Gonna go for about an hour or two tomorrow morning. Should the bite be on around 715am ornare they gonna wait for the humidity to drop.

I's BC (BlueCat) for Monday, but you also have a cool front & possible rain & stormy conditions (here it is to hit around 3 AM). I would assume the pressure will drop as it hits. Normal Rod-n-Reelers will head off the lake for storms as they hit. But set lines are still out working & reveal they bit real good as the storm hits (a little ahead, during, and a little afterwards).

The one thing I would worry about is high winds, especially if in a boat. I know they listed a Wind Warning Advisory for Lee county until Noon Monday.

Usually, Cats go wild on feeding as a storm blows in and/or rains. Temperature drop also makes 'em frisky. Here it is to drop 20 degrees, plus wind chill.

Also, BC days are still on the Catfish Calender Tues/Wed/Thurs (1st/2nd/3rd), which reminds me, I need to post the March 2011 calendar.

I'm gonna be bank fishing into a channel. Maybe this wind will keep the damn wake boarders away from the good catfish holes.

Thanks for the reply, I've been using your calendar the past couple weeks and just hammering skillet sized cats.

Here's March 2011---

Lynn's Catfish Calendar- March 2011
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Sunday / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
XXXX | XXXX | 1 BC | 2 BC | 3 BC | 4 BFT | 5 BFT
6 BFT | 7 ZIP | 8 ZIP | 9 BC | 10 BC | 11 ZIP | 12 ZIP
13 YC | 14 YC | 15 ZIP | 16 BC | 17 BFT | 18 BFT | 19 BFT
20 BC | 21 BC | 22 YC | 23 BFT | 24 ZIP | 25 ZIP | 26 ZIP
27 BC | 28 BC | 29 BFT | 30 BFT | 31 BFT |
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Catfish Lynn,
What is your calendar based on? This may have been asked before. Just curious what method was used to determine what species were going to bite or not bite. I do understand weather can change any day to a good or bad day regaurdless of moon phase and such.

Hi Tim,

Sorry I did not see this last night (or actually early this AM).

It is based on a myriad of things. I will try to send you late Wednesday night a copy of my brief intro to the calendar & how I discovered it (or stumbled into it, perhaps led into it), if the PM system allows that big of sidenotes. I shared it (the brief) first with Central Texas Catfish. It was published/printed in the May 2008 issue (28 page magazine/newsletter).

lately I have coined a term which I think suits it best, in order to help others understand to what it truly focuses on. It is what I call a "Roam/Feed" pattern. This helps to identify that the fish are on the roam to feed.

Everything in the physical, mental, and spiritual universes (or aspects) is/are numbered. And there are patterns behind everything, which in a sense, you might say are "sequenced". It is merely a matter of learning to observe & mapping these patterns so that you can eventually find the basic underlying numerical pattern, be it as near to whole numbers as possible to help keep it simple. While the Quantum Theory indicates randomness, perhaps chaos, and the observer affecting the observed, these 3 things are true, but are only at a level of observation say if you drilled only 6 feet into something that is actually 100 feet deep. So you only get a relative view according to the depth from which you drilled. While a 6 feet core specimen may seem to show certain actions, it is merely the surface to much greater depth. Einstein & I realize that God does not (did not & will not) throw dice. Everything is set in its proper place accordingly.

One reason that the Catfish Calendar works so well on set lines, is that the lines (with exception are juglines, if they are very mobile) are exactly that- Set. Most, once set, stay there until you move them. Therefore, for the most part, the Cats have to roam when they feed, in order to find your lines (even if they are drawn by the smell or sound of your bait.

The Catfish Calendar mainly focuse upon Yellows & Blues, as that was/is what I mainly researched/am researching. The Catfish Calendar was discovered by me. I did not create it (the patterns).

Like a mult-faceted diamond, I have only shared the simplest version of explanations concerning it. There are many facets & observations that I have not shared. Two reasons: to keep it simple & because certain things I have kept in reserve, so that if anybody ever wants to try & claim it is their finding, I have proof to show otherwise. I have spent a great deal of time researching the calendar over the years. Time that I could have spent researching many other things.

Time for April already, yet the March winds are still driving us all crazy.

Sorry for delay on my end. Have been working a lot at work & home, so my spare time has been really thin.

