Well, I learned a valuable lesson last night and it is one I am not too proud of.

I went fishing at some local ponds and decided to try a jig since my "fish crack" wasn't working.  Second cast, WHAM! I feel a real big hit but it then felt like a log.  So I gave it a tug or two and realize, "wow, I got one, that's a fish."  So, I reel it in after a fun fight and check it out.  A 32" channel catfish!

Now, I have only caught a handful of catfish before in my life.  The biggest being maybe 12 inches.  Heck, I am not even sure how to handle the things and I don't really care to eat them, so I let it go.

I get home and check out the DOW site and notice the state record is 37" and the record for the year is 31"!!!!  ARGH!  I missed owning the 2005 record.  I didn't have a camera on me and heck, I didn't even have the regs or a printout of the records.  That will never happen again since I printed them out and put em in my bag.

The good thing is, I will never lose the memory, that was one heck of a great fish.

I did catch a handful of bass after that but, oh well.  Live and learn.

Well, I went out tonight and tried the same jig and the fishing Gods smiled on me again!  I caught a 28" cat this evening.  Boy that was fun.  I am gonna go for cats in there until I own the state record.  

Anyone else like fishing for catfish?

I used to fish for cats every single day when I lived in Alabama.  We'd snag quite a few nice ones on the Chatahoochee.

Good food; good times.      

Wierd thing is, I got these between 4pm and 7pm. Both cats were hooed perfectly through the corner of the mouth.  Bent the hell out the hooks.

We are going out tonight to target cats.  Both previous nights I was going for bass.  I got a couple of rigs set up and sitting in the truck waiting to be baited and casted.  I will take pics and post them tonight if we catch anything of decent size.

xcell, I will be fishing for Wipers on Saturday morning and I hope I can get into them pretty good.  Since the weather realllly cooled off last night, they should be getting together and looking for food to begin fattening up for the colder months.  

Now, if I can get into some flathead cats, I should have a state record no problem.  They only started keeping flathead records 2 years ago.  

I like fishing for walleyes.  Caught a few earlier in the year and we will target them again in a few weeks.  As far as pike go, I would love to get some nice big pike!  I miss fishing for muskie and pike.  Just not many places to do it around here.  

Some day I will get up to Minnesota and do some nice pike fishing I swear it!

Quoted: Pretty strange to catch a catfish on a jig.  They usually only hit still or slowly drifting baits.

My brother in law has caught 2 this year on spinbaits!  

Seems kind strange but I think it was In-Fisherman that just had an article on catching Cats with spinners in Arizona.