Fishin stories

It's Monday, I have a day off and I'm bored, so we're gonna tell fishin' stories.

As most of you know, I'm from Kentucky and I used to fish the Ohio River quite a lot. Still do when I'm down home. I'm a big cat fisherman. I'll catch a few 3 pounders for supper, but I love catching those monsters. I don't keep them, I just weigh them, get a picture and put them back.

The tackle I use for the big ones resembles a deep sea rig. Thick rod, heavy duty reel with at least 60 lb line. I also have a secret bait. Well, the bait isn't a secret because a lot of folks use it, I just prepare a different way. Shad chunks and shad gut. There is a gas station, ran by an older man who has been there for 30 years and that's where I get my bait. The cut bait is in a quart jar, frozen and the shad gut is in a pint jar, also frozen. He goes out on the weekends, catches them and puts them in jars. My "secret" is the shad gut. I go a couple days ahead of time, get a jar of both, but I leave the jar of guts in the back of the truck.
In the Sun.
In 100 degree weather.

If you ever try this, you're going to curse my name when you open that jar, but Holy Cow it works.

A chunk of shad, along with the putrid gets, cast out and be ready to hang on.
I've had one of my heavy rods snapped like a twig and 60 lb line might has well been a sewing thread. I lost one of my rods last year because it just got yanked into the water before I could get to it and I use rod holders that have a 2 ft spike that you push down into the ground and it still took off with it.

Biggest I've brought in was a 52 lb Blue Cat and a 67 lb Flathead,

originally posted by: DAVID64

The tackle I use for the big ones resembles a deep sea rig. Thick rod, heavy duty reel with at least 60 lb line. I also have a secret bait. Well, the bait isn't a secret because a lot of folks use it, I just prepare a different way. Shad chunks and shad gut.

I thought you Kentuckians just used your fists to catch the big catfish.
Shove your fist down it's throat and pull it out of the hole.

a reply to: BrokenCircles

I've been noodling several times.....till I stuck my hand in a hole with a beaver. Those teeth cut more than wood.

My father told me the tale of scuba divers below Bagnell Dam here in Missouri. They found catfish so big that they refused to dive there again. It seems the catfish were big enough to eat a man. Apparently they just wait at the base of the dam and eat whatever comes over the spillway...

Your shad gut secret is how a lot of people make coon bait for trapping. They chunk up the whole fish though, chunked up carp or fallfish.

Check out Dan Gapin. "The River Rat".

Some great tips from him. Action packed videos.


On mobile. Can't link. Sorry

originally posted by: Lazarus Short
My father told me the tale of scuba divers below Bagnell Dam here in Missouri. They found catfish so big that they refused to dive there again. It seems the catfish were big enough to eat a man. Apparently they just wait at the base of the dam and eat whatever comes over the spillway...

I heard the same story when I was down at Lake Texoma years ago.

originally posted by: DAVID64

I've been noodling several times.....till I stuck my hand in a hole with a beaver. Those teeth cut more than wood.

Now that is definitely a fishing story I've never heard before. Did he actually bite down hard on your hand/arm? I'd assume if he wanted to, one bite could do some pretty severe damage.


'Noodling'. I couldn't remember what it was called. Aint no way in hell I'd ever try that... sober. However, after several hours of drinking, I could probably be talked into it.

originally posted by: butcherguy

originally posted by: Lazarus Short
My father told me the tale of scuba divers below Bagnell Dam here in Missouri. They found catfish so big that they refused to dive there again. It seems the catfish were big enough to eat a man. Apparently they just wait at the base of the dam and eat whatever comes over the spillway...

I heard the same story when I was down at Lake Texoma years ago.

They are probably no-so-urban legends, and so says Snopes.

a reply to: BrokenCircles

Did he actually bite down hard on your hand/arm?

Still have the scars.
Got a buddy who was a big fan of noodling till he got hold of a fish big enough he couldn't drag it out of the hole and it took 2 of us to get him back up. It clamped down on his arm and he came pretty close to drowning before we figured out he was in trouble.

a reply to: DAVID64

I once successfully landed a 9lb lobster caught on hook and line, it was a buddy of mine that had hooked it, but while he was panicking and freaking out I managed to get it up the wall and land it on the pier without losing it, how I managed that I'll never know, lol

Seven foot rod (light), 15lb mono, no.4 Japanese semicircle hook, few grams lead, and mackerel strip.

(This is the setup I use for European sea-bass, except I use splitshot and occasionally a clear bubble-float with live prawn for bait, it's absolutely deadly and a whole lot of fun on the light gear )



I'm glad that camera phones were a thing by then, lol

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

That's awesome!

I've caught blue crab that way a few times. It only works for blue crab during summer when they are fiesty, and it only works on occasion. Usually it happens on a high low rig when a barge comes down the canal. I think it puts them into "oh crap" mode, and they hang on for dear life.