Hope you are all doing fine! Or as Best as can be! I guess you realize that gas prices are heading up once again. For some of us, that affects how many fishing trips, as well as how long to run the boat once there. This is one area that the calendar helps in, to get the best volume, as to keying in on when they are biting better. Nowadays, as prices are rising across the board, we all want to stretch our dollar as far as possible. Or in slang, we wish for the best bang from our buck.


If you missed it, the full size 2011 Catfish Calendar is & has been available. Copies are $13 (my cost to get printed is from $12.50 to $13). Obviously I am not out gaining profit, as the gas costs to get them printed surpasses that possible 50 cents variable. For mailing costs, it is $2 each (ranges from $1.50+ to $2.25). You can also order copies of the 2010 Nostalgic Edition. And the first year, the 2009 Collector's Edition is also available. Same price goes for the 2010 & 2009 as you might want to have all 3.

Adam & Casey at OfficeMax's IMPress have been working with me to get together a pocket mini-calender that was affordable (cheap), yet versatile, and not costly to replace if need be. So here is what we came up with. We are getting 4 per full page. So the reduction size is 1/4th (25%), actually I guess 1/8th (12.5%) as that Quarter size uis a foldover with 2 on. We are calling it the "2011 mini-cal". It is set up as a booklet format, meaning that the pages are folded in center. Two staples in the center fold. Folded size is 4" x 2.5" & about 1/16th inch in thickness. They are B/W (no color) with black water resistant ink on gloss coat paper stock. By these two factors, they are more water resistant. However, they are not waterproof. They have the reduced 2011 full calendar cover shot which is 16 photos (in 4 sections of 4 pics). Inside, behind the cover, is the Catfish Calendar KEY. Then from there, the 12 months of just the basic catfish calendar follow. No pic/caption-story pages, nor the 2 page write-up with updates & tips. Just the basics. The inside & outside of the back cover page are blank for notes & such. And there is a clear plastic cover to help preserve it as best as can be. I also had 20 printed without the clear plastic cover & tried it in my pocket at work. After tinkering with them, we will stick with plastic cover, as it help to protect from getting folded pages or corners.

The one catch is that you will have to buy at least one of the full-size 2011 catfish calendar in order to get the 2011 "mini-cal". But once you have acquired (or in the process of ordering it) just one full size calendar, then you can order (in with the full size or later separately) as many of the "mini-cal"'s as you want. Your cost is $1 each, postage is included. You cannot beat that deal. What's the reason for the "mini-cal"? One example is you can take them out on the lake, so you can discuss your next fishing trips with your fishing buddies by having access to the catfish calendar easily out on the water, or at camp, or even at work. This way you don't have to carry around the full size calendar out in the boat & take a chance of it getting wet. But you can take it in the truck or car to show it off. If you by chance get the "mini-cal" soaked, it's only a $1 to replace, even by mail, so I think we really did good due to budget crunches nowadays.

****Please note that further clarification on purchasing the full size & the "mini-cal" calendars is about 3 posts following this one- see #6036721 dated 4-6-11.****

Since we were already planning to be at RB on Lake Limestone for the CTC April 16th Tourney (which has been cancelled), and I have a big fish fry the following Friday PM (22nd), I decided to still fish that weekend (16th/17th). But instead of arriving Friday night (4-15), it will be Saturday morning (16th) instead. We will rebait & redate all lines (including the big water). Finally!!! Run them again Saturday PM, spend the night & hit it again Sunday AM (17th). 15th-BFT/ 16th- BC/ 17th- BC. My reasoning is simple. Of course it is a 2 day BC run. The other is that instead of pulling frozen fish out of the freezer, having to thaw them out, & get them ready for the fish fry, it would be much easier to use fresh fish I am processing. This will cut out a lot of steps & save me a great deal of time (& sleep).

Looking ahead into May ...
Since the MD Trip (Memorial Day) seems to a flop fishing-wise as to the calendar (Fri 27th- YC/ Sat 28th- ZIP/ Sun 29th- ZIP/ Mon 30th- ZIP), our plans are to take an early MD 3 day Trip, a new twist. In other words, I am opting for us to go the weekend before. It works out with the catfish calendar much better & just think, less traffic as to others on the main lake. What's the weekend before look like? Fri 20th- BC/ Sat 21st- BC/ Sun 22nd- BC / Mon 23rd-BFT. We will also pull the Big Water lines that Monday AM to get them off the main lake before thermocline gets really active. And beat the crowded holiday weekend, especially since that Monday is not a weekend day or a holiday. This is one way the calendar helps you to map out the best possible times.

