aplumma

Well the catfish have been spawning for the last month and they had the worst case of lockjaw. I went out a few times with some friends and this is the report. The first time out was with my niece and her boyfriend Tim. After a few bites and some dinks (less than 10 lbs) we finally got Tim to land this fish. It is a little over 34 lbs and took about 10 min to get to the boat. She was caught on about a 10 oz piece of Shad on the bottom like most of the fish you will see. The next week it was time to take Earl and Hugh out for a go at the big fish. We started as always by getting bait. Which is netting fresh Mud shad or thread fin shad as you may know them as. They are about 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 lbs each and get cut up into 4-6 pieces of bait each. The head seems to be the best piece and today was not to be an exception. Earl after giving the bait a good luck kiss heaved it out onto the flat in about 15 ft of water and caught this monster. We had a few other pulldowns but they were not the monsters we were hunting for so they were released boatside. This week was the week to Take Mike and Harry out for a few fish. We left the docks at 10:00 and went in search of bait. The first lay of the net was a bust so it was off to my back up bait place were we got 5 shad in about 5 min. We ran over to the chosen spot by buoy 55 when we got a call on the radio from Vince to move down to another hole because they were just having a good old time with the teenagers ( cats weighing in the teens). We rolled down to their area and set up for some fun when the bite went flat. After an hour of no bites they rolled up and left us to wait for the bite to fire up when the tides flipped. We managed a few smaller ones and were eating lunch when we got a call on line one ( first rod on the left) and it was Harry's turn to get the rod. He picked it up from the holder and swept the circle hook into the jaw of the fish and it was off to the races. After a 50 yard run and Harry burning a little skin off his thumb we got the head turned and the fight was on. It lasted 15 min. with Harry having to finally sit down to finish the battle and this is what he caught. All in all it has been a good early summer for the big fish. I wish I had taken more pictures but with the sun shining and good friends around you you tend to forget the camera but I will try to do better on the future outings. Art

So since you are short is this your half birthday? O well it doesnt matter happy Full birthday to you buddy. Art

now alls you need is a M16 to mount that thing to and your ready for the invasion. I actually have a tactical light that does not have the fancy glass breaker but the one I have is an LED that puts out 115 luminaries which is really bright. The bad side is the lithium batteries are 10 bucks a wack and are good for about an hours use. Not for everyday use but it is a nice bright light when you need it and it has a 10 year shelf light. I I think it might be the boat light everyone is looking for. Art

lets see storm drain+ pink fishin pole+ walleye + Cliff= some kind of put on.... Lets see were this one goes. Art

Well down here in Virginia here are a few examples of how we hold them catfish. assorted catfish holds. Note the ladies way of holding the fish. Art

I have the chronarch Mg and it is a nice reel I also just bought 2 of the TE1160 quantum reels from our sponsors at all american outdoors OFC special. Type in the comment box you are from OFC and the price drops to $115.00. This is the same reel that retailed for over $200.00. Due to a redesign to make it lighter for the 2009 year these were sold at a discount to Dave who is passing along the savings to us. I have had them out on the water and found that they are every bit as nice as the chronarch as far as quality and castability. I am actually thinking of ordering 2 new rods for them from a rod builder just to do them justice. Owell hope this helps if you need any more info PM me and I will hook you up with Dave he has help quite a few people get the reels they want at a price that is fair. Art

bump because you now owe me a trip in the new boat you are going to win. Art

nice report and congratulations on the fish looks like we have a new fishaholic on the rise. Art

Hey Aaron glad to hear from you again. I thought you got eatten by the local bears or something. Congrates on the new kiddlett on the way....but ....ummmm..... how the heck did YOU get pregnant???? Art

I think you are right Rich I have tried 4 different ways to find Joey on the site links and I havent been able to find her. Now that I look at it non of the contestants are from the GWNorth. So Go Joey go we sorry we can't help you any mo. Art

Omyyy that's a really ugly monster on that boat and the way it is holding that fish like a guitar is pretty funny.......If all you are going to do is catch fish that ugly come on up and we can get you in to a few Blue cats. Art

The holes are not that big a deal and the performance you get from the transducer will be better than a portable mount. With the transducer mounted directly to the hull you have a better chance of getting high speed readings and it will not vibrate loose and fall behind the boat ripping the wires out or worse getting into the prop. A transducers signal must stay within a few degrees of plum and square to the boat or the readings are useless. In my aluminum boats I drill the pilot holes thru the transom and then use a marine silicone filling them in and then a self tapping screw with a washer on the head. On fiberglass you should use a bolt that has rubber on both sides to keep water from getting to the hole you drilled and soaking the glass inside. Future repairs to the holes if needed can be as simple as using marine tex and a little paint or just install the aluminum screw back in place and grind it flush. Art

nice update Bernie glad to see you ain't sitting around doing nothin. Next time we build another building down here we might have to send you a plane ticket to come "visit". Art

