Cattin the Chain 2012

[Twins Guy]

Never iced a cat but I think I am going to make the trek up from the cities early next week to try. and by "iced" I mean caught through the ice because I don't intend to keep any cats. Dtro's videos have me drooling!

I will be travelling on the ice by foot. Sounds like best bet is park at the winter access (pray that the stearns county barney fife doesn't ticket me). Hoof it a mile-ish west around the point then north up towards the meth hole. 35ish FOW. Red or green glow jigging spoons with part of a fathead. Neutral boyancy slip bobber with chunk-o-fathead 6-12" off the bottom. Cat action peaking evening. Glow glow glow:) Do I got it?

I will prolly be rolling solo and fishing out of an ice camo otter cottage. I would love to meet a real catter in the wild so please say hi if you see me-I might have a beer to share so it might be worth your while?

Cheers,

Rich aka tg

[fishuhalik]

you got it rick. it's not rocket science. just find the previously drilled holes about 50yds away from the open water & you're there. we were actually doing better this time with a whole, crushed-up minner instead of just the head (thanks for the tip silverback!) and glow red so try both if they aren't biting.

[DTro]

Well at least somebody has been paying attention. You are supposed to jump on here and say, "I want to catch a cat, how do I do it, where do I go, what do I use".

Don't be stuck on setting your bait a foot off the bottom. I take that back, yes if you don't have a flasher, do that but if you have a flasher put you bait either right in the middle of the fish "tornado" or just above them. At the night progresses the fish will slowly get more active further and further down in the water column. We are usually about 6-10ft off as the sun goes down and almost right on the bottom by the time we quit. Not sure why, but that is the pattern.

Also don't be shy to go get the high flyers either, in 35FOW we've caught them as high as 15ft. A lot of times, these are the bigger aggressive fish. This is where a flasher is invaluable.

Good Luck, I do believe my feet will be hitting the ice in a few hours. Black Camo Otter

[Twins Guy]

Dtro-my favorite part of your last video was when your bird couldn't consistently differentiate the fish tornado from the bottom. that sold me on driving up and not wasting my time around the cities trying to find fish.

i do have a flasher and really appreciate the advice guys!

[DTro]

Oh, BTW since we are talking about keeping some fish I'll throw this up there again. A little bit of waste, but a great way to clean up those 18"ers.

[fishuhalik]

i just fileted em like a walleye. worked great with no waste but those things don't stop flopping! downright dangerous with a sharp filet knife and fin spikes. note to self: kill fish before leaving lake so they're done flopping by the time i get home...

[PR-Guy]

note to self: kill fish before leaving lake so they're done flopping by the time i get home...

Good plan! quick question though, i hear everyone refer to the "Meth Hole" but the only area i've fished of the chain so far is Koetter from 71 to the west, where is it in relation?

[Rick G]

quick question though, i hear everyone refer to the "Meth Hole" but the only area i've fished of the chain so far is Koetter from 71 to the west, where is it in relation?

N 45 25.945' W 94 31.666 is within a hundred feet of the actual (meth hole) this year

Guys if you dont feel like walking all the way to the meth hole there are tons of spots on just horseshoe itself that are every bit or in some cases better than the hole. Just look in the winter access area and you will find all the fish you could ever want . Btw of all the thousands of cats I have iced over the years only a hand full have come out of the meth hole area

[MuntzAngling]

I recommend you a billy club

Splat. I'll be out there in a blue Yukon shack with my nephew if you need to borrow mine!

[Stick in Mud]

You can also clean them by peeling the skin off like a sock. That's how I've done it and it worked for me. Next time I'll try cleaning them the old fashioned way.

[Stick in Mud]

One question: How fresh do the minnows need to be? Fishuhaulik kindly left me with a pile of fatheads, some of which are dead now, the rest of which probably will be soon. Can I put them in a ziploc bag and put them in the freezer to use later? Or do the fish prefer the ones that were only recently swimming?

[IceHawk]

RFM is right on the money guys there are tons of spots on the chain with cats! Alot of the numerous holes and breaklines hold fish. The meth hole has become a very popular spot over the yrs and with good reason. But with alot of the cat hype and eagerness to ice cats the fisherman will come and IMO the pressure will hit these fish sooner than you think and wham the bite decreases in that area! Alot of you guys drive along ways and are not as fortunate to live a 1/2 mile from the chain ( sorry just had to rub that in) so I really hate to see a lack of success. If you want a more consistent spot in the future that produces fish all winter and want to learn more about these cats in this system, do some exploreing. I guarentee you will find your own little honey holes I know I have

[Borch]

One question: How fresh do the minnows need to be? Fishuhaulik kindly left me with a pile of fatheads, some of which are dead now, the rest of which probably will be soon. Can I put them in a ziploc bag and put them in the freezer to use later? Or do the fish prefer the ones that were only recently swimming?

I do this all the time with suckers, fatheads and even redtails left over in the fall. They work fine. In particular I've done well on the suckers cut into chunks.

[pushbutton]

My favorite presentation is about 5/8 ths of a dead/frozen minnow with the stomach slit and lowers portion crudely cut off with the entrails hanging out....

[DTro]

Bite was pretty decent tonight. Noticeably slower, but still good. Several houses out tonight too which was surprising being it was a weeknight, but not surprising considering the popularity of this thread. As mentioned the pressure is being felt already.

