I will be posting my monthly catfish calendar in this topic thread, as someone suggested back in June. I just have not had a lot of time. I am still trying to find how I did it earlier in another thread with June & July months, in order for it not to get scrambled up. I have it in an <.rtf> format & when pasting it in other types of format, it can reshift around.

Lynn�s Catfish Calendar- August 2010
Sunday / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday
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1 ZIP | 2 ZIP | 3 BC | 4 BC | 5 ZIP | 6 ZIP | 7 BFT
8 BFT | 9 ZIP | 10 ZIP | 11 ZIP | 12 BC | 13 BC | 14 ZIP
15 ZIP | 16 BFT | 17 BFT | 18 ZIP | 19 ZIP | 20 ZIP | 21 BFT
22 BFT | 23 YC | 24 YC | 25 YC | 26 YC | 27 YC | 28 ZIP
29 ZIP | 30 BC | 31 BC

We will hope for the best to see if it does not scramble it.

OK, not bad, but I can't stretch them out to be directly under the particular days.

You will need the KEY to decipher the 4 types of days, along with a few basic tips.


Lynn�s Catfish Calendar- KEY:
YC = YellowCat // BC = BlueCat // BFT = Buffet (assorted) // ZIP = Zip (not very good)
Tip- Always bait out lines the night before a YC or BC day.
Tip- Gator Gars run ahead of YellowCats, so bait out late (between 11 PM to 1 AM).
Tip- BlueCats also bite good on YC days, but you can rack �em up on BC days.
Tip- Some variations or alterations are due to weather or other external influences.
Tip- For Rod-n-Reelers, use Solunar Tables (etc.) also for best times with my calendar.

And here was the June & July catfish calendars in case you wish to look back & compare your catches to. Remember that Rod-n-Reeling is slightly different. But you can master the calender to increase the volume of your catches.


Lynn�s Catfish Calendar- June 2010
Sunday / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday
| 1 BFT | 2 BFT | 3 BFT | 4 BFT | 5 YC
6 YC | 7 ZIP | 8 ZIP | 9 ZIP | 10 ZIP | 11 ZIP | 12 ZIP
13 ZIP | 14 BFT | 15 ZIP | 16 ZIP | 17 YC | 18 BC | 19 BC
20 ZIP | 21 ZIP | 22 BFT | 23 YC | 24 YC | 25 BC | 26 BC
27 BFT | 28 BFT | 29 BFT | 30 BFT


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Lynn�s Catfish Calendar- July 2010
Sunday / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| 1 BFT | 2 YC | 3 YC
4 YC | 5 ZIP | 6 ZIP | 7 BC | 8 BC | 9 ZIP | 10 ZIP
11 BFT | 12 BFT | 13 ZIP | 14 ZIP | 15 BC | 16 BC | 17 ZIP
18 ZIP | 19 BFT | 20 BFT | 21 BFT | 22 BC | 23 BC | 24 BFT
25 BFT | 26 BFT | 27 YC | 28 YC | 29 YC | 30 YC | 31 YC

thx lynn great post im sure this will help alot of people

In order to give a little bit of background & understanding to my Catfish Calendar, here is an article I shared back in 2008. There is a part 2, which helps to understand the logistics or statistics (the numbers game). I have several briefs out there that I have shared, but I will try to compile one (a part 2) to assist in helping Rod-n-Reelers to get maximumn usage of the calendar. I have divided it up into 3 sections as I am not sure what the Forum format can hold in one reply.

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LCC article, Part 1 of 3:

Lynn's Catfish Calendar article as found in the Central Texas Catfish (CTC) May 2008 issue:
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Lynn's Catfish Calendar

by H. Lynn Herrmann aka "Catfish"

My name is Lynn and I admit that I have a serious problem, I love catfishin'. It seems I was raised to fish for catfish. But at the same time, I also seem to love research. Let me do a quick survey of you out there. Hmm, from what I see & understand, you too have this problem by the show of raised hands, speaking of catfishin', regardless of the method used.

I am what you call from the branch, or method, of those termed "trotliners". I set trotlines, throwlines, jugkines, set hooks, and limb lines. You might also call me a River Rat, as I grew up & fished 3 main rivers near my location of Bryan, Texas- the Navasota, Brazos, and the Trinity Rivers. As to Rod-n-Reeling, I still have not gotten the hang of it. I usually set the Rod-n-Reel out, baited & on a rod holder, then go bait the lines up. When I get back, most of the time I pull a catfish off upon my return. So the idea upon only rod-n-reeling in a catfish contest takes some time to learn. But I need to start sharing of what I have learned, been taught, and found in my 30 or so years of getting intense on what we call, the Catfish. If I don't, a lot of secrets & research findings will be sadly lost.

What if you were given an inside tip on how to bring up the volume of your catches, if you only knew when those Yellows or Blues would be biting? I might be able to help you then.

