when u go for cats, where do u keep em all, they wont fit all fit in my livewells,so do u keep em in a cooler or what?

put em on ice right away, also makes em easier to clean

right in the cooler. as long as you keep em cool they will stay alive a long time if you decide to put em back for some reason

guess that clears it up.

I put em back in the lake most of the time. I sometimes will keep a few kitties under 10lbs to give to friend at work in which case I put em in the cooler. Now the crappie are a whole different story.

Here lately, I cant find where they keep em at the lake, so its been a mute point. Buy when I find them they go straight to ice

When I first start I put the first few in the live well just in case I don't catch enough to make cleaning worthwhile that way i can throw them back and know they will survive,after that straight in the cooler with ice.

If I'm keeping them, they go in the cooler on ice.

my belly

HAhahahaha

Serj has the right idea. Thats the best place to keep them.

I’ve had to replace too many ice chests because of the fish punching holes in the chest with their fins. I plan to get a large Rubbermaid box to put them in. In the cooler weather they will live all day and night if they are kept damp.

[quote=Capt.]I’ve had to replace too many ice chests because of the fish punching holes in the chest with their fins. I plan to get a large Rubbermaid box to put them in. In the cooler weather they will live all day and night if they are kept damp. [/quote
I've never had one punch the ice chest yet, but I have had them punch each other. That rubbermaid box just might be something to look into.

I hang a wire basket over the boat and keep then in there. They work great and will keep them alive even in the summer if you drop it below the surface a few feet.

jw

The rubbermaid box isn't a bad idea. Since we are just bank fisherman, a stringer works just fine

i dont know about that hanging basket idea the majority of the cats i catch couldnt fit in those baskets and unless im running low on whole fryers ill usally throw those little guys back so they can turn into monsters

Sounds like me lately
I have had some luck on rock structures last couple outings tho
BTW- They went straight to ice --------

I saw a Rubbermaid box at Wal-Mart the other day that will work nicely.....about 4’ long. Big enough to hold all of you fish and not have any slime on your carpet. It helps if you have a pontoon or a deck boat to have lots of room. Price was not bad.

i also use a wire basket and also i use my live well when i can

the wire baskets..... we call em fish boxes around here, and we use to use em all the time.... are they legal outt on alake??? i figured the warden would tell us thta it is some illegal fish trap. if it is legal to use fish boxes, then we will use those, we only have about 8 or 9 of em lol.

I think this is the fish basket he is talking about, are you talking about the same?

http://images.cabelas.com/is/image/cabelas/s7_018445_imageset_01?$main-Medium$

i generally put em on the stringer. but i usually still fish. if im not still fishn they still go on the stringer & the stringer gets tied to the kayak.

Keep them from punching each other and your cooler, by breaking the fins when you catch one. I do before i even take them off the hook if i am going to keep them. Needlenose or pliars and there you go. Learned that from Mr. Whiskers. After i showed him my cooler with holes in it. Caulking will fill the holes.

What kind of boat do you have that you cant fit catfish in the livewell?

They may fit, but I cant find the livewell.

I keep a pair of side cutters beside my chair and I cut their fin tips off before I take 'em off the hook if I'm gonna' keep 'em.

I have been breakin the fins off the cats now for several years also and this will keep them from stickin each other. I guess it helps on the cooler also because I don't have any holes in it. I break them about halfway off with my needle nose pliers. I think it is easier to break them then to try and cut the fins.

Matt

I used to haul an ice chest, but now I have a stringer I'll keep them on since I pretty much just bank fish. If I happen to have an ice chest, I'll filet them there, toss the meat in a baggie and then throw the carcass back out into the water. This gives me something to do while waiting for the bells to go off again.

champion bass boat. i mean i can fit a few smaller ones in each live well, but if me and a buddy go out and catch 50 cats, we are gonna need a nother place to put em.

If that happens, just call me. I will bring you my cooler. I will even fill it with ice, and bring it to your exact location on the lake.