Wishin' You the Best!
Be safe with all this wind!
Lynn
aka "Catfish"


April 2011 Catfish Calendar follows this post

And here's April ...

Lynn�s Catfish Calendar- April 2011
Sunday / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
-----------------------------------------------------------+| 1 BFT | 2 BFT
3 ZIP | 4 ZIP | 5 ZIP | 6 BC | 7 ZIP | 8 ZIP | 9 YC
10 YC | 11 ZIP | 12 ZIP | 13 ZIP | 14 BFT | 15 BFT | 16 BC
17 BC | 18 YC | 19 YC | 20 YC | 21 ZIP | 22 ZIP | 23 BC
24 BC | 25 BC | 26 BFT | 27 BFT. | 28 YC | 29 YC | 30 ZIP
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Here is the link to my August 7th, 2010 TFF thread which has my May 2008 Catfish Calendar article concerning Lynn's Catfish Calendar:

<http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/5176857/1>

Go down to posts/messages 6th, 7th, and 9th on page 1 there as to the brief article as to the Catfish Calendar (split into 3 portions due to size).

The article does not tell you everything, but here & there over time, I reveal a few other secrets of the calendar. I do not share everything, because I have not copyrighted it or anything to protect it legal-wise. But I keep enough in reserve to prove I am the original catfish calendar dude, should anybody ever try to claim they are.

My KEY is listed in the 3rd post of page 1 of this link also. As to my note for Rod-n-Reelers to use the Solunar Tables to assist as it is not the same as having set lines out 24/7, some swear by them, others swear at them.

Also the question has been raised as to ZIP days. Somewhere in this 2010 link or the new 2011 thread (you are in it at the moment), is a post or 2 that helps you understand that ZIP days are not the end of the world if you are stuck on fishing one of those days, as not all catfish follow this basic pattern. Some are, or run, rogue, meaning they follow an alternate pattern. But your percentages or volume will go down, unless of course you are Rod-n-Reeling on a school of rogue cats.

Channels & Bullheads I honestly have not researched, but it seems BFT (Buffet days) is when the Channels bite the best as to my results with set lines. My focus has been on Yellows & Blues.

3 ways to get the Catfish Calendar:
1) I post a month every month here on TFF. I try to post a day or 2 ahead, but don't always get too. FREE
2) You can get on my Catfish Calendar Crew by email & get the calendar by Quarters. FREE
3) You can buy the printed full year calendar for $13 (my cost rounded up to the next dollar) + $2 postage

I'll have to scan over my previous post as to the "mini-cals" & such, in case I made errors in wording. Meanwhile to clarify it better, here goes---

Clarification:

It is $13 per EACH full size printed calendar (2011 currently). It costs me at least $12.58 with taxes to get them printed. I rounded up to the next dollar just in case any of the paper or service costs go up, so I don't lose my shirt.

$2 is for postage on EACH full size calendar (which ranges from $1.50+ to $2.50 or more on my end). I eat the cost of the brown clasp envelope & usually pack it in bubble wrap so the element does not get squished or broken.

As for the "mini-cals", they are $1 EACH (postage included for EACH one). Since we added the plastic cover, I forget how much they were costing with taxes, so I hope I'm not losing my shirt in that one. But you must buy at least 1 of the full size calendars for that given year (2011 currently) 1st. See note a few paragraphs down.

The "mini-cal" is a reduced & stripped version of the full size calendar. None of it is in color, just in black water-resistant ink (but not waterproof). The pages are gloss coat which resists moisture more than regular paper. Size folded is 4"W x 2.5"H. It has the cover shot (pic/pics), Key is on the inside cover, then the basic 12 month catfish calendars & 2 blank pages that you can add notes if need be, along with a plastic cover. It is in a folded format with 2 staples. It is Designed to go easily into even a tight shirt pocket. Intention or purpose is to have very portable access to the catfish calendar while at work, on the road, while fishing, and so on. If you are out with the fishing buddies, you can all plan a good trip by having the calendar info right there. Or heck, plan one yourself while fishing when they slack off biting.

