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2019 WV Catfish

Started by WV Sawmiller, May 14, 2019, 10:36:55 PM

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WV Sawmiller

TPT,

  No, the fish I lost this time were not too big for my gear. It was simple operator error when I tied the special quick release knot my old mentor taught me to use to the limb. I probably just needed to snug it just a hair more to tighten the knot a little more.

   I need to see if I can find a real small circle hooks for my bait catching. I lose 15-20 % of my bait by them swallowing the hook and killing them unhooking them. A dead bait is near worthless in my type fishing.

   When I was stationed in Albany Ga I'd put out trotlines for big alligator snapping turtles. I'd butcher them and we ate them regularly. I think they yielded about 50% of live weight in meat. I've had big ones (75 lbs or so) bite through the shank of an 8/0 stainless steel hook. Big softshells tasted better but were harder to catch and keep alive.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

tule peak timber

Man... You are making me hungry!
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

doc henderson

when my kids were little, we would go fishing.  Monique was the fisher girl and William would find other things to do.  We had caught about 3 fish and had them on a stringer, and Wil was playing with the night crawlers. He called me over with his hand in the water, saying"dad there is a snake over here".  I assumed he meant the night crawler.  There was a 3 foot water snake latched onto the side of one of our fish.  pulled out the stringer and walked up the bank to see if others could help identify.  it stayed on the fish until i got back by the waters edge and it released and dropped back into the lake.  They were about 6 and 4 t the time, now 20 and 18, Wil just grad. HS and Monique has graduated from comm. college and on to a 4 year school.  Might be time to go fishing for old time sake.  @tule peak timber makes you a little less hungry seeing a snake latched on your supper, course you prob. would have eaten the snake.   :) digin_2 smiley_beertoast
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

WV Sawmiller

   My biggest problem with snakes here in WV is small water snakes getting into my minnow traps and drowning. I don't know how many of my minnows they ate before they died as I don't conduct autopsies on them. If alive I release them. They are a nuisance but just doing what comes natural. I don't even kill the poisonous ones around here now unless they are around some place with people, especially kids, or pets. I killed my share and more as a kid and we had some nasty ones growing up - moccasins, rattlesnakes, copperheads, and coral snakes. I even stopped my local guide from killing a black mamba in Ethiopia on a trip there as we were not near any villages. In Ecuador we were going to relocate a big/20' anaconda from near a shaman's village as they had killed one there the year before and they did have small kids and poultry and goats and such but when we stopped on our return trip to move her she was gone.

   I grew up in N. Fla and we'd sometimes pull up a stringer of fish to find a big alligator snapping turtle eating on them or a big gar would be towing you around. Gators are more common there now and they may become an issue but were no problem when I was growing up. I have heard of people float fishing in a big inner tube being towed by gators till they could cut the stringer. That would get my attention real quick!
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

caveman

WV, I am enjoying the fish tales and pics too.  I used to fish up to 200 days a year but it seems like it has been 200 days since I have been fishing.  Do you use a dehooker?  I never did until it was required to have one on the boat in Florida's coastal waters.  I made a few with a coil on the end and added a handle on the other end (the wire or steel rod is matched to the size of fish).  They are the berries for removing SW catfish as well as others. My choice for circle hooks are those made by owner.  

Gators- I saw one that had been hit by a car about a half a mile from my house this morning on U.S. HW 98.  Also, when I was in high school, I was wading a nearby lake flipping in the cat tails for bass one late afternoon.  The water was a little over waist deep and I had a stringer of seven or eight bass tied around my waist.  Darkness had caught me quite a ways from shore when I heard a commotion in the cat tails several feet away-no doubt a sizable springtime gator.  I got low in the water to try to move furtively while reluctantly releasing a pretty respectable stringer of bass.  The 300-400 feet between where I was and the bank still gives me the eebie jeebies when I think about that walk (wade) in the dark.  On more than one occasion, Jmoore and I quickly hopped up on the end of someone's dock to get some separation between us an aggressive gator while wade fishing Lake Gibson.  
Caveman

WV Sawmiller

Cavey,

  I almost never need a de-hooker now that I have started using circle hooks. Of the 4 dozen fish I caught during this trip only one little 4-5 lb flathead had swallowed the hook. I often have to use my leatherman pliers to pull a hook out of the boney jaws of a fish. Back when I used a J style hook I'd say at least 50% swallowed the hook. I looked yesterday for some small circle hooks for bait catching but about a number 4 or 2 was the smallest they had. I will check with Bar Pro or Cabelas the next time I go to Charlotte or some place where they have one.