Today we'll start off sharing some of those findings and research with my Catfish Calendar, which can help you if you fish for our favorite we call catfish. Now I realize you may be just a Rod-n-Reeler, and if so, you will need to do some experimenting with it, but I'm sure you will master it. I guess I better back up a year or two from my realization that there truly is a pattern to the Catfish (Yellows & Blues). It was from the years 1979-1980 that I was blessed to have two independent YellowCat Catfishermen teach me their secrets & findings. They were Newt & Olen. I worked with Newt, as to how we knew each other. As for Olen, we lived in the same apartment complex. Sadly, Newt has headed on to that greater Catfish Heaven. But Olen is still going strong & itching to try my Catfish Calendar, as we bumped into each other last year. We hope to get together soon. He was tickled pink, as to my findings, since our pathways have separated some 27 years or so.

As I have noted, both of these fine Catfishermen were willing to share secrets they had been given and also learned along their path. It started with their favorite catch- the YellowCat (of which an Op or Opelousas is of the same family). In my research, I have used YC to denote either one. But I have two names to describe them. One I call a Plain Jane, meaning one without spots. They usually are slimmer & more pliable, less muscular. The Op is spotty or splotchy on the top of the head and back, tends to be shorter & stockier and much more powerful. If I were to use intitials, it would be PJ or OP.

It was back in 1981 thru 1982 that I worked for an oil well service company, in their cementing division. Well, we had assigned days off, which I used for, how did you guess, catfishin'. The way I did it, was set out lines, rebait them on my first day off & run them the next day. And leave the lines out, for the next week's run. It was simple enough. My days off were unique. The pattern was 7 days on, 2 days off, 7 on, 2 off, 7 on, then 3 off (a weekend), and then the cycle started over.

Now mind you that even after my two YellowCat instructors had taught me, I still was not catching YellowCats to any degree. That is, until I was fishing during 1981 thru 1982 with those weird patterned days off.

I was fishing on the Navasota River at the time from April until July in 1981, when it seems I started catching YellowCats on some of my days off. I think the largest was 13 or 14#. Nevertheless, I was finally catching this elusive Cat. It was towards the end of July that I shifted fishing to another river. Several excursions were weather threatening, like once my first wife & I were there, we got caught in a lightning storm. We beached the boat & got out of the open "target" area for awhile until it passed over.

...

LCC article, Part 2 of 3:

Then all of a sudden, I was finally starting to catch YellowCats in the same way, but now on the Brazos River in August 1981 just a few weeks before my Daughter was born. A friend's Dad & I camped overnight on a gravel bed, and I caught 5 Yellows (of the PJ variety) during the evening, the largest being a 15#. The next week, I decided to put out another line. I set it out, but not the original way planned, as I had left my special trotline at home. So I had to rig another one up with several throwlines tied together. The next day, I was delayed doing other things, so it was late in the afternoon between 3 & 4 PM when I arrived at the Rockwall to check my lines & this new line. It was hung as it passed the shelf underwater, and I had to use the side of the boat rocking it, until it finally gave or broke. I thought, Man, I waiting too long to get here, I should have had one, as I felt no tug. About that time, the so-called loose line, now took some very good dives & tugs and I realized I had a very nice one. And I was correct, as it weighed 28#. It was a PJ type of YC.

It was after this, that I began to reflect on the past few months of all of the YellowCats I had been catching. I had to wonder, and believe me, I did, what on earth had changed. YellowCats had remained elusive to me until just now. What changed? And that is when I probably really & truly kept records because I knew I had stumbled into something. Some kind of pattern was involved here & I aimed to investigate it further. Did it have to do with my weird patterned days off? Somehow it must be related, as I hadn't changed much things since learning from my two instructors, as before this twist, no Yellows period.

A job change and then back on to the regular schedule of working Monday thru Friday, perhaps a part of Saturday here & there occupied the first part of 1982, and my YellowCat luck seemed to have played out, as I think I had a few random hits. So I knew it must have something to do with those patterned days off. It was sometime between April & June I was handed a fishing calendar by a vendor salesman. That started making me wonder if someone else had run into this pattern. So I studied out the calendar, planned a trategy, but due to a new daughter, a job change, and my family moving to another edition, I did not have the time to really confirm my theory.

