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Rod : ugly stick mh
reel: Abu Garcia open face spinner
line: 30 to 40 lb Power pro
leader begin of season 15 to 20 lb mono, later in season when the big boys come out 30 up to 50 lb mono.
rig: Santee with 5/0 8/0 circle hook
Bait : chuck of carp meat, carp minnows, chubs.
This year going to use an Abu Garcia Ambas  eur on rod #2 so I have the option of free spool with the clicker on
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John,
What is a Santee rig? Just curious and haven't seen one before... Jeff
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[#0000FF]Back in Carolina's Santee Cooper reservoir they fish for big cats and stripers with a float on the line a few inches to a foot or so above the bait. This keeps the bait up off the bottom...kinda like a hookless flig. See the attached article below.
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[#0000FF]I have been trying out some smaller versions with my "foamies". Limited trials so far but I have used commercially sold "corkies" in the past and the concept works.[/#0000FF]
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Hey Jeff. I use the Santee rig 90% of the time while drifting. Sometimes when bank tangling. Sometimes I use a rattle also when drifting or when fishing rivers. The movement causes the rattle to make noises, the float adds bling. and the bait seals the deal.(sometimes).
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For a quick and dirty version, you can use a foam earplug as the "floatie". Thread one on the line with a large needle. Or just make a slit lengthwise, slip the line in, and apply a drop of superglue.
If you use a long-shank hook like a kahle style, push the hook eye through a Corkie, and add a drop of superglue. Instant flig.
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My setup seems to be kind of in the middle.
Rods: 6.5' Med Heavy ugly stick and 6.5' Med Ugly Stick Lite.
Reels: Okuma Baitfeeder spinning
Line: Currently 14 lbs Nanofil with a similar wt. leader. I'm not sure I'll stay with Nanfil, it seems to come apart over time. Casts great though.
Hooks: anywhere from 1/0 bait holder to 5/0 octopus, depending on bait size and what came out of the tackle box as I hurried to re-tie.
Method: drag or drift 0.5 to 1 mph, bobbers over rocky bottom or in water too shallow to drag.
Bait: Cut WB, Carp or shrimp. Always try to get "still bleeding" cut bait when I can.
I also fish an inline float much of the time. As I learned last year it is a variation of the Santee rig mentioned several times in this thread. My float last year was a corkie, spin n glow or wobble glow. The float stays near the bait almost like a FLIG. I also use fligs and love them. Usually one rod has just a small sinker, a hook and a bling bead or two. (If you want to know why, shine a UV light on the bling bead. The good ones light up way beyond what you and I can normally see. great for murky water)
I always try to have different presentations in the water until the fish show a strong preference. I switch up floating or not floating, bling or not bling, large or small baits, carp or WB, etc.
Most trips the fresh WB outperforms, but not always.
An earlier post mentioned shrimp under a bobber. That is how I learned to catch UL channels and loved it for many years. One year I did an experiment between fresh cut bait and shrimp. Tried to fish them in equal amounts. Total of over 100 cats that summer. 60-70% of the total number came on shrimp. 60-70% of the cats 5 lbs and larger came on cut bait. The apparent preference of larger fish for cut bait is not proof, but is statistically significant. Since I fish the contest, I now lean hard toward cut bait. That said, 2 of my top three cats took a shrimp. Go figure.
I fish almost exclusively at UL, almost entirely because it is close (and great cat fishing.)
One other apparent anomolly that might prove useful to someone. In the winter months almost all the cats I've landed came at night.
BTW, I am not a born cataholic. I fish them because they are available, hard fighting and good eating. My roots are in the rivers and coastline of SW Oregon and there things pull hard and are generally good eating. My leaning toward longer rods, smooth drags and somewhat lighter tackle also come from learning to fish chasing steehead in those rivers.
I'm looking forward to a great year for all!
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My rig is just about like yours, Boatload, right down to the hooks, except I usually go one size smaller. My reels are old fashioned Mitchell spinners from the late 60's (?) Just strong, simple, and well made.
