Cattin the Chain 2012

[smokindao]

Any idea as to how much ice is on that shoe? We was out last weekend and it was around 10-11 inches.

[LPCrowRiverFisherman]

Hot bite tonite, 25 cats from 5:00-7:15 glow red and 1/3 of a fathead in 29 fow. Very agressive tonite, if they came to your bait more times than not they would hammer it. I had a live dace on a dead stick hoping for a walleye and ended up having a cat take it and that is a pretty big lively minnow for a winter cat. All cats from 15-23 inches.

[Rick G]

Nice report LPCRF, I hope they are still going good tomorrow.

[aanderud]

Sounds like the bite is on. I'm stuck in the metro this weekend, as the trip up there is too long for my 4 year old. Go get em, boys.

[mncountryboy92]

ok im head out to the chain this afternoon but i have to walk out just woudnering if it's worth the time to walk out to the meth hole for catfish goin with my dad i hope just lose my uncle so i wanna try get him out of the house i dont have a flasher so im woundering how to get set up for cats i only gone once and got one but that was it if anythign i'll be taking him out soon just woundering where to start fishing and what not thanks for anyones time that will give me a little light to work on

[mncountryboy92]

and is ceder any good for cats might be easyer walk now that i think of it since i have do all the work dad has messed up ankle

[Brad B]

and is ceder any good for cats might be easyer walk now that i think of it since i have do all the work dad has messed up ankle

you could check out long lake south of horseshoe. there is nice cats in there also. at cool cats back on the 14th the ice was 10 inches thick. It is a easy walk out there from the access. fish in the 25 to 30 foot depth range and you should find cats and crappies and maybe a walleye or two.

[mncountryboy92]

yea i was there for that well now im just goin alone so i can walk any where i wanna lol still gotta haul a 3 man house alone tho

[mncountryboy92]

heading out to long lake wish me luck or ceder or the shoe i'll problay try long again

[catchnothing]

anybody driving on the chain????

just wanna be ready for the walk if i have to...

thanks..

good fishing

[Rick G]

We drove out this morning after checking right off the access, found 15-16in all the way back. Still some places to be cautious of if you are going to drive out so please be carefull. By the time we left there were a dozen cars/trucks on the ice. Time to bring the wheel house out and do some full weekends finaly . The bite was pretty good this morning but died off durring the afternoon hours only to pick up strong at prime time. hoped around between 27-35ft and found a few here and there, going was tough due to the nasty wind today. For prime time we set up in 30ft just off the end of a small mud bar. By far a glow green forage minnow tiped with a half a crappie minow was better than anything else we tryed. I ended the day somewhere in the mid teens with a dozen or so crappies mixed in and my budie got about the same number of cats just no crappies.

Back again tommorrow with house in tow .

[Brad B]

riverfishingmiss,

was the 15-16 inches on the access at horseshoe and does it stay that thick all the way to the meth hole or is that channel going up to the meth hole still thinner. I was thinking of trying horseshoe by the meth hole if it is drivable out to it. if not I was going to try long lake again.

[Twins Guy]

hey brad-there have been trucks driving up to the meth hole and beyond from the winter access. i drive a hatchback and was out there last night but my car is a lot lighter than some of the vehicles i've seen out there.

Rich

[kittycatcher16]

Was out near the meth hole today. Fished from 9 AM to about 1 PM. Pretty slow but still managed to ice around 15 cats. Marked a TON of fish but real picky. One bonus walleye and one rocky! Not as good as days in the past but I still call it a success and a very fun day on the ice. After all....its not december anymore. We measured 17" of ice and trucks are venturing out there.

[Rick G]

Brad, the ice is consistant all the way back from the winter access to the meth hole and beyond.

Today I had one of those things happen that I have only heard about. I had just set up my wheelhouse and was in the prosses of tying a frostee on my line when I hear what sounds like running water. I looked over to my hole only to se a rather large otter swirling around in my hole . We made eye contact for a brief moment while he was crawling into my house, I ran out the door screeming like a 5yr old girl . Well it only took a moment for my buddies to come a runnin, I told them there was an otter in my freekin house and I got a how much have you had to drink today look from them, I opened the door back up and it was no where to be seen but there was this over whelming skunk/musk smell that made me wana gag I just knew it was still in there somewhere. I looked down the hole it came out of only to see it under the floor. I slamed the hole cover and beat on the floor till it ran out from under the house. This is where the real fun began . I chased that thing around the bay from one house to the next for a good 15min while everyone around was laughing their a--off when one of the guys accross the bays dogs joined in the hunt. Well I didnt think they were as mean as this one was because the dogs didnt chase long. In the end the little guy ran off into the sunset and was not harmed in any way. I do not think I will be sleeping out there with the hole covers off from here on out And just when I thought I had seen everything but the wind, this is a new one for me.

