Cattin' the Chain '10

[rattleL]

Was up there saturday but i did not fish around the meth whole over the years have found some shallower neck down areas on the chain that really produce me and a buddy had 20 cats or so and a dozen crappies along with a few smaller eater eyes caught our fish in 20 fow lot of them coming up off the bottom or suspended 4-5 feet up spring bobber with a jigging spoon and a minnow head were the real deal for us bobber on the bottom with the minnow chunk did not seem to work that well for us, once again another great day on the water . Heading back to school tomorow (South dakota state university) hoping to get on some supertanker perch soon, Will be back in a few weeeks be fun to get on the kitties again, if its anything like years past these shallower spots produce all year for a guy. Have a good one guys and be safe out there.

[icehousebob]

I'm heading out in about an hour to try my luck. Any last minute advice from anyone who fished the weekend? On lure/bait combos, depth to fish, how close to the Meth hole, what brand of beer? Any advice would be great, thanks, I'll report back later. Bob

[nater]

There was a full size dodge driving around us by the meth hole on Sunday morning so the ice must be fine all the way out there. Fishing was slow with only a couple rock bass. Lots of fish on the bar to the north but not too active. Moved along it in 24-32fow but just lookers from the cats.

[fishuhalik]

Myself, tonkabass, and a couple of our buddies went up last night. I got into 'em real good, tonkabass got a couple, and the other two that were with us got a couple. The hot bait was definitely a yellow glow frostie spoon w/ a minnow head, I only got 1 bite on my setline (yellow glow demon w/ a dead fathead). The definitely liked a fresh glow on the frostie and didn't want any movement. I ended up catching about 25-30 small cats 10-17", nothing big. Man, do those things bite lite. I was using an icebuster trimmed down so it was barely treading water, and about half of the time I just saw the bottom of the bobber twitch. Fish started biting at about 5:00 and were still going strong when I left at 7:30.

I was wondering if there's a specific tactic to getting the bigger ones? I had a stack of fish about 10' deep on the flasher all day, but never even had a nice fish on. We were in 32' of water, off the meth hole. Also, I was hoping to get some crappies and walleyes but didn't have any luck. Should I try shallower for them?

[fishuhalik]

Oh, and for those of you wondering, I drove my wife's Grand Am out there, didn't have any trouble getting around the lake or up the access, although I didn't drive off the beaten path much at all. There was a couple of areas that are pretty rutted up, especially right off the access, just take it slow and you'll be fine.

BTW, if any you guys have never caught a catfish before and wanna try it, watch out for their fins right behind the gills and the dorsal fin!!!! Man, do those things hurt when they sting ya. I didn't stop bleeding for 15 minutes.

[DTro]

Fish your experience has been the typical outing for me every time out.

Its a trade off between numbers of small fish and fewer big fish. Mostly based on time of day and what school of fish you are sitting on.

Yeah I got hit pretty good on sat too. Ouch

[Borch]

I found the crappies and walleyes a bit shallower. The one night I had very nice cats too. The next only a couple with more crappies around.

[hookjunior]

I was up there sunday afternoon with my brother in law for the first time on the ice. He and his cousin have been open water cat fishing up there for years and have gotten me into it the last couple years. They had tried numerous times to catch them through the ice but never had any luck. Thanks to all the info I got off this thread I was able to take him up there and catch our first cats through the ice. We had an amazing time, caught 20 to 25 cats, some were pretty good size, and 3 eater eyes. This was by far the most fun fishing I've ever done. There were times we had eight feet of solid fish on the flasher, but I would never have guessed how light the bite, most crappies bite harder than these fish were. Hoping to come back again this weekend and I can't wait. We are thinking about bringing the wheelhouse next time, do most people take them down the winter access on 22 or is there a better place to get them on. I can't thank you guys enough for all the tips and advice you guys have given, I never would have been able to do this without it. Now I will always have bragging rights over my fishing buddies for being the first one to catch a cat through the ice. Hope to see some of you guys out there to thank you in person.

[Borch]

Great to read that you had a great outing. It's great when you land on top of them like that and they are biting.

[icehousebob]

#4 son and I fished it yesterday. Got there at 3pm and the first holes we opened by the meth hole showed fish. We found a place where the depth dropped from 16 to 30 feet in less than 20 feet. Set up on the deep side. For the next four hours, the Vex was lit like a Christmas tree. Much experimenting,, small red glow jigs, with whole ,live minnows, fished close to the bottom did best. No jigging allowed. We tried to follow the suspended fish but no takers. I've never seen fish that bit lighter. Had a few crappies and walleyes mixed in. My son had a 23 inch cat on a light rod that did not want to come up the hole. Fun to watch. I almost got up to help him but I'm lazy. Lots of small cats, so the fishery shows good promise for the future. Thanks for all the advice on what to use out there.

A side note; we bought one scoop of fatheads and one scoop of Crappie minnow at the bait shop on 23 just east of the turnoff to 22. The fatheads were the size of Crappie minnows and the Crappie minnows were the size of baby Guppies, too small to put a hook into. Look at your minnows before you pay your bucks.

