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Post by rcbbracing on Dec 14, 2011 17:24:08 GMT -5
Don't know if this belongs here or under channel cats...I was curious I know a lot of guys catch channel cats through the ice on accident while ice fishing...does anyone actually target cats through the ice? Ever have any success doing so?
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Post by skinfish on Dec 14, 2011 22:37:54 GMT -5
There is a guy on the TCO that does some. His name os jerry. He even had it on video.
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Post by Smoothkip on Dec 14, 2011 22:48:49 GMT -5
I've seen the video and he catches a giant out of the ice. Fatcat targets them some nothing huge but fun to catch. Rollo also has caught some good ones through the ice.
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Post by rcbbracing on Dec 14, 2011 22:52:17 GMT -5
I'll have to check that video out...is it easy to find? It was actually fatcat that made me think of that question...I know he catches em but always thought they were typically an accident when he did...doesn't look like ice fishing season is gonna be very long this year if at all...I was thinking about buying some ice fishing gear and tagging along with fatcat he always invites me...but if it doesn't cool down quick I'll scrap that idea..I won't be too disappointed if it stays semi warm lol
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Post by Smoothkip on Dec 14, 2011 23:06:47 GMT -5
Here's jerrys video of his big Channel Through the ice.
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Post by rcbbracing on Dec 14, 2011 23:14:00 GMT -5
That is an amazing video! If ice fishing was always like that I would definitely get in on that action!
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Post by Catfishrollo on Dec 15, 2011 1:05:25 GMT -5
We like to ice fish down our way as well. Only problem is we are never certain to have good enough ice year to year! I have only been ice-fishing a few years for that reason, and only been able to target cats on a limited basis. However, I keep many bags of shad in the freezer for ice-fishing... trips with-ups, and jigging small pieces of cuts also with jigs, other rigs,, simply rigged with wax worms. I try to keep some for mid-winter river fishing as well. River channels can be caught by great numbers all winter long! For ice fishing though, I do better around the deeper edges of the ponds or small lakes. Most of the time, it seems the cats feed later during the afternoon, as the sun warms up, and moves fish around Just my 2 $ from my little experience... rollo
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Seanstone
Catfish Freak
Multi-Specie Catch and Release Angler
Posts: 1,166
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Post by Seanstone on Dec 15, 2011 1:36:50 GMT -5
Awesome info. I have been looking into ice catting myself. We have a warm water disharge nearby but that's kinda like cheating. I'd feel like I accomplished something to catch one through ice.
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Post by Smoothkip on Dec 15, 2011 2:05:47 GMT -5
Fatcat targets shallower water in a stump field. They catch quite a few in a days time.
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Post by Skyline1506 on Dec 17, 2011 10:34:43 GMT -5
I like cattin through the ice. we typically use jigs. the more colorful the better. my favorite is a bright jig head with a blood red hook. i know they say cats are color blind but i assume that anything that stands out in the water will draw there eye might be just the contrast alone, but i think the bright colors in the water mimmick a flash when there is little light through the surface. i also like a spinner on the rod that i have in hand to jig and get some flashes and movement. we use shiners or minnows and cut'em up into 3 pieces head, mid and tail to tip our jigs. also never rule out night crawlers. i hope all of that makes sense, it sounded fine in my head but was hard to put on paper. lakes and res.- this might not make a lot of sense but we find deep water but fish from the surface down. starting about 4 feet and work down until we find fish. most of the time we find them closer to the surface than the bottom. so say 20ft of water we will usually find fish from 4-8 feet. ponds- we fish around the edges in shallower water. if it is a creek fed pond, i like to fish near where the creek runs in. also if there is an overflow pipe or culvert i like to fish near that, they seem to like a little bit of water movement. fallen trees along the bank and any structure you can see or know is there in the shallows are also typically productive.
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Post by rcbbracing on Dec 17, 2011 20:51:47 GMT -5
Man that is some amazing information Jordan! Thank you for the illustrations!
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Post by Skyline1506 on Dec 17, 2011 21:51:16 GMT -5
no problem brother, i hope it helps. ice fishing can be tough you got to be patient and just keep plugging away. i can tell you that catching a good channel through the ice on ice tackle can be the rush of a lifetime.
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Seanstone
Catfish Freak
Multi-Specie Catch and Release Angler
Posts: 1,166
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Post by Seanstone on Dec 18, 2011 2:33:07 GMT -5
I imagine so. What's the biggest channel you have pulled through the ice Jordan? Just curious. I also appreciated the info and illustrations. If we ever get some solid ice i'll have to put it to good use. It might be mid january before our larger lakes get ice on them, ponds shoud have a good layer by christmas though. Have you ever tried live bait for cats through the ice? I was thinking of trying some bass minnows for them, but they might not be active enough to eat them. I don't know.
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Post by Skyline1506 on Dec 20, 2011 0:22:30 GMT -5
we have tried live baits sean but no real luck. you might nab a walleye or a saugeye though, but for cats we always do better with cut. I got a 6lb2oz out of tappan 2yrs ago. we have caught bigger out of farm ponds and what not but i dont count those as a pb simply because it is a lot easier. still fun as hell dont get me wrong, but its more like paylake fishing in my eyes.
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Post by fatcat on Dec 20, 2011 0:41:29 GMT -5
I'll have to check that video out...is it easy to find? It was actually fatcat that made me think of that question...I know he catches em but always thought they were typically an accident when he did...doesn't look like ice fishing season is gonna be very long this year if at all...I was thinking about buying some ice fishing gear and tagging along with fatcat he always invites me...but if it doesn't cool down quick I'll scrap that idea..I won't be too disappointed if it stays semi warm lol if that ice gets thick enough we will have to go out to knox lake and catch some channels almost every time i go out i catch a few
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