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PB Channel Cat #13565983 05/21/20 10:58 AM
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Jim Ford Offline OP
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Tuesday I was at a 5 1/2 acre pond looking for a safe that had possibly been dumped by burglars. Since it was my day off I grabbed some heavy Clousers and the six weight. There are supposed to be some big cats in there. After probing for the safe (too much vegetation for sonar) I started dredging with the fly. Caught a few bass and 1 - 2 pound cats, then got slammed. It ran me way down into the backing and kept wadding me up in grass. I figured that it’d shake the barbless hook in the grass. After about twenty minutes of dragging my kayak around I began getting glimpses of it. It took over 35 minutes, but I landed a 36 1/2” channel cat; a fat slob of a fish. It was hooked deep in the throat, but the barbless hook came out easily. I had no scale, but it was easily over 25 pounds. Swam off fat and sassy, ready to entertain me again another day. Best channel cat I’ve caught on a fly.

Re: PB Channel Cat [Re: Jim Ford] #13566137 05/21/20 01:22 PM
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Osbornfishing Online Content
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That is a nice fish. In fact, it would have been the catch and release state record if you had the right documentation. OMG

Re: PB Channel Cat [Re: Jim Ford] #13566444 05/21/20 05:43 PM
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J-Moe Offline
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Originally Posted by Jim Ford
Tuesday I was at a 5 1/2 acre pond looking for a safe that had possibly been dumped by burglars. Since it was my day off I grabbed some heavy Clousers and the six weight. There are supposed to be some big cats in there. After probing for the safe (too much vegetation for sonar) I started dredging with the fly. Caught a few bass and 1 - 2 pound cats, then got slammed. It ran me way down into the backing and kept wadding me up in grass. I figured that it’d shake the barbless hook in the grass. After about twenty minutes of dragging my kayak around I began getting glimpses of it. It took over 35 minutes, but I landed a 36 1/2” channel cat; a fat slob of a fish. It was hooked deep in the throat, but the barbless hook came out easily. I had no scale, but it was easily over 25 pounds. Swam off fat and sassy, ready to entertain me again another day. Best channel cat I’ve caught on a fly.


Awesome!!! Well done fighting him out of that vegetation.

Re: PB Channel Cat [Re: Osbornfishing] #13566449 05/21/20 05:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Osbornfishing
That is a nice fish. In fact, it would have been the catch and release state record if you had the right documentation. OMG


I thought catch and release records only applied to public water bodies.

Re: PB Channel Cat [Re: J-Moe] #13566616 05/21/20 07:50 PM
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Originally Posted by J-Moe
Originally Posted by Osbornfishing
That is a nice fish. In fact, it would have been the catch and release state record if you had the right documentation. OMG


I thought catch and release records only applied to public water bodies.


You are correct. I thought maybe it was a public pond. If it was a private waterbody, then there is not a catch and release category. There is a private waterbody record by weight and it probably would have exceeded the current fly fishing record of 11.96 pound (28.0 inches).

Re: PB Channel Cat [Re: Jim Ford] #13566638 05/21/20 08:07 PM
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Jim Ford Offline OP
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I have caught several fish over the years that would have been records. All were released. I'm not really interested in the recognition; I'd rather see the fish released (and not have to go through the bother). Nothing against folks who seek it; it's just not me. I got the fight. That's all I wanted. That and the memory.

Re: PB Channel Cat [Re: Jim Ford] #13566726 05/21/20 09:14 PM
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Originally Posted by Jim Ford
I have caught several fish over the years that would have been records. All were released. I'm not really interested in the recognition; I'd rather see the fish released (and not have to go through the bother). Nothing against folks who seek it; it's just not me. I got the fight. That's all I wanted. That and the memory.


Excellent post. I would have love to have seen that fish. And it is great that you let it go. Thirty-five minutes pulling hard on a fly rod is a long time.

Re: PB Channel Cat [Re: Jim Ford] #13566836 05/21/20 10:55 PM
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Jim Ford Offline OP
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Thank you, sir. Kind of you to say that.

Re: PB Channel Cat [Re: Jim Ford] #13576813 05/30/20 11:16 PM
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Hey Jim, can you show us how you tied that stinkbait fly?

Larry

Re: PB Channel Cat [Re: Jim Ford] #13576873 05/31/20 12:50 AM
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Jim Ford Offline OP
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Larry, the secret is to put your marabou in a bucket, cover it with water, and leave it in the sun for a week before tying a fly with it. Have a fan blowing on your bench and stay upwind of the vise.

Re: PB Channel Cat [Re: Jim Ford] #13577911 06/01/20 02:44 AM
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Thanks for the tying information. I will have to try that the next time I've had too many beers. Do you think wearing a medical mask coated in Vicks Vaporub would help with the tying? Oh, and by the way, you have been torturing me with pics of Rios for several years; don't start sending me pics of whisker fish now.

Larry

Re: PB Channel Cat [Re: Jim Ford] #13577984 06/01/20 04:55 AM
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Awesome post. "FIGHT of a LIFETIME" boxing



Side Note: Congratulations on the PB! cheers


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