The strategy would not get placed into action until the summer of 1983. My Father-in-law (of my first wife) also liked to catfish, and was now located in Madisonville. He had obtained the OK for us to get access to a place on the Trinity River from a Church friend he knew. So I had repairs done on the boat, fixed up an assortment of lines, as well as camping gear, and getting ready to tackle it head on. In August 1983, I was almost jerked out of the boat by one I nicknamed "Big 'Un". I had a feeling it was a big Yellow & used the calendar to pursue her until July 1985, finally winning the battle with that 60+ pound Op. That story another time. From the early summer 1983 thru April 1986 I used the calendar to figure when to take my one week vacations (as to Yellows & Blues), as well as run the lines on most weekends. With that time, I was able to confirm that my theory was correct, at least on the rivers. And I guess luckily, I was given the correct fishing calendar that helped in the confirmation. It seems there are many different ones available. Some cross paths, but are not the same. I guess we can give thanks it was the one that really works when I plugged it in on with catfish (Yellows & Blues), or I would not be writing this article, or the book & video, or making the catfish calendar.

I was not able to do anymore research on the calendar until 1995-1996, but only briefly, due to a dissolved marriage & other research. I had always wondered if it worked as well on lakes, as it had on the Rivers for me. Plus I had even come up with a special design for a trotline to put out in the middle of the lake, back in 1984 or 1985, and even shared the details with a Game Warden. I asked if it was legal (the trotline, not the calendar). His reply was, I don't see why not. But then again, I was still fishing on the rivers.

So more time went by, until my Brother-in-law passed away in January 2002. My sister decided to get the family together that July 4th holiday at Fort Parker Lake. But things changed & she scrambled for us another place to go. She found a place called Running Branch Marina on the west side of Lake Limestone which had very few vacancies left. Once there, the friendly folks & atmosphere hooked us. After our Thanksgiving Run (2002) there produced more than a freezer full of a catfish, we knew this was the place for us. We had to buy another freezer. Since then, Darrell & Nancy have been like family there at RB on Lake Limestone. The Thanksgiving Run (2003) could have been a disaster as my motor conked out that Wednesday night getting the boat off the trailer, but thanks to Darrell, he took me out once a day and helped me run the lines. Well, what can I say, we had to yet buy another freezer due to that trip. And I finally have been able to finish up my catfish calendar research, as well as the trotline design & finally get the kinks out of it. Running Branch, Darrell, Nancy, Troy, and Ronnie have helped to make this portion of research a success. I have confirmed that the catfish calendar works on lakes, as it does on the rivers. And in the past 2 years, have shared with a few concerning it. I want to thank Jeff, James & Elvin who come to Limestone for finally trying it out there at RB. Last year, their 4th Yellow (in less than 30 days) weighed in at 62.4# (an interesting grayish looking Op). Of 3 this past month (in March 2008), one was 38.9# & the other 28.5#. As I am writing this, Jeff & James are out trying to score another YC, as they now know the calendar works.

...

How do you calculate this thing? I have seen it before and wondered where you get this from. Never mind, I posted that right as you posted your article.

LCC article, Part 3 of 3:

On another note, I also want to thank Albert up in Oklahoma, as he has tried it out on BlueCats (BC) and as to what he shared, obviously it works there too. When I sent him another couple of months of the calendar last year, his words were (as to BlueCats), "Thanks in advance for the calendar... it just plain WORKS!" I guess I need to assist him a bit on the Yellows, so he can too claim that he has finally started catching them as well, as I have done with Jeff, James & Elvin.

The Calendar works for Yellows & Blues. I never actually focused on ChannelCats (CC) or MudCats (MC) [Bullheads], so I still can't say for sure about them. It does seem that the Channels bite better on YC & BC days, comparing to BFT & ZIP days. As to Crappie, a few co-workers are helping me to keep tabs on their results to see if we can nail their pattern down.

I have divided the Catfish Calendar days into 4 main types, which I signify by initials. YC is simply YellowCat. BC is BlueCat. BFT is Buffet. And ZIP is, well you get the idea. On the YC days, the YellowCats definitely bite, and if you are running lines, you might bait up the night before or around Midnight, even if it is a ZIP day in front of a YC or BC day. The Yellows tend to bite real early sometimes (before 10 AM). You can also catch some nice Blues on YC days as well. And I might add that the Gator Gars tend to run your lines just ahead of the Yellows (I have found this too in my research). So for this reason, I usually rebait between 11 PM & 1 AM, hoping the Gator Gars have already had their run. On the BC days, this is when you can rack up on Blues. As for the BFT or Buffet days, it seems I tend to catch a variety of fish, and not all are catfish. And for those ZIP days, I use them for redoing lines, fish cleaning, working on camp, or fish fries. Can you catch any on those ZIP days? Yes, but it is very tough, or certain conditions may have caused a flux in their feeding pattern.

