06-04-2007, 08:31 PM
I did a little research, and it seems that what you have in your favorite fishing hole is a channel cat. CT has 4 major species of catfish in it's lakes and rivers, 3 of which are a gener of the bullhead. The channel cat is the only species capable of reaching the proportions you speak of. And since blues and flatheads aren't native to your state, that's the only option.
With that said, catfish are one of my specialties. (even though I don't get to go as often as I use to) Channel cats like deep holes and lots of structure. Anywhere you can find both in one spot is a good place to start. I've used every bait from ivory soap to slabs of fresh mullet and shrimp. Chicken liver always seems to bring home the bacon, if you know what I mean. I use a carolina rig w/ a 5/0 kahle or circle hook. In a lake, you won't need much of a egg sinker since there isn't any current. Drift fishing is also another effective way to locate fish in a large body of water. This is a widely used technique along the Santee Cooper river systems here in SC for monster blues and flatheads. There is a trick in the rigging though.
![[Image: 3way.gif]](http://www.fish-hawk.net/tips/3_way/3way.gif)
OK, this isn't the exact rig, but it's similar. I couldnt find a picture of the rig I was talking about. Anyhoo, on the "bait line" portion of the illustrated rig, you'll tie on your hook w/ bait of preference. Considering you're not using live bait, I would also suggest you add a small float to the "bait line" in order to keep your hook from grabbing the snags.
Next, make sure the "sinker line" is a lighter pound test than the rest of the rig. The reason for this is if you do get snagged, instead of loosing the entire rig, you'll only loose the weight. Next, instead of a regular weight, you need a slinky weight. LOL, I know that sound funny, but they are real. Alot of anglers make them using shoe laces and bb's. You just snip the end of a shoe lace and fill it w/ bb's until it reaches your target weight. In your case, you wouldn't need much weight, so you could be pretty creative. The idea is to use something that won't snag the bottom.
Once you begin getting hits, you're there. Channel catfish are a schooling species, so where there's one, there's more. Use the drifting technique to locate the fish. Once found, anchor off and start using large portions of bait to attract your trophy catch. Big bait, big fish. I can almost gaurentee there isn't just one large catfish in there. 25 lb's is a trophy channel, but i'm sure there are plenty 10-12 pounders in there too. The world record is in the 60 pound mark caught here in SC. But, the average fish is only around 4 or 5 pounds. anything over 20 is definately a notable catch. [cool]
Good luck on your adventure. Make sure and tell us how the trophy hunt goes. (don't forget to take a picture!)
P.S. I'd start at the dam. [
]
[signature]
With that said, catfish are one of my specialties. (even though I don't get to go as often as I use to) Channel cats like deep holes and lots of structure. Anywhere you can find both in one spot is a good place to start. I've used every bait from ivory soap to slabs of fresh mullet and shrimp. Chicken liver always seems to bring home the bacon, if you know what I mean. I use a carolina rig w/ a 5/0 kahle or circle hook. In a lake, you won't need much of a egg sinker since there isn't any current. Drift fishing is also another effective way to locate fish in a large body of water. This is a widely used technique along the Santee Cooper river systems here in SC for monster blues and flatheads. There is a trick in the rigging though.
OK, this isn't the exact rig, but it's similar. I couldnt find a picture of the rig I was talking about. Anyhoo, on the "bait line" portion of the illustrated rig, you'll tie on your hook w/ bait of preference. Considering you're not using live bait, I would also suggest you add a small float to the "bait line" in order to keep your hook from grabbing the snags.
Next, make sure the "sinker line" is a lighter pound test than the rest of the rig. The reason for this is if you do get snagged, instead of loosing the entire rig, you'll only loose the weight. Next, instead of a regular weight, you need a slinky weight. LOL, I know that sound funny, but they are real. Alot of anglers make them using shoe laces and bb's. You just snip the end of a shoe lace and fill it w/ bb's until it reaches your target weight. In your case, you wouldn't need much weight, so you could be pretty creative. The idea is to use something that won't snag the bottom.
Once you begin getting hits, you're there. Channel catfish are a schooling species, so where there's one, there's more. Use the drifting technique to locate the fish. Once found, anchor off and start using large portions of bait to attract your trophy catch. Big bait, big fish. I can almost gaurentee there isn't just one large catfish in there. 25 lb's is a trophy channel, but i'm sure there are plenty 10-12 pounders in there too. The world record is in the 60 pound mark caught here in SC. But, the average fish is only around 4 or 5 pounds. anything over 20 is definately a notable catch. [cool]
Good luck on your adventure. Make sure and tell us how the trophy hunt goes. (don't forget to take a picture!)
P.S. I'd start at the dam. [
][signature]