Channel Catfish Through The Ice??

[iceintheveins]

Have any of you ever fished purposely through the ice for catfish?? I know they will sometimes take live or deadbait from tip ups when pike fishing. I have seen the In Fisherman segment where they are catching channels through the ice and I can agree with them that catfish do not go dormant during the winter because I catch them year round on the Colorado river in Colorado, mostly in 40 foot plus holes. Anyone here ever done really well for cats through the ice???

[Mr.Seaguar]

Yes I have had some really good days but dont target them ever. Well, once several years ago. That day we caught about 15 in a pond that was just full of them. One thing about them is the tend to come off the hook right at the hole maybe its their flabby lips.

[grumpymoe]

mackdaddy  lets us know how you make out with the channel catfish--i have seen them fished in the southern states in colder weather but up here i have never seen them caught--the red river north of lockport mb has a huge population of cats and catching a 25lber is easy during summer months. 35lb cats are not uncommon but dis-appear during winter months. commonly the stretch of river from lockport to the mouth of lake winnipeg can have anywhere from 300-400 shantys (guestimate) so i think the odds of catching one by chance should happen if they were active.  

[FishDaddy09]

I've only caught a bullhead through the ice. I know a lake in ne ind. where they catch channel cats through the ice. i know some guy's who really got into them one nite while fishing for walleye. They got them on jigging raps.

[CTStriper]

I occasionally get them and white cats as a bycatch while fishing for pike on the setbacks of the Connecticut river.


It is possible to target them in the deep open holes on the river throughout the winter months. I did some searching a couple of years ago and sent the Aqua-Vu down into a 60' hole on the river to confirm my suspicions. We found the motherload. We were able to drop the anchor up above them and vertical jig over the top of them Check out this clip...http://fishingct.com/Videos/Cats6.avi Be patient, the clip is 1.8MB but worth it

[grumpymoe]

nice tasty looking fish

[iceintheveins]

I think the main problem with winter cats is location. You have to be in a deep area that holds a lot of wintering cats. In fisherman says jigging outproduces tip ups for them, but you need a long pause.
I fish for winter cats in the upper Colorado near Grand Junction Colorado. It has a flow a little bit greater than the Connecticut and is deeper but also narrower. The cats seem to concentrate in 40 - 70 foot plus holes, which are pretty numerous in the canyon areas near the Utah border. They appear as a big dark area on sonar, and will use all depths.
Not many of the fish are active, but the sheer numbers of cats around can make fishing good. Cats don't hibernate in the winter but they concentrate in wintering holes, so if you are fishing the wrong hole your SOL.
That surprises me grumpymoe that more wouldn't be caught in the Red River. My guess would be that they would concentrate in the deeper portion of the river near the lockport dam, and I would think maybe that part wouldn't freeze or would be unsafe do to so much current, but I have never been there so I can't say, that's only a guess. Doesn't the red get wider, shallower, and more lakelike closer to the winnipeg?

[arrowhead]

It was either November or December/January issue of In-fisherman where they had a lengthy artical about fishing for cats through the ice. It's pretty good, it would be worth it to take the time and read it!

       arrowhead

[grumpymoe]

mackdaddy21  lockport is the shallowest (downside of the dam) and the river to the lake may be 30 plus feet in some spots.it really doesn't get much wider in any spot until it hits lake winnipeg. the lake is considered somewhat shallow in the southern end and i believe the deepest is around 60 plus feet-maybe thats where they go to winter and its likely that the commercial fishermen are the only ones that would be in the vicinity.it would be interesting to hear from some anglers from manitoba or commercial fishermen with any reported catches or nettings

[BuckShotJon]

CT - nice video!

Jon

[vancouvercanuck]

CT,

That's a crap load of Carp.

[TIP-UP_DAD]

One year I Had fished a big lake that i was used to calling the dead sea due to not catching much. I called it that due to not catching much during the summer off the shores with my kids. anyway i was on the ice jigging for crappie and had some tip ups  rigged for some bass with small minnows. After being there a while i caught a few fish jigging and had a couple of good runs on the tip ups but didnt catch anything. well the sun went down and i was about out of minnows for jigging so i put some frozen smelt on the tip ups not even 10 min. later i started catching catfish. i only caught 15 or so but they were the best eating catfish i had.  i think catching them in the clear waters of winter instead of summer mirky water  really made them have cleaner meat. no mud or fish smell or taste at all. Went back again last year and caught some more but this time they we a lot bigger.  one was almost to big to pull thru my 6" hole.  I think cats can be caught in the winter. I dont think many people look for them in the winter months.  I cant wait to get out there this year to see if they are bigger yet.