Well, reef fishing is my thing. I have a 19ft boat with a 140suzi on the back. It’s about 40miles off the coast to get to the nearest reef. On a nice day it’s a 2-2.5 hour run, couple of beers along the way. It’s not uncommon to go a little further, there are a number of reefs in the area.
Coral trout is the prized catch for me. They need to be about 15in to be legal but the big girls can easily be double that size. I use squid, pilchards, or any of the smaller fish we catch as bait.
Seen a few monsters out there. Tiger sharks. Those bad boys get BIG. It’s a fun game to race the fish up to the boat and see these big buggers come up from the depths after them. But only fun for so long as it’s also a little worrisome when these things are bigger than my boat is wide.
It’s a big trip, usually clock up 120miles for the day/night but usually always come home with a decent load of fish, a belly full of beer and some good times with a friend.

We fish for big Red Drum in Mobile Bay. 4/0 hook, one ounce slid wire weight and a 50 lb swivel, 100 lb leaders and live bait about the size of your hand. A seven foot solid glass rod, with a big Penn spinning reel with 30 lb test line. For me it’s about an hour run out to Fort Morgan, when weather permits. 25 pounders are not unusual floating live baits over the sand bar.
We rig the anchor on a orange float, so that when we get a big one on, we can quickly slip the anchor to chase down the fish.

Two years ago my fishing buddy Jon hooked up on something that we chased for an hour and a half before it finally broke the line. We were 3 miles from the anchor. Don’t know what it was, but it was big.

a reply to: filthyphilanthropist

...I think it puts them into "oh crap" mode, and they hang on for dear life.

I've had that with crab before too, but no word of a lie this thing was hooked in the mouth parts, as it came up through the water column and up the wall it's claws were outstretched and spreadeagled, that's mostly why I was so surprised that I got it up the wall, lol

I was a good few meters away from my mate when he called me over telling me he'd caught a lobster, I just laughed and carried on fishing thinking it was probably something akin to a large prawn, but when he became excited and hysterical I walked over to have a look and that was the first thing I saw, a big-ass orange lobster slowly emerging from the depths all spreadeagle, hahaha

a reply to: MerkabaTribeEntity

That's wild! That's definitely one of the coolest fishing stories I've heard. There are tons of stories about difficult catches or giant fish, but catching a lobster on a fishing line and hooked around the mouth? That's right up there with the guy who caught a marlin while surf fishing on the beach.

Chicken livers work good too. Let them sit in the sun for a few days. I’ve also heard many stories about MONSTER catfish seen by divers and usually they are seen around turbines or cooling rods. The turbines chop the fish up and the catfish just lay there and scavenge it all up!

originally posted by: Lazarus Short
My father told me the tale of scuba divers below Bagnell Dam here in Missouri. They found catfish so big that they refused to dive there again. It seems the catfish were big enough to eat a man. Apparently they just wait at the base of the dam and eat whatever comes over the spillway...

I've heard a similar story out of Lake Raystown in Pa.

Only the fish were 6+ foot muskies.

a reply to: DAVID64

Just a guess as to the breaking rod, but it probably sustained damage prior to the fish. Rods can be fragile in some ways thereby creating weak points that cause breakage upon fighting a fish.

I'd love to catch a cat that big! Typically I fish saltwater whenever I can make the 2 hour drive to the gulf. The biggest catfish I've caught there was a 24 inch gafftop.

My favorite is surf fishing, and I've caught some good fish out there. However, my best catches have always been in the intercoastal waterways and large canals where the barges go. I have yet to catch a bull red big enough to brag, but man have I caught some monster black drum! Hell of a fight.

The last one I caught was a total surprise. I was wearing a brand new shirt someone made for me with Quark's logo from DS9, and this giant black drum got excited all over my shirt!!!

Anyway, every bull black drum I've caught has been on a blue crab cut in half (5" - 6").

On another note, if anyone wants to go surf fishing I have one major recommendation. Fish bites. I have caught so many whiting and slot reds off of fish bites Fish'N Chunks shrimp (flesh color). Many people have tremendous success with pompano and sheepshead off fish bites sand fleas and coquina clam.

I have never caught a single fish off crab in the surf. Shrimp catches hardhead cats more than anything in the surf as far as personal experience goes.

Spoons, mullet, and pinfish work decent in the surf depending on the day.

Typically, I've found what works for me is mostly artificials in the surf, and mostly live bait in the bays and waterways.

a reply to: DAVID64

my family lives on the brazos in Texas, were use to catching big ol channel cat and yellow cat, its a tradition to go fishing the weekend before the fish fry to catch enough catfish for the whole family........we usually get into teh 40-70 pounders

Grandpas bait was a lot like yours, but he also put chicken livers and blood in, would mix, let it set out......

Then get regular ol ice trays, and fill all the trays and put your trebble hooks in the middle and freeze it.......

That way as it thaws in the water it releases the scent and the bait lasts longer......Shad is ALWAYS the common ingredient