Goals

Chatting with the great and powerful El Gato Azul this morning got me thinking... What are my goals for the upcoming trophy cat season?

Goal number one:
Keep the kids involved and get them working on new PBs.
Goal number two:
Stay true to the Texas Trophy Catfish Association CPRing anything over 10 pounds.
Goal number three:
I want to get my membership in the 60 pound club.
Goal number four:
I want to get back out to the Tennessee river, Guntersville/Wheeler/Wilson
Goal number five:
Improve my video recording and editing skills to create more entertaining content.

What are y'all looking to do???

Those are all great goals Tim!

My #1 goal is to put a 70#r in my sons lap by the end of Feb.
#2 take more friends fishing.
#3 fish with Catfish Tim and BlueBlazer2400
#4start collecting Jr lake records for Jaxon.
#5 get a few more folks excited about catfishing

#2

1. Learn new things. Always need to broaden the horizon.
2. Fish with Gato and Tim. My 6 year old gets bored so I need him a playmate.
3. Fish more this winter. I didn’t get to do much this past winter

My goals are to make sure my clients have a great experience regardless of how the fishing is

We really need to start planning a get together gentlemen.

Dang Tim I did not you know you had a YouTube channel I just subscribed I am not an expert or anything but if you need any help or questions in anything I'd be more than happy to help you

Got a 5, 10, 15, 20, and a 25....so far. Want to hook into some 30,35,and 40 lb fish this winter

Gotta love the ol TFF bro’s! I know how hard it is to plan these kind of things guys and I’m terrible at it. I don’t typically plan travel trips very far in advance and we roll out when the time is right and the conditions look prime. You just can’t plan very good for that stuff but as my son gets bigger I’m less concerned about the weather and this winter I’m gonna give Jax the full Trophy Cat experience. Y’all know we’re chasing blues somewhere pretty much every weekend year round and now that my son is a real fisherman we’ll be coming to y’all’s Big fish lakes real soon. All y’all gotta do is jump on board when we roll into town and bring some good luck. 🍀 All kids welcome but beware my son is a wild pirate . 🏴‍☠️ I can’t guarantee any fish but I will guarantee you an adventure you’ll never forget. Let’s go make some memories that will last 2 generations!

PS Fredo AKA Serj5150 is one of my favorite TFF bros and I consider you a good friend Fredo. We come from different walks of life but we share the same passion for fishing. I always seem to gravitate towards good dudes like you. Ima start calling you Magnito Fredo! I appreciate our friendship amigo!

Your gonna smoke that this year Z. Stay after em and the toads will come. Your lake is chuck full of big fish from the harvest restrictions. My buddy Mike is the king of that lake and he consistently puts up some impressive fish out of there. Gem of a lake and a testament to what releasing the big fish can do for a fishery. He’s probably not happy I’m talking good about y’all’s little honey hole…

Were gonna get out and do some evening and night fishing in July and August Jonathan🎣. When we do we’ll be on team Blake for sure. I will come scoop y’all up.

Thanks bro that means a lot definitely consider you a good friend...you are definitely a standup person and I love your values as you love helping people figure out the catfish.... you're an awesome Dad to teach Jaxon This passion Magnito Fredo I love it LOL

Magnito... I think that's gonna stick!

When I see some of the names on this post I get a chuckle. Sounds like the lil Rascals or the Bad News Bears when you put em all together. This reminds me of when I was a boy growing up. I grew up on the lake and I rode Moto cross and fished heavy and my wild gang of buddies all rode too. We called ourselves the Texas Made Outlaws and we all had numerous nicknames bestowed upon one another like Dirty D, Bluegill, Gumball, and Catfish Cree . We were a rag tag group of hell raisers and we loved to ride and fish. Ol Catfish Cree has long since traded in his dirt bike for a fishing boat but my buddies still have some cool nicknames like Catfish Tim, Magnito Fredo, Blue Blazer, Z, and Littlewheel. The Texas Made Outlaws ride again! Lmao! 🏍🏍🏍🏍🏍

This is why I love hanging out here! Y'all are awesome.

Hi guys,

A recent convert from Bass fishing to try and get me some good size fish with whiskers. Inspired by Catfish Dave on Youtube, I just sold my kayak and bought a small used motor boat.

So, my goals are simple and as follows:
1. Learn the basics on where to go, when to go, what bait to use and what tackle.
2. Catch me a +10 pound catfish.
3. Not drown.

I am thinking keep it simple, chicken livers, worms and some dead bait (shad?), using a simple Carolina rig should be good for starters.