I usually have 25 lb braid or so, with a 15 lb mono leader. I rig either Carolina rig (with a sliding sinker), a simple hook (or two) under a bobber, or sometimes I free-line a chunk of bait.
Carp and white bass always get used, usually fresh if possible. Next go-to bait is I save the trimmed bits when I cut up a package of elk or deer meat, let it get JUST a tad ripe (nothing like rotten, just gamey), and hook that stuff on.
I'm usually wading from shore, but sometimes get out in a kayak.
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A ear plug wouldn’t get my bait off the bottom.
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Thanks Pat,
Guess I missed that chapter, but looks like a good idea if you run out of fligs any how... Thanks Jeff
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Thanks Ben, I'm going to have to try the drift fishing a little more next year... I'm too much into bank tangling for cats lately and I know I've done better when I'm covering more ground... Have to see if that helps... Thanks Jeff
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[#0000FF]If you go to your fave search engine and plug in "Santee Rig"...or Santee Cooper Rig...you will find grundles of articles and info about the use of an inline float between sinker and bait.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]I have been using various versions of it for years, without knowing there was a name for it. When I first came back to Utah in 2004 I was shown how to fish minnows and white bass meat for walleyes using a corky float sliding on the line between sinker and bait. Caught quite a few walleyes and plenty of cats and white bass too. That is one of the reasons I dusted off my old flig system...and it works too.
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[#0000FF]The basic idea is the same...float the bait off the bottom with something colorful to attract more visual attention. Bling beads on steroids.[/#0000FF]
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[#0000FF]There are plenty of tanglers who chuck out those rigs from the bank and do well. You can just let it sit or you can actively work it back in slowly...a few inches at a time... with some sexy wiggles to help attract more attention. When the fish are moving and active they will find your offering and vote for it. If not, you can work it a bit to help stimulate a reaction bite.
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[quote RockyRaab]For a quick and dirty version, you can use a foam earplug as the "floatie". Thread one on the line with a large needle. Or just make a slit lengthwise, slip the line in, and apply a drop of superglue.[/quote]
Rocky,
That is the exact set up I use most of the time.
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Bryce Lowder
I do what the voices in my wife's head tell me to.
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Guess I’ve been using it and not known it was named as well, but my version was a little different using marshmallows as the floats. Thanks for the info on that. J
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will Jeff looks like everyone has answered be for I did. the top picture on Pat's post is the setup I use. works great for me
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Thanks John I appreciate the info. Jeff
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Growing up in KS, I spent a lot of time hunting the kitties. I sure do miss the cats out that way when compared to the ones out here. My rig of choice is a 6.5' Medium rod, spinning reel with 8-12lb line, various size circle hooks and my bait of choice, usually shrimp or dead goldfish.
I've only ever gone after cats here in UL or some of the community ponds with my kids, but I'm hoping to get out this year and try my hand at the Bear River cats.
I sure do miss hooking into 20-30lb cats, or using live bait for flatheads and chasing the real monsters pushing 60-80lbs. Hopefully the Bear cats can pose more of a challenge than what UL has offered up.
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Rods: 7'-6" medium heavy Ugly Stick GX2 and a 7'-6" medium Big Cat Fever.
Reels: Pflueger President XT and a Pflueger Supreme XT
Line: 50 LB Power Pro Super Slick 8 and Regular Power Pro
Hooks: Either a 4/0 or 6/0 Gamakatsu octopus hooks depending on bait size and where I'm fishing.
Bait: Usually carp or sucker meat but sometimes chicken liver
Method: Usually bank sitting but have a boat to fish out of this year. Normally run a 2 oz. sinker above a swivel and about 18 inches or so of line to the hook.
Really wanna put the yak in at the valley view launch and just float the river to the cutler launch at some point this summer dragging baits one night. But I usually fish cutler reservoir or jump the border north to chase them on the bear outside of Preston.
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Just 15 days to opening day. Remember when that was a thing?
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Still is for some of us Cataholics!
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