   The gators were pretty rare in N. Fla when I was coming up but are more common now. We'd see a few on the Suwannee River when we'd fish don't there where Dad was raised. Grandpa was one of the early Game Wardens in Fla and was a plume and gator hunter prior to that. He knew all the illegal hunters because he had hunted with them all his life. Although back then it was mostly legal to hunt them.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

tule peak timber

Offshore thieves were killer whales, sea lions, birds, and sixgill sharks. Near shore and surface longlining we dealt with seals and birds. The pic below is a short set line coming out of 250 fathoms, check out the bulging eyes. With proper care I delivered slowly beating hearts into the LA market 2 days later. Fresh fish !

 
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

WV Sawmiller

TPT,

   Are those snapper or rockfish or what? Looks like one on every hook as far as I can see. 

   I have trotlines but have not used them in several years because the limblines/bushhooks are working well. We used to have problems on the Suwannee River with fish thieves seeing a shaking limb then they'd come over, throw the fish in the boat and cut the line off. Sometimes I have a disgruntled bass fisherman or such cut off a few hooks but I don't seem to be having and significant fish theft issues. Trotlines can be real productive as yours with a lot of fish caught in a small area but you can sure get hurt with them too. Several times I've had boaters come by and cut mine with their prop while I was working it so I have to keep enough weight on to keep it several feet under water even when working it. Several times I've had to just throw it back and start over because of thoughtless or careless boaters. I try to put my lines out on Monday-Thursday and take them up before the weekends so I don't interfere with pleasure boaters and other fishermen. My lines are so close to shore now they are never a threat to skiers or tubers or such.

    We just got back from a photo outing up there my wife scheduled with her mentee. He has been with us before. We only saw one blue heron and usually we'd see dozens. One far off eagle and usually 6-10 of them and only 2 ospreys. Maybe it is too early for the blue herons. They did get pictures of this one catching crawfish and minnows which is always neat. The photographed one old doe browsing in the weeds on the bank but none in the water today. We saw one otter but not able to photograph him. They are rare enough it is a real treat to see one. Most boaters and fishermen here have never seen one. Of course hey also don't know about the little green herons which are very common and very photogenic - they look like grumpy old men to me. Anyway we had a good time so that is what matters.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

tule peak timber

WV, these are Blackgill rockfish, a species I pursued incessantly in the 80-90's. Fish in the pic are typically 80 years old. A hook every 3 feet, miles of line....
  Your fishing etiquette sounds like you are a gentleman, and smart ! :)
  Please keep your fishing- catching chronicles up to date.  I have more salt in my blood than sawdust !
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

WV Sawmiller

TPT,

   Man that is some old fish. I had no idea any fish lived to that age. I went fishing one day with my BIL in Alaska and we caught a few rockfish of some species that looked similar to those. We sure didn't catch as many as you did. As I remember they were pretty good eating.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

tule peak timber

Probably Golden Eye. This pic is from SE Alaska, we filled the boat with these guys . Big circle hooks,bait the size of golf balls, 3/8 inch mainline, and weather, oh the weather !

 
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

Chuck White

Wow, that's deep, if I remember a fathom is 6 feet, so 1,500 feet, no wonder their eyes were bulging!

Nice catch!