I would like to try Lavon but am a bit nervous launching on my own without a boat dock adjacent to the boat ramp, so right now its Lake Ray Roberts (Isle de Bois).

I am recently retired and live in Allen, so Lavon is a perfect location.

Texasbrit - I did what your talking about last summer. I've been catfishing a year now on lavon. It's a great sport.

Pm me if any questions.

First thing though, is get a $50 cast net from academy and throw it out on boat ramps. You'll catch shad this time of year that way pretty quick.

Next thing, PM me for info on launching if you need ideas.

Awesome!

I will purchase a cast net for sure...thanks.

I will pm you regarding the launching options.

Thanks again!

Awesome! Love the goals. In my opinion, shad is the only bait to use. Learn to throw a cast net. And learn to throw a 7' cast net, that is the biggest allowed in Texas. I would not recommend throwing it near the docks at Collin Park. There are way too many crappie condos out there to get hung up on. I know a lot of guys use chicken and have good success with it but to me, using what they feed on naturally is a better choice. I have lost a lot of tackle in that lake. I would modify your Carolina rig with a slip float and make it a Santee rig to help save on tackle. I would drift everyday and never anchor if I could. I think it is by far a better way to get on fish. I anchor up in the shallows in spring when the water warms up but most of the time I drift.

Lavon is an awesome lake for blue cats. I have caught hundreds of fish over ten pounds out of that lake. Everyone of them was put back to be caught again! I fish out of Collin Park. If you want to come up some time and have a look around with me let me know and we'll pick a time. I'm pretty full up from now to the middle of August. My grandson from up North is visiting and he wan't to fish as much as he can. We are headed to Alabama to fish Guntersville the first weekend in August.

There is a second ramp at Collin Park by the dry boat storage that has a courtesy dock. Doesn't get used much but I prefer it to the main ramp. I could go on and on but you get the idea. By finding this page you have found THE place to talk catfish in Texas. The guys on here are awesome and most everyone will share what they know with you and help you become a better catfish angler. Welcome aboard!

Thanks so much!

I will purchase a 7" cast net and will try to learn how to get bait for sure. 'Slip float and Santee rig'.....mmmm.....off to Google as I have no freakin idea - lol. I definitely intend to put back all the fish. I would love to come up and meet you some time for sure later in August - thanks.

I have just ordered some steps for my trailer to help get my old bones off and on my boat (its a deep V).

Really appreciate the warm welcome and advice.

Cheers!

This image is mostly right... I use rubber sinker bumpers instead of plastic beads. I think the soft shock absorption makes more sense than the hard plastic. I use 2/0 Heavy Rosco Swivels, a 3 oz no roll or draggin weight. I have some Dirty South Draggin Weights, some new Bobby Weights and some homemade draggin weights. I've had good luck with Team Catfish 5/0 and 8/0 dead red circle hooks, Right now I'm using 8/0 and 10/0 Whisker Seeker Triple Threat circle hooks. For the float I use Comal 3" cigar peg floats or 2 1/2" Oval peg floats. I use 80 Pound Berkley Big Game Mono leader line. 65 pound Reactin Tackle braided line a 7'6" Medium Heavy Warrior Cat rod and a Lews Speed Cast 600 reel.

I still have some work to do on the homemade weights. They tend to pull to one side or the other instead of drifting straight back from the boat. I think it has to do with the curl in the tubing. I'll get it figured out... I'm still hanging up at about the same rate with the draggin weights as I did with the no roll so I think I might just go back to using those simple ones. No crying when I lose those...

There are about a million ways to skin that cat. (see what I did there...cat...catfish...haha. I crack myself up.) This is just my way. Not sayin it's right or wrong, just that it works for me but I know there are lots of other guys on here that use different set ups and do just as well if not better than I do.

^ cool set up and very helpful.

Off to Ray Roberts at o-dark-thirty in the am mainly as it has a convenient dock right alongside the ramp.

I plan to start off fishing by the dam at the drop off, then depending upon bites move to the points again at the creeks/drop offs.

I will be bringing chick breast, hot dogs, the catfish pre packed baits from Cabelas and might purchase a couple of carp from K Mart to cut in strips. I will throw out a couple of different rods, any more and my reptile brain will probably go into overload.

Probably doing it all wrong but being retired I have plenty of time to learn.

Wish me luck!

Good luck. Hope you get a big’n

Thanks Tim.

A good day, not too hot, didn’t drown, and caught my personal best catfish to date. A 6 pound channel cat on a strip of plain chicken breast.

Yeah, don’t laugh I know that’s a tiddler for you guys, but I have to start somewhere and my precious PB was 4 pounds,

I will post up about my first day with some pics in a separate post.