You have to also consider other factors that may inhibit or alter the feeding pattern which can cause a shift. For a river, such things as flooding, a fast rise or fast drop. For a lake, flooding, pumping out a lot of water at the dam, thermocline, and winds. Last month, our YellowCat hopes were shattered as the Wind shifted & came out of the East. When I first started fishing at RB, Darrell, used to say "Wind out of the West, the fish bite the best; Wind out of the East, the fish bite the least." After 6 years, I can say that does work exactly as it says. The fish seem to turn off or turn down very much, as to biting when the East wind prevails. One ACATS colleague, back in May 2007 after the tourney at RB, added that his Grandfather also said that when the cattle lay down, the fish don't bite. He said he had observed it, and it was definitely true. So I glance at Darrell & Nancy's cattle as I head out to see what they are doing. The rivers rising or dropping fast, is the same as a lake pumping out a great amount of water. It affects the pressure which a catfish is very sensitive to. One BC weekend at RB, the calendar, wind, and such was perfect, but hardly any fish to show for it. I shrugged my shoulders as to why so little of a catch. As I left, Darrell said, You know, there pumping out a lot of water. Then it clicked & I realized that was the kill switch.

Many at Running Branch call me "Catfish" and some constantly ask what does the calendar say (including Crappie fisherman) when I am there. Some kids call me "Catfish man". I take it all in stride. I have even had my entourage of young catfish cleaners at the Fish Cleaning Table there at RB, and the pictures to prove it (speaking of 5 to 8 year olds, boys & girls). I probably would catch much more & even bigger ones, except I am still researching. I don't get jealous when a student catches one bigger than me, actually I am tickled pink because it just proves my research results have been correct. And there is nothing greater than sharing & someone else succeeding too.

So be sure & let CTC or me know of your success with my catfish calendar. I have given the May & June dates and hope to send two months at a time, if CTC wishes, so they can be shared. And you can start raising the volume of your catches. Perhaps even hold that larger fish fry you had always hoped for. If you catch me at Running Branch while I am camping, you can expect I will do a fish fry after dark, and I never turn anyone away. We are all family here. I even share my frying tips when frying.

Until the next share, here's to CTC (Catfish Texas Catfish) who are keeping a good thing going!!!

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OK, I'll rest my keyboard fingers for now.

Good story, thanks for posting all of that.

Original info, Great Tip's, Thank you for taking the time.
Tight Lines.

A Sidenote,

Last year, I managed to finish the 2010 RTF <.rtf format> catfish calendars (all 12 months) by 10-10-09 & emailed a copy to Jody (now Tournament Director of Central Texas Catfish) & Gene (the former President of CTC). But I have been curtailed & siderailed again & again from putting the printed version together, compared to last year (2009). The 2009 Collector's Edition (each was numbered) was completed & printed copies were available within a few days. The first original 10 copies were printed on 4-29-09 & I found two bloopers, so I had to fix my 2 misprints.

I have just completed taking all of the data & typing it into the calendar program & now have each month (2010) in calendar (Print Shop) format & PDF (Adobe). I will be gathering up color pics & writing captions (brief stories about each one) this week & hopefully finish by this weekend (end). I will also have a brief on the calendar & some new updates & tips. Then next week, gather all of it & head down to the Copy Center, as I found a way to print them cheaper when only doing 10 at a time. Even though the 2010 is super late, it will be the Nostalgia Edition going back to the 1980s. And there is still or will be at least 3 months to still reap the benefits of the catfish calendar. Everywhere I turn around, somebody's asking me, "Lynn, are the calendar's ready yet?" or "I've got some other fishing buddies & they want want one too as soon as they are ready". It just has not been my year as to getting projects completed on time.

For 2011, I am going to do it as soon as I map out the RTF version, so I can get them ready for those who want them or want them for gifts.

Also, I am looking to make a little pocket calendar sidekick, to take to the lake, at least to the campsite if not out in the boat. Might make it a bonus for the 2010 as I am so late, but have to see how much they will cost to print.

OUTSTANDING read!!! Thank you for this Lynn!

Glad a few of you are finally gettin' time to read the article which gives a brief overview of how I discovered the patterns involved. As many read it, then they realize that the calendar simply defines & highlights the general pattern & is not just a bunch of bull. And after you work the calendar for awhile, you will definitely see results.

I realize it is a lengthy read, but some things you just can't explain in a few paragraphs. I am hoping within a few weeks to have a general part 2 (or 2B) which will help those that only rod-n-reel to use the calendar to maximize their efforts. For running set lines (trotlines, limb lines, drop lines, and throwlines) is slightly different from juglines, if your drifting your jugs, and rod-n-reeling is different as well. With new technology & access to a boat, not only can you go out to the fish, but find them as well. A set line depends on them hanging around, being drawn back in by bait, or passing by on occasions, but rod-n-reeling can drop down their lunch or a good snack, right beside their mouth & eyes & smell factory.


Now as to a bad day fishin' is better than a good day workin', I agree. Sometimes you just gotta go for it. But with the calendar, you can map out your attack plan & hit 'em hard when they are on the roaming/feeding instinct. Who doesn't want to raise their volume on catches, regardless of you keeping them for food, or for just CPR (Catch, Photo, Release)?

Lynn do you have a website? If not PM me lol