Fishing?

[Acre of Blessings]

There's a fellow that my hubby and i know that goes to the James River about 2 or 3 times a year. He always talks about the catch there.


Last night and early this morning the water got to be like glass on the lake so we just called it quits. There are some HUGH cats in Smith Mountain Lake that I have heard about.

In the channel we were in the shad were jumping like crazy from about 12:30 to 2 am, but then after that.....nothing.

I done a little top water fishing for bass but I didn't get any hits. Then it got dark and I guess I should have kept fishing that way but hubby wanted to put a stinky

liver on my line. I got one big hit during the night but nothing else. Hubby got about 4 hits and one bout pulled his rod outta the holder. hehehe but he caught nothing either.

Like I said.....oh, well, maybe next time.

 

[River Lizard]

Angela,

Are you all using circle hooks or "J" hooks? I use nothing but circle hooks and do not EVER hook-set with a circle hook, between the cat and the hook, the hook will set itself. If you have a cast net, I'd definitely try catching some shad and using it as bait....bobber with a slip rig would work great so you can still cast the rig but are able to adjust the depth to where the fish are located.
I would also recommend using at least 6/0 circle hooks. I use 10/0 and 12/0 hooks on the James, but I'm throwing about a pound of cut Gizzard Shad out on each setup and hunting for the real big cats.
SML has some nice Flatheads in it too. Best bait would be live Bream fished by brush piles close to flats during the day or in the general area on the flat during the night.
Anywhere there's shad or Bream activity there's got to be catfish. Those two are the prime baits of choice for pullin' in some nice cats and the bigger the bait, the fewer the bites but the LARGER the cat is when they do bite!!
Good luck the next time you go out again!!

 

[Goat_Walker]

I love fishing as well. I used to fish in my neighbors pond, but when they moved out and a new family moved in I had to make sure it was still ok. Of course it was, since they didnt even know if it had fish in it ( ive caught 8 - 10 lb bass in there as well as had a HUGE cat break my POLE)

But I went over once and hopped home with six hooks in my boot. Im sorry, but what 45 y/o guy with three kids doesnt know how to rehook his line?! I dont go over there since when I tried to show him how he got an attitude with me saying I was an " Arrogant teenaged girl who needed to respect her elders" I packed my stuff up and walked away. I hope he bites his tounge when one of his kids gets a hook in their foot!

 

[Acre of Blessings]

Quote:
Thanks for the advice!! I read your post to my husband and he said that he had circle hooks last night but never thought of using them. We were actually going to catch some shad last night but.............................we had so much other bait

As I said before.....next time.

Thanks again.

 

[hollymh]

Quote:
You know I didn't either until we moved overseas, there isn't a drop of freshwater around us here aside of rain so we have no where else to fish lol I miss bass fishing though

That's my fave!

 

[River Lizard]

Kate,

I use to love to pond fish when I was in my teens. I'd camp out along the shoreline, build a small fire and set up a couple of catfish poles and have a great time catchin' cats.
Now that I'm older, I just camp out on my pontoon (no camp fire) but it sure is nice sleeping under the stars, it's so peaceful out there. I can't tell you how many fallin' stars I've seen while I've been kicked back in my chaise chair looking up at the stars.
I'm not much of a cold weather person (since I grew up in Iowa) I've had my fill of it, but last winter there was a number of days I spent the whole night out...in temperatures of the low 40's and of course I've gone out when it's in the mid-teens early in the morning also. What a person will do to catfish!!

It's perfect timing right now with building the Chicken Coop since the catfish are spawning so there's no point being out fishin' when they're not biting....so hopefully I'll get this coop finished just as the spawn is getting over and I can get back out there again!!