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Cattin' the Chain '10


catfreak

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Yes the no parking signs have been there for quite a few years but in all the years I have fished that part of the lake I have never heard of anyone getting a parking ticket there. The best way I know of to get good parking for first and last ice is to talk to cabin owners that are close to the spots you fish and get permision to park on there property.

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their are a few no parking sighs right by were you can drive out at but we just parked along side the road before those and walked out from their had no problems

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Boy did we have fun today!

I got a bunch more raw video footage and hope to whip up another fun little video tomorrow some time.

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I'm lookin at getting out tomorrow night after work. Does anybody do any fishin out there after like 10 pm? A guy from work and I are still deciding where to go, but I'm thinkin Horseshoe. If anybody has any info about the Kron's Bay area I would appreciate hearing it.

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looks like you guys had a great time. I was down trying for some cats a few days ago and could not buy a bite for the life of me but thats the way it goes for me. hopif i keep on trying things will change

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Darren another nice video. Im pretty sure we were in the same area this morning and got 2 cats and 4 walleyes but missed a couple of each as well. All in all it was good for the first trip out. We were the only ones in the that spot as well.

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Dtro, have you ever gone after any cats real late at night on the shoe? Like after 10 pm through the night. Just wondering how the bite might be.

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I have no reason to believe why it wouldn't be good. I've never done it personally though.

Out of the two times we've been up there after dark has been great.

One of the times they shut off like a switch though at 6:30.

If I had the time and was close enough, you better belive I would be out there at least trying it.

From what we have found, "glow red" is the ticket. No particular lure, just make sure it is glowing.

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I have done a lot of overnights on the shoe the last few years and some nights are great while others are a strugle. No real ryme or reason to what time the most consistant action is either. Some nights were best right before dark and the first hour after that and other times the rattle riggs start going nuts in the middle of the night or even right before dawn.

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I have done a bunch of late nights out on the Shoe. From what I've experienced the bite tapers off significantly after 7-8pm. You can still pick up a few, but usually not like earlier in the day and most are light biters. If you do fish late in the night and are fishing on a steep transition up onto a flat, sometimes what you will notice are a few more suspended fish. I believe these are fish coming back from feeding up on the flats.

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I have ice fished the shoe on and off over the past 10 years. We actually fish some of the lesser traveled parts but have historically done well on the Cats, Walleye, and at times nice crappies.

Last weekend was the first trip out this year. The bite was very good for me from the hours of 2-4. On this trip I would guesstimate that I caught 12-15 cat fish and about 10 walleyes.

For the catfish there was no consistant pattern. I was using whole fatheads hooked in the tail on glow jigging spoons and angle eyes. I found many right on the bottom and many were suspended. Some would fly in and pound me while others had to be coaxed or simply did not bite at all.

I find that generally speaking the cats are in the 3-5lb range. On this trip I got two cats in paticular that exceeded this range. The ice below me was 6-8 inches and clear so as these monsters came in I could see them under the ice. They looked the size of a small child and had heads like bowling balls. I guess them to have been in the 8-10lb class. Thank fully both of these hit on my stiff rod, with fireline so I could horse them in vs. when I get them on my walleye stick they control the battle. For these two at least I was able to show them who was boss !!! Here Kitty Kitty ......

For the walleyes they were mixed in the same spot. For the most part they were right on the bottom but very agressive. I would see them come in on the vex on the bottom. A jig or two and they would torpedo my bait and pound it. There was absolutley no question when these fish hit. All fish were under 18 inches but if I was not a cathc and release guy certainly could have had a few for the pan. I would have stayed longer to see what the post dark pattern was like but my heater went out which to me was a sign it was time to make the call.

The best part of the entire first trip out was my hook percentage was good and missed very few. I have had those tragic first outings where the bite is slow and then to compound it with a poor hook percentage, not good.

Anyway thats my report and I'm sticking to it !!!!

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That sounds like fun.My son and i have been out 5 times this year and have not caught anything. Could anyone tell us where to go to catch walleye or cats close to the road we have no ATV any info would be much appreciated.

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does anyone know if you can park at island view resort and walk onto the lake right there or do they not like that?or is there somewhere else close to right there you can park and walk onto the lake?

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We were out on the Chain, the 3rd week in Dec. off of 22. And unfortenatly lost some fishing gear. If anyone found a chair and 2 rod bags, please let me know. I can give a full discription of each item to claim them. Any one who fishes can understand loosing your gear isn't fun and a little heart breaking. Thanks

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i parked there and walked on wed...i never heard anything from anyone. Fishing was kind of slow for me tho..caught a few small walleyes. Casey

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was out last night on Horseshoe, ice was OK at best, quite a bit of wateron the ice in areas, did manage to ice a bunch of eyes (3 taken home to eat, rest released), also got a couple of nice cats, one was about 5-6 pounds.....fun to catch !!

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I just started this forum page so I dont have any cool picks to put on my profile yet. I was wondering if the cats are edible that you catch out of horseshoe. I've been there a couple times and caught a few nice cats and eyes, I was wondering where do the crappies bite.

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Was out last night on the NE side of Krons bay. 4-5" of slush hidden under the snow in some spots. I'm new to catfish, so I asked a couple fellas out there and they pointed me in that direction. I don't know if they were pulling my leg, but I only marked a few fish on the bottom (22 FOW). I also tried the 30' hole hear the island and was told that the bottom is too hard for cats in that spot. Am I wasting my time fishing the NE side of Krons?

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IDK about krons but i always fish the NE side of the point on the north end of the lake. There is a 10 ft reef in between the shore and point. I hit that saddle for walleye, and fish the deep water on the NE side in 30 ft for cats. I use a spring bobber also cause they tend to be very light biters. I'm heading out there tomorrow, so if anyone wants to share some more info please do. Thanks.

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topguide, If you are heading out there tomorrow, is there any chance I could meet you and maybe share some quick catfish tips with a newbie?

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sure i will park just south of the bridge on 22towards the north end of the lake. never had a problem parking there b4. its in a bay i just walk by the wooden bridge that goes out to a little island. ill share as much as i can but im pretty new to it also. Im gonna head there early in the am. I have a flip over frabil trekker. should be fun.

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If you can find the meth hole on the map of Horseshoe( 50FT HOLE) I have been fishing the mud bottom bay just west of there. The last couple weeks I have been having a fair/good mid day cat/crappie bite going. Most days I have been findin the cats in less than 30fow some suspended and some holding tight to the bottom. The fish that are coming in suspended are usaly more agaresive than the ones that come in on the bottom. Minnow heads on buckshots or frostee spoons have been working best for me as of late and glow red has been the hot color.

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Last time I was out we made it to the bar just north of the meth hole where the river comes in and got two nice cats in the morning and some eyes. We were in 32' and the cats came in around 23-25fow. What riverfish said about jigs.. good luck its fun when you find them.

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Thanks for the input guys, I kinda know where the hole is but never fished it, i'll fish the usual places first and then go looking fo the hole if all else fails. as far as jig option, all i use is glow red on that lake and i use a lindy rattle flyer. Gonna try the macho minnow this year. thanks again for the input.

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