I used to fish Halibut off of Anchor Point, Alaska in 65-115 feet depth!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

doc henderson

we used to catch flatheads in 5 feet of water in ks, just for the halibut!!!   :D :D :D
Timber king 2000, 277c track loader, PJ 32 foot gooseneck, 1976 F700 state dump truck, JD 850 tractor.  2007 Chevy 3500HD dually, home built log splitter 18 horse 28 gpm with 5 inch cylinder and 32 inch split range with conveyor powered by a 12 volt tarp motor

tule peak timber

In  Alaska generally from 50 -250 fathoms. In Southern California  from the surface for shark, and down to 500 + fathoms for Sablefish. Different gear of course. It takes a long time for a hydraulic hauler to crank out of 3000 feet.
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

WV Sawmiller

   I took Johhny, my old neighbor (The one with the ziplock bag) out yesterday and put out some lines. He said he wanted to see how it was done. I had enough bait caught by the granddaughters over the weekend to get started. After putting out lines we went and caught a few more then checked the lines right at and just after dark. I put about lines with most of lines out in the main lake and a few on the Bluestone River. Last night we had one 5 lb channel cat on one of the last hooks. I tied him out in the creek overnight. This morning I went out and checked them alone and had 5 channel and 2 blue cats on the Bluestone side which was about one fish for every 4 hooks or so. When I went back to the main lake I did not have a single fish and many lines still had baits on them so either I had some help running my lines or they just did not bite there for some reason. Total catch was about 43 lbs and biggest was about an 8.5 channel cat. Total yield was a little over 26 lbs of boneless fillets which, if I were planning a fish fry, would feed about 75 people.

 When I started cleaning fish I could hear an old turkey hen up at the upper side of the pasture raising sand. I guess she has a nest up there and something got too close to it. By the time I was nearly done I could hear her on the other side of the cross fence going Tuk, Tuk, Tuk. I think it is too early for her to have poults so I don't know who she was calling to.

 I'll go back and catch bait and bait up tonight then we will take up the lines tomorrow as we have some bad weather headed our way.


 Total catch 8 fish, 43 lbs -about 5.5 lb average.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

tule peak timber

Wonderful, and I love the guard dog !
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

WDH

Those seem to be the perfect eating size.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

WV Sawmiller

   I baited up this evening and checked after dark to make sure all lines were baited with a fresh, live bait. Picked up 3 small cats that probably weigh 12-13 lbs total. One blue and two channels. They were all properly barked at by Sampson. A big old doe walked about 20' from us while we were catching bait. He watched but did not bark at her. I did not see a fawn with her. Mr. Johnny is supposed to go with me in the morning to take up lines so I hope he can watch some shaking limbs.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

   Okay, I got up and Mr. Johnny was already here waiting. We unloaded all the excess stuff we did not need such as poles, fly rods, bait buckets, catfish tote, etc since we were not going to be fishing for bait and could use the live well for our fish. We got to the lake about 6:40 or so and crossed the lake and started taking up lines. I'd untie them and Johnny would wind them for me. Pretty slow going as we only caught 2 in the main lake but they were nice fish. The first turned out to be a 33 lb flathead. I first estimated 20 lbs or better but when I took him out of the boat I realized I was off. He was 45 inches long and did not fit well in the live well. The second fish was a really pretty 10 lb channel cat. Finished collecting lines in the lake and moved over to the Bluestone river side and picked up another 10 lb flathead and an 8-9 lb channel cat. Total for the morning 4 fish for 61 lbs. I'll take that average any day. We got home just before the rain set in and I cleaned fish for a couple of hours. Johnny took the 26 lbs of fillets from yesterday to distribute to various family members. One brother said he wanted fish but wanted him to cook them as he said he does not know how to cook fish. That's an ingenious idea especially since it worked. Becky is cooking the belly off the 10 lb flathead right now for lunch along with 5-6 little bream I caught last week with the granddaughters. Sampson did good and pretty brave to be barking at the 33 lb flathead that could eat him but I guess he figured as long as I was there he could be a vicious dog.


 Old doe from yesterday while we caught bait. she was about 20' away and no alarm at all. She looks to be nursing a fawn from this shot.


 Johnny & Me and Sampson with 33 lb flahead. 45 inches from his chin to the tip of his tail.

 Rest of the fish. Bottom 3 from this morning weighed 28.5 lbs. Top 3 spent the night in my creek -13 lbs for the 3 of them from last night.