Congratulations on the nice Channel Cat they are fun to catch and are very good for the table too. Most of the channel Cats that are between 2 and 8 lb are excellent deep fried or broiled with your favorite spices ( Mine is lemonjuice and black pepper with scallions and alittle butter wrapped in tinfoil).As with all fish the longer the fish lives the more of the waters chemicals it absorbs so keep the little eaters and release the big breeders. Art

My brother and I have a boat that is hand bowmount and they make a switch (Big Foot at BPS i think) that you wire inline that mounts on the floor. The switch allows you to lock it on with your foot and turn off also if you get a fish on you can use it as a momentary switch also. The steering part is done with your knees or foot as needed for direction changes. If you want more details on the switch or wiring it up shoot me a PM and go from their. Art

The good news is Noodling is a dying form of fishing because it takes to much beer to get good at it. Just ask "lefty" what happened to this right hands finger. Art

John I am a power pro fan it seems to not have the memory that the Crystal does.I have 30# crystal on my shimano mag reel and it is noisy and stiff even after 10 hours of use. I am going to give it a few more hours before I strip it off if it doesn't quiet down and lose some of its memory. I did just spool up with some 50lb Red powerpro and have found it to be really nice to use and cast. The red is the first color to absorb out of the water column and turn black so in stained water it might be a better choice than the crystal anyways. I guess if it becomes an issue I will put a leader on it of floro or mono as needed. As far as the guides go if you have fuji or ceramic guides it should not be an issue cheaper rods with softer guides are usually the ones that get damaged by the super lines. Art

Now an answer to the real post. I looked at your history of postings and the last ones that I can see are all about asking people for the info on places to fish. People are pretty picky as to what information they like to put on the internet that will promote the places that they find to be good fishing. Most of the time they will be vague with their answer because of this they also will not be specific as far as were in the water body the fish are. What also comes into play is how well the community knows you and what you have given in trade I know that when I need info on a place to fish I won't post it on the forum I would better yet send a PM to the people that I know fish the water and see if they would like to take me fishing or help with some general info to get me started. Most of the Regulars or "Good old boys club members" are people that have put alot of time and effort into this website and treat it more as a family meeting place than a corrupted fishing board that wanders and meanders with pointless drivel. Can you honestly say you know who is in the hospital right now? Do you know any of the names of kids that just graduated? Have you sent a PM to someone who is fighting a fatal illness? I live down here in the USA and I can answer all of these questions while not fishing related I bet I can post that I need a place to stay and a boat to use and a guided fishing trip for free and I will have more places to fish than I can go in a few summers worth of vacation. The reason for this is because I have put so much into the board that people WANT to give me something back. I to this day still haven't seen a rant that has come out with a positive outcome but people keep trying..... I hope you had a good day fishing and post some pictures if you did and tell the board about your adventure. Art

It's not the honest opinions that get you banned it the Bull that is spewed to support it that gets you banned. Art

Thanks for the well wishes and the thoughts it is an important day today being a day that we remember that freedom is a right that needs to be protected. Art

Well the surgery was 2 hours late but it all looks like it went well. Joe is home with his hand in a soft bandage and full of painkillers. He is slurring his speech a little and smiling allot so I think he is still high as a kite. The doc gave him some oxycodone I will wait till he goes to sleep before I start the auction for them bad boys. All in all he should be coherent Friday and post his own report. Art

Actually it usually the differential that kills them. When the car passes over them they jump up to change direction and the rear differential gets em. Art

Well Joe heads in this mornin for the operation with Becky driving so I know it will be done right. I will post after he gets home to tell you if he is still high and giggling like a school girl or just a bump on the log. Good luck Joe. Art

I am sorry to hear about Mary.... I have talked to her on my visits and will miss them in the future. I hope that the passing of her from your life is balanced with the greater place she has gone. I also am glad to have gotten up their to see all of my Canadian brothers and sisters and had a chance to stay with you all again. As always the food and the visiting is one of my favorite parts of coming to Lak Air. Art

while I cant make the trip you are welcome to stop over for a visit/sleeping place Glen and guest if he comes up with you. Art