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patrickacox · 06-11-2002, 12:47 AM

I live in Florida and we have about a 4 acre pond in the back yard. There is this catfish that stays in one corner of the pond. I have been trying to catch him for a couple of months now. He has broke my line twice, so I went and bought 12/24 Spiderwire. I hooked him tonight. He wasn't going to brake that spiderwire. I got him up to the bank and he broke the hook in half. At least I got a look at him this time. He is huge. It looked like he was about 3 to 4 feet long and he is really big. I'm guessing he is about 8 to 10 pounds. I need some tips on how to catch this fish. He is driving me crazy. I am using a spidercast sc30 with 12/24 spiderwire. Do I need to let him fight a little more? He was pulling line off my reel like it wasn't nothing. I get in a hurry and want to reel like mad once I hook him. Any tips or ideas are greatly appreciated. Real Men Love Jesus

johnincolorado · 06-13-2002, 01:37 PM

three to four feet long but only weight 8-10 pounds? He must have been really skinny, Patrick. Hold him up and he wouldn't cast a shadow? Just kidding, I'm sure your post was a misprint. But it does remind me of fishing on the Brazos River in Waco, Texas as a teenager during the summer. At the junction where the Bosque and the Brazos join, just outside of the waco city limits, the river runs deep and has many caves carved in the banks. I'd bait a hook and toss the line in, prop the pole on a forked stick, sit back and wait. I'd caught many a fine dinner that way and enjoyed every minute. But one day, something, I never saw what it was, grabbed my line and simply walked away with it. I couldn't turn it, stop it or get it to change directions. It just went, until it had all my line out and had it strung out as tight as a piano wire. Then pop, 20 lb test mono. I knew there were some BIG cats in that river, I'd seen several roll, thinking of a broaching submarine. BIG cats. Other had come down the river looking like logs floating on top. They didn't have a care in the world because nothing could touch them. Nothing short of a harpoon with steel cable would catch them. Ever hear of the mouse with an ego floating down the Mississippi on his back, calling out, "Raise the draw bridge!" There had been a blue cat trapped when the Army Corps of Engineers built Lake Waco dam. The rumor was that it weighed close to 400 pounds, about ten feet long and could swallow a man whole. Just rumor mind you but we all know fishermen don't lie, much.

davetclown · 07-06-2002, 07:17 AM

A 4-foot cat should weigh about 60 - 80 pounds unless he doesn’t eat much, his head should be as big as a basketball at that length also. If you are saying that he is shaped like a baseball bat (I believe you I have seen them like that in small ponds where they don’t eat much, and weigh about 15 - 20 pounds at four foot) Indeed in either case you are under gunned in your tackle. You should be using medium to heavy tackle. I would suggest a reel that will handle 25 lb to 30 lb line and rod to match. (I prefer a good mono line for this job) Your terminal should be a number 1/0 to 3/0 treble hook with (my suggestion is chicken liver><but you have hooked in to him so continue using what you have been) on a six to twelve inch steel leader. (I suggest using a polymer knot tying your steel leader to your line instead of a trilene knot) Set your drag at twenty pounds (if you are not sure how to do this you may tie your scale next to your reel on your line with a twenty foot leader off the other end and run that to the door knob of your house or trailer ball on your truck.) hold your rod at a angle 45 degrees (half way between straight up and straight at knob) Start walking backwards with the drag set loose and tighten it till you reach 5 pounds below your line specification. (20 pound set to 15 pound) this will tire the fish out faster as he tries to pull against his own weight so you wont have to fear breaking your line next time you hook up with kitty. Try not to get to excited when you hook into him (fighting him will only cause you to loose him) let the cat do the fighting, your job is just to hold your ground and reel in the slack. As always big fish require” Bigfishtackle “[cool] <A HREF="http://myweb.ecomplanet.com/MESS6438/" target="_new">http://myweb.ecomplanet.com/MESS6438/</A> For Kids Sake Recycle your old Equipment Dave

patrickacox · 07-08-2002, 01:32 PM

Thanks for all the tips. I hooked a big one in our pond yesterday. It's not the same one that has broke my line before. But, I used the tips you guys had giving me and landed a beautiful 12 pound catfish. I was shaking all over by the time I got him to the bank. My arms are actually a little sore today. I threw him back so he can get bigger. I was able to get some video of it, but no photo. The wife had just shot up the last of the film about 1 hour before I caught him.

davetclown · 07-08-2002, 01:41 PM

good to here you developed a new tallent and congradulations on your catch. <A HREF="http://myweb.ecomplanet.com/MESS6438/" target="_new">http://myweb.ecomplanet.com/MESS6438/</A> For Kids Sake Recycle your old Equipment Dave

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