The full size version is 11"W x 8.5"H consists of: Color Pic/Pics Cover/ Inside 2 page write-up with updates, tips & Key/ Each calendar month features 2 pages- lower one is B/W catfish calendar, top page is color pic/pics with captions & stories pertaining to it. June is the advertising & information page, sometimes with a pic from the Central Texas Catfish Youth Tournament (was in 2009 & 2010). It has a clear plastic front outer cover, thick black back cover & is plastic wirebound for easy opening & flipping back & forth. I forget if they are currently drilling a hole for wall hanging. Probably not, but did back in 2009. 2011 monthly pics & stories feature a few from the TFF, a father-son team (two of my YellowCat & Calendar students), my Uncle, and of course some of me.

My minimum requirement is that you get at least 1 full-size calendar (for the year, 2011 in this case), then you can buy as many of the mini-cals as you want. And if you buy 1 full size calendar at any time (say you already bought one) & decide later you want 1 or however many (or more) of the mini-cals, no problem, as you already fulfilled the requirement for that year.

This is the 3rd year (2011) of the printed full size editions. You can get the previous years (2009 & 2010) for collectibles, keepsakes, or for whatever reason. They are the same price $13 + $2 for postage. I don't see the need for the mini-cals of the previous years, since its purpose is primarily the current catfish calendar & to plan trips & such. The full size, for the past 2 years for reasons mention, as well as the pics & stories of each month, as well as the two page write-up.

Hope that clarifies any confusion.

Check or Money order can be sent to me at my snail mail:
H. Lynn Herrmann
20136 FM 974
Bryan, TX 77808-8700

Also, if you order any of the printed items, give me a heads up, so I'll be watching the snail mail, either by TFF PM or my E-dress: <hlynnh@peoplepc.com>

Here's your May 2011 Catfish Calendar:

Lynn�s Catfish Calendar- May 2011
Sunday / Monday / Tuesday / Wednesday / Thursday / Friday / Saturday
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 ZIP | 2 ZIP | 3 ZIP | 4 ZIP | 5 ZIP | 6 ZIP | 7 YC
8 YC | 9 ZIP | 10 ZIP | 11 BC | 12 BC | 13 ZIP | 14 BC
15 BC | 16 YC | 17 YC | 18 BC | 19 BC | 20 BC | 21 BC
22 BC | 23 BFT | 24 BFT | 25 BFT | 26 YC | 27 YC | 28 ZIP
29 ZIP | 30 ZIP | 31 ZIP |


Reposting the KEY:

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

As to the thread on Flathead Trails, if you are running set lines or Rod-N-Reel, the YC days/nights are what I when I would target them on, as well as if you are on the Flathead Fishoff (but only rod-n-reel can be used for that contest).

NOTE that Wednesday the 25th (BFT) seems to be a hidden YC day of the 3 day run.

Here's your Moon phases, so this weekend of the 7th/8th (Sat/Sun) will be fairly good darker window (prime), as was Thurs/Fri (April 28th/29th).

May 2011 (all fall on a Tuesday):
3rd- New Moon
10th- 1st Qtr.
17th- Full Moon
24th- Last Qtr.

Looking forward to the week end! We've been getting there around 8-9 and always tend to be a gar bite when we get there. Then pick up a few smaller kitties blue or channel. Then about 10:30pm-1:30am is when all of our yellas hit. I like watching it add up to all the info I've ubtained from you and a few others.

Sigh! And I've got to work, but hopin' to at least get to the lake Sunday AM & cruise to get some of that energy.

Wishin' You both the best in your "find". Tear 'em up. Also, sometimes the huger ones tend to drift just off their path sometimes. Maybe its like some sort of pinball thing with them. Jeff & James have run into this sort of thing every now & then. I know when I shoot pool, it is just no fun shooting them straight in, so a friend & I used to do some fancy squirrel shootin'.

But anyway, stick or concentrate to the main area you hit paydirt in, then expand around to see if you can pick up more. Mark your memory & jot it down in a notebook. You will never regret it. It helps tremendously.

Getting ready for some catfishing this weekend at Somerville!! Lot of small ones last Sunday and a few keepers, let see what happens this weekend.