Author Topic: ice fishing for catfish  (Read 1800 times)

Offline madewitt4

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ice fishing for catfish
« on: Dec 07, 2012, 09:24 PM »
is there anyone that targets catfish through the ice. i am looking for a few tips i love catfishing on hot summer night and was wondering if night fishing on the ice is any better or different than fishing during the day. i know you want to find the deepest holes in the area your fishing but i would love to jig one up if there is a way to approach that. any help would be greatly appreciated!!! @)
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Offline GillMaster

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #1 on: Dec 07, 2012, 09:25 PM »
I don't target them, but I can tell you one afternoon we fished for gills for about 3 hours, and decided to stay and crappie fish. Well after dark we caught 3 fish in about 2 hours, all catfish. So it can be done.

Offline Icefisher15

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #2 on: Dec 07, 2012, 09:39 PM »
I have a spot that I will go for catfish. We start around 1 AM and rely mainly on glow demons and other small/medium glow baits. Trick for us is to keep them flashed and glowing all the time. Watch the vex for the big ole blip and reel em on in.

Offline Spark

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #3 on: Dec 07, 2012, 09:50 PM »
Here is one from around an hour before dark.  I catch more cats on gulp red minnow heads as shown.  Always during the day and not always in the deep all these came from brush rather shallow.  30' lake and most mine come from 10'.






Offline madewitt4

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #4 on: Dec 07, 2012, 11:13 PM »
those are some nice cats!! i have a lake with big cats the deepest section is 33 ft. have to start there and work my way out. never tried the red minnow heads ill have to try them out. thanks for the tips and ice fisher15 ill keep my jigs glowing definately trying that out this year!
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Offline Jig4M

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #5 on: Dec 07, 2012, 11:23 PM »
I wasn't targeting them but I caught a couple two years ago during the middle of the day on my tipups baited with minnows. One damn near run off all th eline on the spool before I got to it!
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Offline fishingabomb2006

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #6 on: Dec 07, 2012, 11:27 PM »
had plenty on flyer spoons tipped with a fathead minnow at night, and a few during the day, i fot a pile of the rosie reds 2 years ago from the bait shop and fell in love, now thats the only minnows i will use tipping my jigs
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gill-done; perch-done; crappie- done; bass- done; carp-done; catfish-done, splake-done; rainbow-done; brookie- done; pike- done; pickeral-done (29inch6.5lb); white fish-done;  laker-  ;cusk-  ;salmon-  ;walleye-

Offline Kevin23

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #7 on: Dec 07, 2012, 11:35 PM »
If you want to target them, try 1/2 of a nightcrawler on a 1/16oz jig head. Keep thumping the bottom stirring it up until you get a hard line, then just hold it about an inch off the bottom. Be careful, walleye and perch will take it also  ;)
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Offline J_Edwards

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #8 on: Dec 08, 2012, 12:18 AM »
I've caught my fair share out of the blue when I lived in Iowa, pretty fun in through the ice.. Where I was, you'd always know, the buggers would start rolling.

Offline chris71383

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #9 on: Dec 08, 2012, 02:02 AM »

Offline matfalk

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #10 on: Dec 08, 2012, 08:48 AM »
In-fisherman icing some cats,
https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=9K1So6wmcKE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Flatheads

(Image removed from quote.)

(Image removed from quote.)

Thats pretty cool.  I've always heard that flatties shut down when the water dips below 50 degrees.  I've heard of divers being able to go over and touch them without them moving.

Offline hesseltine32

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #11 on: Dec 08, 2012, 10:34 AM »
I have caught bullhead ice fishin once it was just before daylight never targeted catfish

Offline Zoo Angler

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #12 on: Dec 08, 2012, 10:59 AM »
medium sized spoon and a minnow head. I use Northland's Macho Minnow and PK's Spoon.

Offline youghfisherman

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #13 on: Dec 08, 2012, 03:52 PM »
You can catch them but you have to put it right in front of them. They are not moving as much and will not search for their food. They will pick a good area to ambush their prey and stay there. I'd use a jig tip with a nightcrawer.

Offline jordy1380

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #14 on: Dec 09, 2012, 04:21 AM »
Seeing those flatheads through the ice is AWESOME! Guess you had some location pinpointed on your GPS where the hole was though. They usually don't move too much lol if any at all. Pretty lackadaisical when it comes to the lower temps.
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Offline filetandrelease

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #15 on: Dec 09, 2012, 05:24 AM »

i to target ginners late ice fun to catch great fight ,i don't eat them so mine go back

 

Offline 180 Pro

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #16 on: Dec 09, 2012, 06:47 AM »
We sometimes get them on early ice here. A small rocker spoon tipped with redworms seems to get the best results for Channel cats for us, they will also take waxworms. Every year someone finds the Flathead hole on a local lake and brings them up, I got one while not fishing for them, she was 13 pounds and a real adventure on four pound excel with a small rocker spoon tipped with a spike.

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Offline Eaglecrg

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #17 on: Dec 09, 2012, 07:03 AM »
Nobody mentioned it, but I would think for catfish you'll want a good sized hole in the ice!

Offline filetandrelease

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #18 on: Dec 09, 2012, 09:20 AM »


8 inch is nice that one cat was 32" came through a 6" hole
 

Offline John_BZ

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Re: ice fishing for catfish
« Reply #19 on: Dec 09, 2012, 09:42 AM »
we catch them all the time in the middle of the day. this one was suspened and absolutely nuked my jigging spoon. channel cats are alot more active in the winter than one would figure.


 



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