Thanks, Chris.

No cloud cover but a fairly stiff breeze and white caps, gusting to 25mph. Enough to make me drool after a center console! haha!

I targeted the exact areas you suggested - just north of the island west of the dam, just drifting back and forth between the north and south sides. Again, thanks so much as I was clueless and the deeper waters that I was targeting previously was a complete dud.

Thanks for the heads up re white bass. Good job I threw them back.





Thank you, Tim!

I am hooked on the cat fishing, that's for sure.

Q. why is it every time I looked away to grab a drink or a bite to eat the rod would go crazy? lol

Keep up the good work! Like you, I am still thrilled with a day full of dinks and eaters... just want to catch fish! Just want to know that I am doing the right thing to find fish and catch fish. Learning!

One of these days I will grow up and be a big boy like Chris and Tim! LOL

Tight lines!
Ken

I still like catching eaters too Ken especially when my son is excited about catching them. Brings me a ton of joy doing it!! Catching big fish is a different feeling all together. It’s more about the adrenaline rush and the challenges that it presents than it is the joy. Super high peaks and the valleys are deep. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat! Trophy Catn makes you feel terrible and on top of the world and this roller coaster of emotions can happen all in 1 trip.

You know guys, Chris' tag line about there being a fine line between fishing and floating around like an idiot is true. Some days we fish, some days we're that idiot. When you get out there and the conditions are right and the fish are hungry it is definitely a mountain top. And when you hook a toad and then snag, it is agony. That can all happen in a few minutes! And that gentlemen is why blue cat'n is a sport second to none. I am thrilled that I can be even just a little bit helpful to anybody who wants to learn about blue cat'n. So happy to be a part of the TFF fam...

Another day, another dollar.

Being retired Mondays are treasured. Quiet at the lake post the weekend shenanigans. So another trip up to Lake Ray Roberts.

It's a beautiful day, and no one around.





I couldn't catch any bait, both at Lavon yesterday and at the lake this morning, so frozen Shad and chicken breast on board.



I went to the same stretch that El Gato had tipped me on, shallow area north of the island west of the dam, drifting in the light winds trying to hit the ledges.



I was soon into fish, both baits, just small dinks but hey ho, I'm catching!



Then a big bite that bent my rod double.



A 21 inch Blue Cat, my biggest fish yet!

I don't know how much it weighed as the battery was dead oil my scales, and while I know its a small dink for most of you guys it bought a huge smile to my face. I am thinking at least 8 pounds??

As before the bite died soon after 10am, and not long after dragging my boat out the storms came rolling in.

A good day.

awesome

Way to go Bob! Persistence is the key to Bluecatn! Fish often and fish hard and the Blues will come!

Awesome. I like getting out during the week when I can too. It is a whole different world when the yacht club is at work... Reminds me of winter. That is by far the best time of year for blue cat'n. We are on the back half of August and the cool rains are coming soon. The bite will start getting better and better...

Like Chris said, time on the water is what it's all about. Tight lines brother.

PM sent

^ Jeff, thanks so much for the tips and the ramp info.

Well, after a few trips with empty bait nets I tried a different approach this morning. To the Lavon marina ramp at 0500, armed with a bigger net and thought I would try parking my truck on the ramp with the headlights pointing at the water. To point out zero boats around and a plan to move rapidly if any arrived.

I waited 10 minutes and then success. A ton of bait, mainly small Shad but a few decent ones and done good size Bluegill. Probably enough bait for 2 days,

I finally figured out you have to ‘swing’ the net, letting it twist and rotate as it hits the water. I screw up every 1/3 cast, and the net falls in an egg shape, but hey ho much better this time.

This week heading out to catch me some Bluecats…. fingers crossed.

Another trip to Lake Ray Bob and up at the lark to beat the heat.



That big ole moon was stunning! That is God's best work for sure.

I was so excited to get out I munched my Maccie D breakfast in the boat on the way out.

I had some good tips from y'all (Azul, Tim and JeffroNBZ), and had just sprang for the Navionics app (thanks iFloat) and man that app is great!





I also caught some good bait yesterday with my new bigger cast net, some good size shad and bluegill that I cut up as bait, and also some chicken breast. Wind started out at 10mph from the south, and shifted to the SE and increased to 15 mph. I was drifting at 0.5 mph, on the ledges and dips in <25 feet. I didn't see much bait around.

Not a nibble.

Nada, zilch.

I fished for 4 hours, moving every 30 minutes or so, but nothing.

Oh well, that's why they call it fishing not catching!



Still better than working!

(note: I also fitted some trailer steps to my boat, and used them for the first time. I highly recommend them for anyone who is old enough for their bones to creak getting on and off their boat)

That’s fishing Bob. We moved off mid lake structure a couple of weeks ago and have been fishing the flats in 20 ft. I generally do that this time of year as the sandbass that were on the structure feeding move out into open water chasing threadfin and the cats that follow them around are often suspended and are more difficult to locate and require a suspended rig to catch them. These fish are often out in 50-60 ft of water on my lake suspended 20-30 ft off the bottom just above the Thermocline. This generally happens every year around August and September and when it does I usually move off that structure and out of the Thermocline areas. To locate fish I follow the channels north staying out of the Thermocline, scanning with side scan sonar until I locate the bait concentrations with fish around them. Bluecatn ain’t easy and the patterns are ever changing.

It aint easy, but it's easier when you have access to the blue cat'n encyclopedia aka El Gato Azul!

Thanks guys.

I guess I was a day late and a dollar short then...

So I think you are saying you are suspending the baits down 30 feet in 60+ feet of water. Got it. If I don't get any luck on the flat's I will try that for sure. I am heading back out on Thursday with a guy from church. It's his first trip fishing on a boat for (quote) 'a long long time', and told me he will be happy just spending time on the water.

The good news is I caught some good size bait in my net this morning, shad from 2 - 5 inches.



Funny story.
First cast with my new bigger cast net at the ramp this morning and a perfect circular cast. I go to pull it in and [censored], I forgot to put it around my wrist....doh!

So I go in swimming and retrieve it. Success! I got my net back and some good bait!

I wont do that in a hurry again.

I’m saying those suspended fish are harder to catch. They are on the move snd don’t stay in an area for long Bob. I move to the flats when those groups of fish go pelagic. If you find fish suspended on the graph you can drop your lines down to the depth your marking them but the biggest problem is they are constantly moving and staying on them is next to impossible. If your seeing sandbass up on top of the water out deep in open water then these are those groups. They are constantly on the move and hard to stay on for very long.