Said Joe, "I had the good fortune to be off work today, so I finally got a chance to get back out ('on a lake in the Greenbrier area of Chesapeake' is as specific as he would get) for some carpin'. Well, I only caught one fish, and it wasn't a carp, but I am pleased nonetheless... My biggest fish of any sort ever! Yee haw!!!"
Do you get the idea that Joe was just a little excited? Can't say that I blame him. I only can imagine what it had to have felt like to have hold of a fish like that. My biggest channel cat to date only weighed 6+ pounds, and it put up one heckuva fight. Joe's fish was more than 3.5 times that weight, so I know he had to have been feeling some kind of an adrenaline rush as he wrestled with this monster.
"It was quite a tussle," said Joe. "When my bite alarm went off, and I picked up that rod, I could tell it was one heavy--and powerful--fish. I couldn't believe my eyes when I caught the first glimpse of gray-blue just beneath the surface; I was expecting gold (carp). The swirls that bad boy was putting out were something like I'd never seen before. I was doubly surprised because I'd never caught any catfish in this lake, other than some bullheads. I didn't even know there were channel cats in there," he continued.
As Joe explained, the battle lasted about 10 minutes. He said he was fishing to his right--about 40 yards out--when the fish started cruising left with the line. He gained a lot of slack line during that movement. The fish made several hard runs, though, so he kept the reel's drag set pretty light--"just firm enough so that I could reel without twisting the line," he said. "Whenever he wanted to run, I let him. When he stopped, I would pump him in some more. Eventually, he tired, and I was able to get him into the net. Whew!"
Joe explained that he routinely uses a large Bass Pro Shops catfish-landing net with about a 6-foot handle just for such occasions. "All I had to do was crouch down and gently guide the beast into the net, which already was waiting in the water." He went on to say he then hoisted the fish about 15 feet away from the water's edge, where he removed the hook with pliers and weighed him in the net (so as not to hurt him). After snapping some pictures and measuring the fish, he turned his prize catch loose to fight another day.
It was 9:45 this morning when Joe caught the citation channel cat. He kept fishing until 3 p.m. without getting another run. "I was a bit disappointed," he said, adding "but how disappointed can you be when you catch the biggest fish of your life a half hour into the day's fishing?"
Here is the equipment Joe was using today:
* Bank Fishing Systems Black Phantom Class Rod (12 feet, 2.75-lb. test curve)
* Okuma Avenger ABF50 spinning reel loaded with Berkley Big Game 15-lb. test mono and Korda N-Trap 15-lb. coated braid hook link
* Squid-flavored boilie (a squid bait used in carp fishing that is fairly firm and resistant to nuisance species) tipped with a white fake plastic piece of corn, fished while using a bolt rig on the bottom. Said Joe, "I was fishing with a spod mix (a type of chum) composed of bird seed, powdered molasses, canned tuna, and sweet corn as an attractant."
Last spring, while fishing for carp in the lake behind his house, Joe caught a 9-lb. channel cat. Since that fish was close to trophy-certificate size, he got interested in learning more about catfishing. Last summer was a disappointment, though, in that he went a half-dozen times just for channel cats and blanked every time. "Oh, I caught some big white perch and a 4-lb. bowfin," he explained, "but no catfish. I'm also still in pursuit of a 20+ pound carp (trophy-certificate size) but, so far, have only managed a 15-lb. 8-oz. specimen."
In closing, Joe told me that he even fantasizes about hiring a guide and "fishing for some of those big blue cats in the James. They get up to 100 pounds!" he exclaimed. Meanwhile, however, he's still basking in the joy of having caught a trophy channel cat today, especially one so close to home.
Please know that my hat's off to ya, Joe, for this fine catch. You did well, my good man.
That's a blue catfish (deeply forked caudal fin)
ReplyDelete