I am also Mike C. and find your knoledge interesting. I myself am a serious catter and have studied the sicence of catfish and many other species. I find that the avrage "WEEKEND WARRIOR" just goes out to have fun. But serious catters are a whole other breed all togther. We are the ones that will spend their vacation time searching out old MR. WHISKERS and his grand daddy. As I said in my previous posting I will throw back anything under 30lbs and use 1lb bullheads for bait. I am very serious my sport and never give out all my secrets but I am willing to share good info to anybody if they need to know. Thanks for reading but it is almost 10pm and I am going to the lake. Old MR. Whiskers is calling me agin.

MRC, serious catters like you is what I wished everyone but me was. For you see, I throw back all kitties over about seven or eight pounds, unless they happen to be flat on the head.

My style of cat'n really isn't designed to catch big kitties. And, "Mean Gal" won't allow me to dedicate near as much time to my pursuit as I would so enjoy doing.

But, being around some of the kitty catchers on these boards....picking up a tid bit here, and just a tad there, has allowed me to learn some very interesting techniques to target larger kitties. I am going to make an effort to put some of these techniques into action soon.

But, for right now I'm still more interested in catching quantities of small eaters.

BTW: I just learned the "mudcat" information and fished with my first mudcats a couple of weeks ago. Then turned the remaining bait loose in my stock pond to hopefully have them reproduce me a regular supply of flathead bait.

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Mike
www.WhiskerKitty.com

MikeC, I also catch small ones for the table, but like to catch the big daddys for transplanting. If the big cat pop is low in pircitular lakes or ponds all it takes is 3 or 4 big breeders to get the gene in the running. After about 5 years the pop of breeders that grow big will increase improving the chance for big daddy to grow in places that are over fished. The gene in catfish is just like humans, some grow big and some stay small. The lack of fast growing fish in a lake may be due to bad gene's and therefor needs a new gene pool introduced. This is what me and my bud's have been doing for the last 18 years. We have noticed that where we were only catching small to medium size fish we are now catching larger fish on avarage. Local fisherman that we have talked to said that they also have been catching larger fish.

Now that is a useful application for big kitties IMHO....But, if you are doing this in Texas waters....Don't let the game warden catch you. If memory serves, transplanting fish in Texas waters is clearly defined as a no, no.

I admit, most of the big kitties I have caught in years past were either on jug lines or trot lines. Two methods I really no long care to use to fish with. I don't put folks down who do, it's just a personal choice of mine.

I like to feel that big boy on the end of a rod. I hung a 28 lb blue this last winter/early spring in about three foot of water on an ultra-light rod. I gotta admit whipping that big boy to he boat, giving him a big kiss and setting him free was the highlight of my cool weather fishing. I will repeat this more than once next winter I guarantee! This is why I say, up until now I really didn't care to catch big kitties. But, slowly my mind may be changing!

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Mike
www.WhiskerKitty.com

I have never heard that this is a no no. But all of the transplants are from private lake to private lake. I never use public water as a testing field. I also try not to fish large public water as there is usally too much traffic and too much overfishing. Thank you for your concern but the rules for public water do not pertain to private water. That is why you can not post a record caught in private water. There are a lot of private lakes that are untapped simply because nobody takes time to ask the owner if they can fish. When I do fish public water I never keep thoes fish because of the pollution from boats and people, it gives fish a nasty taste that I don't enjoy. Although it is alot of fun to fish big lakes and I enjoy talking with other angelers about their experence on thoes lakes. But fighting with waverunners and skiers is not my cup of tea. Rivers on the otherhand is something different all togther. The fish in rivers are usally bigger and more concentrated so you can do a varity of different style's of fishing. This is the water I love to fish and you can study the behavior alot more than in a big lake. There are many lakes that are thought of as public but are private. The owners just don't say anything because they want people to enjoy the good fishing in these waters.You usally have to go way out in the country to find these waters but when you do the fishing is on. Good luck and good fishing.

GOOD BYE FOREVER, REDNECK ruined the info station for all of you. I will no longer be avaible for information on this forum. Sorry to all of you out there but I can only stand to be bashed for so long and am going elsewhere to give my years of experence and insights.

MRC

If you took what I posted as a "bash" then you have sorely misunderstood, simply stating a point.

Ask around and you will find that I am very easygoing and easy to get along with, I joke a lot also and did no other than reiterate a point made by another user.

Sorry to see you go, but watch your head on the way out

Redneck

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The Texas Catfishing Resource
www.whiskerkitty.com

Chad, you are far too nice. I would have to tell a whiner like this to watch his back door on the way out.

I've been posting on Internet boards for years now and have run across some thin skinned folks, but this one clearly has to take the cake.

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Mike
www.WhiskerKitty.com

I just spent 8 hours on a public lake today and saw 0 jet skis and 0 water skiers? And does Catching a big fish in a 1-2 acre lake require as much effort or skill as searching one out in 20,000 acres plus?

Jerry www.LakeLavonguideService.com

JERRY MIKE AND CHAD HI MEN,,WENT FISHING RC TODAY .CAUGHT PLENTY OF BLUES AFTER 12 1-3 FEET OF WATER RIGHT SMACK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE TREES..MY LARGEST BEING 19.12 SMALLEST 5.5.NOT BAD MEN , AND JERRY BROKE MY FIRST FALCON ROD MY HEAVY DUTY ,SEEN THE ROD TIP MOVE AND SET THE HOOK AND SNAP,STILL FOUGHT IT FOR A WHILE BEFORE THE HOOK CAME OUT..FUN LARRY ...THEY ARE BITING IN THE HEAVY COVER MIDDLE OF THE DAY (FOR 2 WEEKS NOW)1-3 FEET

Spilr1,

Are you using shad for bait?

thnx,
rog

MikeC, Once agin here you are. Is this all you do? If you spent half as much time on the water as you do on the computer you might know where I am comming from. You, for sure have gotten most of your fishing experence out of bass masters mag. Or mabey you have a fishing vido game. I don't know, but if you were a serious catter you sure would not use somthing so cute as KITTY to describe yourself or your sport. JERRY, as for your comments it takes more skill in a smaller lake than a large compound. For one, the fish are more shy and you would not catch fish where I fish. Big lakes are easy, you bait and cast. There is no skill requried, set up shop on the bank or find them of a locator. In small compounds you must use finess and cunning. The fish hear you from 100yds away and will find a hiding spot. That is where the skill comes in, you must coax big daddy out with sevral techniques. It takes more planning and resourcefulness and stradgity to land cat's in small lakes. Their food source in small lakes is more abundant so just wetting a line won't cut it. You must use all your skills and you still may come up with one or two. Try it sometime and you will see just how tough it is.

USING DANNY KING PUNCH BAIT ..LARRY

Larry, you keep reporting catches like this and I may be back to RC quicker than I intended!

Sounds like you had a most productive day!

BTW: Tell old Danny to keep those import rods he has been waiting on forever and get you one of these CountryKat Custom Rods like Jerry, Chad, and I have. Then you won't be concerned about breaking a rod again!

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Mike
www.WhiskerKitty.com

Is stradgity some new technique you can enlighten me on or are you speaking of strategy?