefully i'll be making more trips to the river soon but salmon season opens tomorrow so we shall see !

As for what worked and what didnt. Pretty much everything we threw worked. Most caught on anchovies 1 caught on a night crawler and tons of hits but no hookups on chicken liver .


Let me know what he was eating ! i cut one open a few nights ago and it was full of corn meal.

[kneedownnate]

Neat, definitely wanted to see a full size pic instead of the tiny little one on my phone!  Keep us posted on the salmon too.  I will start hitting them up around the first, right after I finish moving.

We were talking about me getting a new rod.  Sports Authority has had a lot of fishing gear at 1/2 off the lowest listed price.  They had a Shimano Scimitar smc-86h-2 (12-25lb casting) listed at $30, down from $50.  Asked the dudes at the gun counter and they assured me it would be $15.  Bitchin, took it to the counter and it first came up at $25, then they cut it in half    Not the best rod out there, but for a beater big fish rod, I can't complain!

[IronClad]

Hell yeah dude! Its really hard to beat a 15 dollar decent rod, It doesnt hurt as much when it breaks or get messed up  I dread the day my vendettas break or lose a tip. they are only 80 bucks but damn thats the most ive ever spent on a rod alone i think

[kneedownnate]

For sure!  I think the most I've spent on a rod is my shimano salmon rod at like $65.  I'll still probably get another if I can find one for a similar price.

Here are some pics of the cat.  26" long and 9 1/2 pounds.  It had some strange little bumps collecting on the insides and on the organs.  Also looked to be full of eggs.  We also stopped at burger king on the way out.  I made a little bacon cheeseburger for the fish on one hook - little piece of bacon, 1" chunk of burger and some bun wadded up on the hook.  I thought it just fell off, but found the pattie in this guys' stomach when I cut it open, along with what looked like a 2.5" shad and a couple little crawdads.

[kneedownnate]

Went back to the same store today just to see if they'd put anything else out at 1/2 off.  Stopped by sportsmans warehouse first and fumbled through several of their reels and found the shimano I figured I'd get, corvalis 400 I think, then found they had one at sports authority that was kinda hidden but marked at 1/2 off.  Again, couldn't pass it up, so I'll now have another salmon/catfish setup running 17lb p-line cxx. 

[IronClad]

Nice ! those are great reels.  I'm about to go pick up a salmon/steelhead rod, My buddies dad has a 8'6 ugly stick thats really nice and limber but perfect for just about everything i do except bass fishing and they are only about 60 bucks to boot !

[Cheesemaker]

Fishing is too time consuming, and expensive.  So, I just go to my buddies freezer.     I just picked up some fresh caught tuna, and halibut yesterday, for free.   8)

[IronClad]

Just to help out with the salmon fever

[jrock]

Last November I caught this dude on the lower Eel River near Fortuna. 8'6" rod, spinning reel with 30lb braid and a 15ft topshot of 10lb floro. Hit a blue/silver dimpled Cleeo. Long fight, ran a good 200yards. I'll be out this year with fly gear too

[TRACKER]

30lbs off catalina island using 6 ft ugly stick tiger shark with shimano calcutta with 50lbs mono drifting sadine

[kneedownnate]

Last November I caught this dude on the lower Eel River near Fortuna. 8'6" rod, spinning reel with 30lb braid and a 15ft topshot of 10lb floro. Hit a blue/silver dimpled Cleeo. Long fight, ran a good 200yards. I'll be out this year with fly gear too

  dang!  So Matt will stop by my place, pick me up and meet you at... what time was that again? 

[IronClad]

Just let me get my north coast card and let me know when to show up

[jrock]

Once the rains start and flush the Eel River, they start showing up. That wasn't the biggest, it was the one I had a camera for Biggest fish I heard was caught last year was 60lbs.

FYI, the Eel is a catch an release only.