[kittycatcher16]

I was up on the meth hole on sunday during the day. Managed to get 5 cats, unfortunately we had to leave when the bite was starting. I was fishing in 26 FOW and fish were well off bottom. This is my first year out on the chain for cats, Is there a certain depth I want to look for out there??

[Borch]

They are usually around deep holes but I've done very well as shallow as 10 feet of water. They are predators and will follow the food where ever it is.

[aaahoff]

I have tried fishing for cats twice in the last month with no luck. I have a few questions I hope you dont mind me asking Is this "meth hole" the 60 foot hole on the west basin of horseshoe? Is early morning as good as evening bite? Does koetter lake produce fish can you drive a small pickup in there or is a four wheeler better? Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

[Borch]

Yes you have the location correct. Early morning cam be very good in that and other locations.

Koetter as well as most of the lakes in the chain produce cats. I'd said a loud NO to driving anything other than a sled or atv back in there. Ice condition vary greatly in that stretch.

[DTro]

The entire chain has cats.

Some spots have been turned into community spots, but don't be afraid to explore. I wish I lived closer so I could try more spots.

If you check out the DNR Lake Finder, you can find some very useful info.

[wooduck26]

On one of the threads someone posted a map with a few landmarks...acess points, the Hole, etc...where is it? I cant find it again....:(

[DTro]

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/2104938/Cool_Cats_2010#Post2104938

[Borch]

The map is for one of the community spots and the site of our Cool Cats gathering the first weekend in March. Like Dtro said the Lake Finder on the DNR site will give many, many spots to explore that hardly get touched.

[maddowg1192000]

thinking of heading down in the morning and fishing all day, anyone going to be out on the chain. what access is best to use this time of year, i have a fullsize 4x4

[frogtosser]

I might be out there around 1030 am or so. use the winter access off 22

[fishuhalik]

aaahof, once you find 'em it's pretty easy. just follow the tips the other guys (especially borch and aanderud) gave you to a "t". Out of the 5 guys we had on the ice, I was the only one that was willing to follow their directions. The other 4 got 4 fish and I got 25. Yellow glow frostie jigging spoon in the smallest size w/ a minnow head (fathead or crappie minnow) under an icebuster bobber. Just watch for the tiniest twitch, they don't seem to take the bobber under much at all. If I had tried to feel the bite or wait for the bobber to go all the way under like I normally do I doubt I would have caught more than a couple.

[JimBuck]

Is anyone venturing east of 22? I've got my eyes on Koetter Lake but it seems pretty iffy with all the narrows running through there. Trying to get away from the crowds, will be walking.

[DTro]

Yes, its a bit scary back there Jim. There are spots with over a foot of ice and then over a couple feet, only 4 or 5 inches.

[so haaad]

JimBuck,

Remember that the whole chain is part of the Sauk River, so there is a lot more current and iffy ice than on other lakes. There is definitely some thin ice east of 22. I measured 4 inches of ice last week in one spot. After this warmup we are getting now, there may be less ice in some of those iffy spots. General rule of thumb is to travel with someone who knows the area very well or stick to the main travel roads.

[JimBuck]

Cheers guys. The area looks pretty fishy but I'll stick to the west end for now. Should be out on Saturday with a buddy for the afternoon. Fishing out of a Nanook w/ a blue propane tank. Stop and chat if your in the area.

[maddowg1192000]

caught a couple today but i missed about 15 or 20, now if i can get my timing down on setting the hook i will be in good shape...lol, trying again friday it sounds like

[aanderud]

Just watch for the tiniest twitch, they don't seem to take the bobber under much at all. If I had tried to feel the bite or wait for the bobber to go all the way under like I normally do I doubt I would have caught more than a couple.

I'm sure a lot of guys can do wonders with spring bobbers or just good old 'feel', but not me -- at least not for those cats after dark. For crappies, sure I can catch them on a jig as well as most fishermen. But for these cats at night, I gotta say I have tried fishing with just 1 bobber and 1 jig several times last year and the first time I was up this year...and every time, after the sun goes down it's about a 10 to 1 ratio on bobber fish to non-bobber fish. I will say that during the day the fish that you see often times will move many feet in the water column for your bait, and they will hit much harder, and I can fish them with a jig with moderate success...but the sheer numbers of fish that we see during the night just blows the daytime fish quantities out of the water, and I always figure more fish on the marcum will give me more chance more through the hole.

It's not quite as fun watching the bobber twitch as it is feeling the fish nibble. Well, it's fun but it's a different fun. Sort of a cat and mouse game. But, it makes me feel like kind of a wuss compared to the real fishermen who can detect the bites with their uber-sensitive rods and spidey senses...but if I'm catching fish, I won't complain

[maddowg1192000]

i am switching to 2 bobbers and no spring next time i go

[Borch]

It's funny because I've done better on my jigging rod even after dark.. But when the bite is light I use my meat stick and watch the tip when the fish is on the bait.

Then again I really enjoy the cat and mouse game I play with fish when jigging.

Important thing is to get it figured out and catch some fish. Either approach works great.

[harvey lee]

Many times the bobber will not even go down. If you see it just moving like a minnow may move it, you more than likely have a cat. It may also just move from one side of the hole to another.

Borch is correct on the fast tipped rod. The Mitchell Meatstick works well for these cats.