The average size was good though, and we got one sow at 27"

Ice is shaping up nicely and there was enough snow where I could have taken my sled up there, hopefully that was the last human powered tow for the year.

[BSG]

I'll be up friday afternoon lurking around the Shoe. Bringing the wheeler but will be doin' the drill and check out in front of the wheeler to hopefully around meth holeish area. If not i'll be exploring elsewhere on foot.

Dtro - Thanks for the update. Hoping for a good afternoon today.

[Rick G]

Brad, maybe I will see you out there . I will be set up by around 2ish in my normal area.

[Rube]

DTro - nice video, that is the same way I do it, with the exception of using a mesh glove on my left hand,(its not the point of the barbed fin that gets me, but the serrated edges).

Another thing I do is to cut each flay in half lengthway, removing about 1/4", this method removes the vein that runs through the side. We believe it helps remove the "strong" fish taste and makes it easy to fry.

I also agree the chain can spare a few!

[DTro]

Pete hooked into a nice one last night!!

[Rick G]

Nice fish. I got one tonight that could have almost eaten that one. BSG was nice enough to snap off a few photos as I left my camera at home and still cant find my phone . This pig I got tonight was my third biggest I have ever gotten and the biggest I got on ice, she measured in at just a hair over 33in. This thing would not come up the 8in hole, I had to reach down and pull it up by the mouth.

Other than my hog we ended up getting around 40 between three of us. Quite a few of the 14-18in fish with a hand full in the 20s. Not much for crappies or walleyes for us but the cats made up for it.

Thanks again Brad for getting some photos. When you get a free moment please post one or two so we can all se this hog.

[Stick in Mud]

Great videos, Dtro. Keep 'em coming.

I'll not be able to make it out until sometime next week, probably Wednesday. My dad is bummed out that Mille Lacs isn't safely fishable this year, but I'm hoping a trip out to the Chain will change that.

If anyone else is able to make it out, I'm thinking it'll probably be Wednesday that we get out there.

[SR_FishOn]

I have been following this thread for a couple weeks and this catfishing thing really intrigued me so I studied the DNR maps and found a spot on the chain that was similar in structure and depth to Meth hole but not such a long walk.

Drove up this afternoon, walked out and caught my first catfish ever just as the sun was going down. Ended up catching 5 cats, a crappie and 3 walleyes. As excited as I was to catch a catfish it got better, I ended the night with the biggest walleye of my life (29.5" !!!)

Just got done filleting 3 cats and a 16" walleye. Looks like a nice fish fry for the wife and kids this weekend.

I just want to say thanks to all you guys for posting and and keeping us newbies informed.

[Twins Guy]

SR-nice fish man! congrats (especially on the wall-hanger of a walleye not to mention your first kitties)! still hoping to get up there monday or tuesday for a couple cats myself and can only dream of being so lucky.

happy holidays to you! and thanks for the encouraging post-gives me hope

tg

[DTro]

This pig I got tonight was my third biggest I have ever gotten and the biggest I got on ice, she measured in at just a hair over 33in. This thing would not come up the 8in hole, I had to reach down and pull it up by the mouth.

Wow, that is an awesome fish for up there! Congrats

[aanderud]

Wow, SR_FishOn that sounds like a great first trip on the shoe! I've got a guess that you just might be back!

RFM, a 33 incher is an awesome channel through the ice. I bet he took a while to get in! Next time I come out there I'm liable to set up shop next to your shack! :-) Congrats.

[IceHawk]

srfishon nice eye and congrats on the cats! Good to see you did some exploreing, as i stated you explore and the rewards are worth it! RfM- Nice cat there are some brutes out there.

[BSG]

Look what the Cat drug in......

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

My afternoon wasn't as good as RFMs. But I made it out to the meth hole area like I wanted on the wheeler. Had a few spots with less than 7 inches of ice, otherwise it was more.

Now for the report. It was sub-par for my standards. Drilled a bunch of holes, but never really found the motherload of fish. My buddy ended with 7 cats and a few other misc fish. I had 4 or 5 cats, 3 crappies and a few small walleyes. Cats were biting lighter than i remember, and was made a fool when it came to setting the hook and actually connecting. After talking with RFM after he "showed off" his big boy sounds like my downsizing efforts were not quite enough. Oh well, next time I'm drilling more holes till I find the good concentration of fish. Thats my tip to anyone whos coming up and fishing. Dont stop till you find fish!! Anyaways, still fun to get out and become frustrated with the kittys. Merry Christmas to everyone. Hope to meet a few more guys next time around.

[pushbutton]

Hhmnn....spent a good deal of time out there and got a little bored with the cats, but after looking at those pigs might have to go back and hit some of the old spots. Nice fish guys and thanks to all for contributing to one of the best threads on HSO!

Oh Yeah, have a safe and happy holidays!!!

[DTro]

Now THAT is a bruiser!!

[MuntzAngling]

Friday was great for us too. My nephew had his first ice fishing adventure and reeled in 4 walleyes. I managed one cat but we left before dark before the bite may have got going.

Nice fish BSG, I think I saw you out there, good fish! Thanks all for the tips to make a safe and fun day we will never forget.