Now to the report. It was one of the slowest days I have had out there all year. I got five cats and a bout 9-10 crappies. My two biggest (25, 27) cane on a tip up with a small shiner in 17 ft of water other wise it was a real strugle today. Between seven of us we didnt even get 20 cats, they were down there they just didnt want to go. I did notice there was a lot more methane bubbles in the lake than normal tonight, I wonder if that had something to do with the negitive bite.

[DTro]

The Otter whisperer.

I've had a muskrat come through the hole before when I was younger and my dad kicked over the homemade 5 gallon barrel stove while trying to kick the rat. So now you have a shanty full of smoke and an angry/scared rat running around. OMG if I only had a video camera to capture that one. Heck just the audio alone would be priceless to me.

I like the fact we can drive out there now!

[Rick G]

The Otter whisperer.

I've had a muskrat come through the hole before when I was younger and my dad kicked over the homemade 5 gallon barrel stove while trying to kick the rat. So now you have a shanty full of smoke and an angry/scared rat running around. OMG if I only had a video camera to capture that one. Heck just the audio alone would be priceless to me.

I like the fact we can drive out there now!

The otter wisperer, now thats funny . I was definatly more frightened than it was. In the summer when we se them playing on the river bank they look all cute and cuddly, when they are in the fish house, well not so cute and that smell. Its gona take a while to get that out of the house I think.

Yes it is nice to finaly be able to drive out

[mncountryboy92]

was in 30 feet of water tonight caught a few cats need to find a another spot was only 2nd time out for them ever biggest one was about 25 inchs the others where about 17 inchs

[pushbutton]

Great story RFM, and, again, thanks for all the great info...a lot of people really appreciate it!!!

[Brad B]

Come on riverfishingmiss you don't want a otter for a bed partner. that would be one heck of a thing to wake up to(LOL). that is just one of those stories you can't make up. whats the odds this ever happens again in your life time.

[Twins Guy]

classic story rfm!

i noticed the same methane bubble thing tonight. i thought the issue was my slightly different location. where i shared the meth hole with one other angler last night when i arrived tonight there were 5 houses already out there bunched around the part of the hole i have been fishing-bummer:( didn't mark nearly as many fish tonight. struggled to ice 5 small kitties tonight. i was hoping/expecting a better bite with the weather change but that's why they call it fishin' not catchin'.

tg

[BSG]

Fished on sunday with my old man (rookie to ice cattin). Anyways, punched a bunch of holes in a new spot ive never tried before... Only had methane bubbles, really weird. I then moved back to my normal area, drilled 5 holes, boom, tornado of fish. In the first 30 mins or so after moving i had 5 kittys on the ice but all under 16. Scratched up a few more after that, but as soon is it got dark the bite pretty much stopped for me. Best action was 26-28ft. All on red spoons. As for my old man, it took him a while to get it, but he ended with 3 cats and some "party crappies" i dunno what they are but thats what everyone else calls them so.... I ended with 8. 1 20", the rest were 16 and under.

Tons of trucks, trucks with wheelhouses and cars.

[Rick G]

Brad , I think I passed you at the access while you were loading your wheeler up. I kept on lookin down the shoreline trying to figure out who that was with the wheeler and trailer in your normal area, I forgot the binocs at home again. I knew I should have stoped .

[NKLCOLT1911]

i might be heading up there on sunday if anyone is around ill be in a clam base camp

[NKLCOLT1911]

i am correct to assume from the reports i have read that the ice is drivable with my trail blazer?

[Brad B]

When I head up sometime soon I plan to drive out to the meth hole. riverfishingmiss has been reporting 15 to 16 inches from the winter access back to the meth hole.

[Rick G]

I can guarantee a decent road back there by this weekend

[Borch]

I might be using it. I'm sure we won't be alone.

[NKLCOLT1911]

I have no idea where this winter access you speak of is I'm too much of a rookie and to dumb to figure it out my self

[mncountryboy92]

thinking about headin out fro cats at about midnight what should i use for hooks ive been just using random jigs and spoon that i have. just trying to get into cating more in the winter what do u all like to use for tackle and bait.