[Shamb]

 been doing alot of trout fishing lately up the hill where I live without much luck... planning on doing some salmon fishing this weekend but as of right now my daughters sick so i'm on daddy duty.

nice looking pictures!  I want to hook a few salmon this year and trying smoking them on the Q.

[kneedownnate]

That was a great video, Matt!

Any luck, Shamb?  Is your little girl doing ok?

I am going out tomorrow morning for attempt 2 at trinity river salmon.  Only hooked one the other day, a short, fat 10ish pounder which ran like a sumbitch, then lost it when it went under a rock shelf at the shore.  Clean snapped 15 lb p-line.  I need a nice female so's I can have some roe!

[IronClad]

Been salmon fishing every day since the 16 and havent caught a single one -_- have had takes and lots of strikes but havent been able to keep anything on for more than a few seconds it seems.. Going catfishing tonight ! hopefully i can end this bad luck streak tonight and get me a  big cat

[kneedownnate]

Stick with it man, it'll come in waves.  I usually struggle early, then once I catch one I seem to get hot on em. 

Trinity is too warm this year and I was able to easily get used to the temp and stand out on a submerged rock the other day.  Kept seeing a few here and there, 10 or so every now and then, then some tubers and kayakers came down and must have spooked every fish in that stretch, cause the group of 12 or so came through, then a solid swath of fish about 10 foot wide and at least 30 feet long came through and I   I have never seen so many salmon in one stretch of that river, and there were some monsters in there, too!  Couple soreheads, but clean and good sized fish for the most part.  No idea how many there were, but I can imagine there were 50 or more in that one group alone!

[IronClad]

Caught a nice channel and flat head tonight ! will get pics in the AM after i sleep for a bit.. they are hangin out in the livewell in my boat at the moment.  Caught the channel on a night crawler and the flat head on a crawdad

[IronClad]

Both about 2 1/2 pounds so perfect for eating. wish they were bigger but they put up a nice fight. Weird enough their stomachs were empty though they did puke up a bit in my livewell.. there were peanuts and grapes and other weird things in there lol

[IronClad]

By the way nate im making sinkers for river fishing now days if you would like some





If you want me to make you up some let me know. even better if you could get me lead and id make you all you wanted  *wink wink*  unless the tire shop wont let you guys take tire weights

[kneedownnate]

Hey now, that's a great idea!  They are kinda sticklers about that stuff, but I do snag a fair bit out of the river here and can start collecting it.

Nice catch on the cats, too!  I've been getting my ass handed to me on salmon too, but did have on a nice 4-5 lb brown the other day until I lost him just out of net range.  I was a little bummer but still stoked to have caught him, and it was like my 2nd cast with the little floating egg thingy (drawing a blank on what they're called).

Going out on shasta tomorrow with some friends for    but will be available after that 

[IronClad]

[HogCanyonHopper]

Nice!! you sure look like a happy man there. that's a big one   

[IronClad]

got another big hen today

[Prismo]

Nice fish! I need to start fishing here soon, salmon are coming upriver here too.

[86bobbedtoy]

subscribed!
Nate, Ive been catfishing at oroville dam, but have been having bad luck, or I suck at it
Ill post up if i get anything

[kneedownnate]

Fantastic fish, Matt!  Sac or feather?  I believe I will be available sunday    What were you guys using?

Heath, what are you using?  I've hooked almost all mine this year on BarS hotdogs and caught a little baby at lake oroville on a nightcrawler, but also found tiny little crawdads in their bellies.

[IronClad]

They are from the feather down river from the outlet prob a couple miles up stream from gridley and they both were taken boondoggling roe. I thiiiinnnnnkkkkkkkkkk we are going to do a knight landing trip tomorrow night if you're interested. I havent heard from rob yet on if they got someone to watch the kids but i'll pester him about it in a while.

[kneedownnate]

Bummer, I can't do a night trip.  The group I was supposed to do tough mudder with is hosting a fundraiser dinner and I will probably be there pretty late.  No worries, I'll probably see if I can't talk my friend into doing a sac trip maybe.