 The best view of a catfish (okay and one bream) on the whole thread!
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

thecfarm

Model 6020-20hp Manual Thomas bandsaw,TC40A 4wd 40 hp New Holland tractor, 450 Norse Winch, Heatmor 400 OWB,YCC 1978-79

tule peak timber

Looking good-you are making me hungry ! 8)
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

WV Sawmiller

     Well, I am stuffed! I ate 4 bream and one little piece of catfish just to say I tried some out of this batch. A big old bluegill is still my favorite eating fish and these were cooked just right. There is enough left over for us to have another feed and the housekeeper ate lunch with us and took a plate home with her too. She was bragging how good these were and says she likes channel cat but doesn't care for mud cats (Flatheads). I hate to tell her all she ate today was the belly off a 10 lb flathead. 












Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

tule peak timber

Belly's and heads, the best parts of the fish!
persistence personified - never let up , never let down

WV Sawmiller

   Yes and up till a few years ago I never knew to salvage the meat off the heads. I have started calling them "cheeks" like halibut cheeks and such. I guess that is a more socially acceptable term. Dad used to stay at various fish camps on the Suwannee River and a lady ran one who used to like to get the heads off his big blue and channel cats and she'd skin them out to get the meat to make fish chowder or gumbo. We never knew how much meat we were leaving. When I fillet a fish I rip the belly open during cleaning then I fillet off the 2 sides of the belly then the 2 fillets off the sides. What I have noticed this time is it is easier to cut the belly fillets off the flathead catfish and it is easier to fillet the sides off a channel or blue cat.
Quote from: thecfarm on June 05, 2019, 01:34:55 PMGood size fish!!!!
cfarm,

  Yeah I am real proud of him. It has been several years since I caught one this big and I have only caught one bigger - a 35 lb fish several years ago. I hear people talk about catching 60-70 lb fish around here and I am confident they are there (I had one eating on a 5 lb flathead on one of my lines when I checked it 2-3 years ago - he was not hooked, just under the water swallowing my fish when we pulled on the line. When they do that they skin him just like I do when cleaning one and you will sometimes pull up a perfectly skinned carcass.) but I have not seen anyone with one even this big. I guess the real successful fishermen don't really talk about where and how they catch them.  I am the oddball and will even show people which limb I caught one on and show them where and how to catch bait and such to go catch them. I was telling Johnny I know some places are better to catch catfish around here but I have caught fish every place I tried so if go down to the lake and find someone has already staked out my spot I'll move to another, maybe better, one.

  Actually this one was pretty easy. The limb was shaking, I eased up beside it and eased my net deep under water and got hold of the line and guided him towards my big net and he swam right in and I lifted him in the boat before he ever knew he was in a net. No fuss - no muss, just the way it is supposed to work. No big drama fighting  and likely losing him.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

WV Sawmiller

   Well, not really catfish and no pictures because I found my battery in my camera had died (Probably time for a new one as not holding a charge very long any more) but my mom who is visiting from N. Fla and I went out for 5-6 hours today fishing for bream. I actually had to break down and buy bait as my stock of nightcrawlers had converted to dirt and it was too dry last night to catch some more. We got to the lake and found a massive May Fly hatch. The hulls were so thick just trying to get a hook through them was like tossing a rubber worm in a patch of floating grass. We caught a few bluegills then I motored up to Bull Falls where there is more current. We caught a nice mess bream including several half to 3/4 lb fish which are not that common here. We were just using lightweight fiberglass poles and a big bluegill on one is lots of fun to catch.  I tried mealworms then discovered the nightcrawlers were better preferred. I think we caught about 3 dozen but got home with 23 because I rather than opening and closing the live well for every fish I was using a collapsible fish basket and bumped  the loop I had around the boat, knocked it loose and sunk them in about 35' of water. Anyway it was great to spend the time with my 89 y/o mom doing what she loves to do and watching the sights along the lake and river. We actually ended up with a nice mess of fish.
Howard Green
WM LT35HDG25(2015) , 2011 4WD F150 Ford Lariat PU, Kawasaki 650 ATV, Stihl 440 Chainsaw, homemade logging arch (w/custom built rear log dolly), JD 750 w/4' wide Bushhog brand FEL

Dad always said "You can shear a sheep a bunch of times but you can only skin him once

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