Cattin the Chain 2013

[PFUNK]

Btw, did anyone else notice an unusual amount of large methane bubbles coming up tonight?

My flasher was lit up with bubbles all day long. We were set up 50 yards north of the main meth hole but we found an area about the size of a spear hole with only a half inch of ice on it. It was only 15 yards from us. Last time we were there we had no idea it was even there but now that the snow is gone u can see it. Big bubbles were coming up in that hole all evening.

Fishing was awesome when we first started late this morning around 11:30. Then it slowed middle of the day and never picked back up to how good it was in the morning. Had around 30 cats between 3 guys, with a lot of them coming in the first couple hours. Size was better this time for us, with several fish in the 22-24" range.

[gooseroller]

Pfunk, I was fishing just to the south of you tonight, the bite picked up after you left, 4 of us got around 15 in a couple of hours. We also had a lot of methane bubbles coming up through our holes and on the flashers all evening. Anybody know why some days there are more bubbles than others, could it have anything to do with the barometric pressure.

[buzbunni]

Never have used liver. Chicken or Beef liver? Have to try that.

[Horseshoe_Don]

Ice is frozen, no water on top. Very slippery. Caught 2 wallys and a 3 lb cat this morning. Now time to het the meth hole in a while. Saw trucks driving all over. Snowmobiles are out though, no snow.

Happy fishing.

Don

[buzbunni]

Thx for the update Don. Will be up there around 1pm give or take.

[Horseshoe_Don]

I also have a good recipe for deep fried catfish. Been experimenting for years and came up with this one.

Put filets in a bowl and cover with milk

Add 2 table spoons of fresh garlic out of a jar

add 2 table spoons of black pepper

(Add cayenne pepper if you want them spicy)

Stir up the mixture

Let soak for 5 hours.

Take directly out of the marinade and put in dry catfish batter then into the deep fryer until golden brown.

This gives the meat a good flavor.

Don

[mrklean]

great video darren ill have to try that sometime

[Brad B]

Never have used liver. Chicken or Beef liver? Have to try that.

chicken liver.

[nsnutter]

Anyone going to be fishing the shoe Monday or Tuesday? Ill be out in a blue clam Bigfoot 4000t with a buddy. Well be the guys struggling with a hand auger

Planning on getting on the ice sometime late morning and will likely be staying late into the night. Be back right and early Tuesday as well. Same house, but well likely be struggling even more so with a hand auger due to sore arms from all the fish we fight Monday haha.

[fishhuntwork]

Is there any where on the horseshoe chain a guy can fish for pike? I was thinking next weekend making the drive up. A few nice panfish would be ok to while were waiting for flags.

[Horseshoe_Don]

The Kitties were on vacation today. from noon til 5 pm iced only a few and marked the least I ever have. Moved the quick fish 6 in the wind once(that was fun). After 5pm marked a lot but nothing bit. Froze my @#^%@#% off.

Maybe tomorrow will be better

Don

[DTro]

Maybe tomorrow will be better

I sure hope so.

[Rick G]

Don, I feel your pain I had my worst evening of the year Tried on the lake and on the river, Only got 2 to bite right at prime time. On the lake it was super windy and slick. Had fish moving in and out of the area so fast we couldnt keep on top of them long enough to get a line down. On the river we had the tornado under us for a good 3hrs and only got bumped a few times Finaly at about 5pm we each got a fish, Oh Boy!!! I thought here we go, NOT, that was it!!! Worst night we have had all year. I think I might try something easy tomorrow, like walleyes

[Big Dave2]

The reason it was so bad today was because I was there!

[aanderud]

These are not encouraging reports. We're hitting that mid-Jan timeframe where they usually slow down some anyway, and that cold front had to affect them even more. Hope it gets better tonight.

[nsnutter]

Hopefully they strap the feedbag back on tonight and remaiin active for the next few days.

[FlyRodAddiction]

The wife outfished both my buddy and I last night. She caught the only keeper cats and walleye. I caught a couple bonus crappies after sundown.

[buzbunni]

The Kitties were on vacation today. from noon til 5 pm iced only a few and marked the least I ever have.

Don

I join Big Dave2 in apologizing to all for the slow bite, as I was there as well...for the 1st time this year....and of course it was as Don says: SLOW>

So there ya go!

Ended up going to Long Lake instead of Horshoe. Was gonna drive out (it would have been fine I'm sure), but didn't see enough trucks on the ice to feel comfortable (there were no trucks at the Meth hole area on Horseshoe, just ATV's). In any case, the drag was easy-peasy on the slick ice and we did ice 5 nice crappies. Finally ended up icing a dink whisker right b4 we packed up, and that was nice cause I don't think my buddy believed there were any cats in the system .

Glow green demon spoon with pink tip and a minnow head was the ticket for the night.

It was cold out there indeed, but I sure was comfy in my Canvas Craft thermal. Love that shack.

Will be up again sometime this week, and driving out this time .

Good luck to all of you out there today. The Angling should be fantastic cause I'm not there

[DogBowl]

For a guy that has not fished out on the chain for a couple of year's where is a good place to start this year? Looking at navionics I can see all the sharp drop offs and breaks but there are a lot to choose from. Any help would be appreciated. And thanks for a great thread!.

[aanderud]

Looking at navionics I can see all the sharp drop offs and breaks but there are a lot to choose from. Any help would be appreciated. And thanks for a great thread!.

Sorry Dogbowl, if the map to the meth hole and the 300 posts in this thread plus last year's thread and the year before isn't enough of a starting point, I think you might be in for a disappointment with responses you might get. We've caught literally hundreds of catfish out of the meth hole this year, and there's a map straight to it in the cool cats thread (which has been going on out there for the better part of a decade now). Not sure what more anyone can really ask for than a map to a spot that holds thousands of catfish.

You said yourself that you saw plenty of fishable spots on the map. You have to be willing to either try them out, or 'settle' with going to a community hole. We try to hit a new spot about every other time we come up. Sometimes we only give it a few hours and lose hope and end up making a move to another spot we know. Other times we come home empty handed after trying 2-3 spots with no luck. Sometimes we hit gold and add to our 'good spot' list. We've drilled literally several thousand holes up there in various "fishy" looking spots over the years up there.

People aren't going to put coordinates to every good spot they know on the internet. If everyone posted every spot the go to, they'd ALL be community holes.

[Borch]

Is there any where on the horseshoe chain a guy can fish for pike? I was thinking next weekend making the drive up. A few nice panfish would be ok to while were waiting for flags.

You can catch pike in all of them. But long and Becker are the two I'fd head to if pike was on my list.

[Rick G]

Like Borch said, Long and Becker. I will add Schneider to the list of better ones for them. While all the lakes on the Chain do hold pike, there are better lakes in the area for numbers imo.

Heading out the door in few moments, I hope the bite for cat is better than it was yesterday. That was down right painfull.

[DogBowl]

I dont think I've ever seen a map till now. Thanks! I've fished the Meth hole area in the past but have not really been anywhere else on the chain.

------------------------------

Snow is way better then sand!

[DTro]

We hit a new lake spot just off the river channel tonight. We packed up when we hit 85!

A new 4 hour record.

[bassnub]

Was on the shoe today from 3 till 8. Caught fish until sundown then the flasher lit up like a xmas tree. We thought we had a tornado but after 30 min of nothing. Lowered the camera and all we saw were slime looking things down there. Any one know what that was?

[fishnhuntnboy]

Reading all this sounds like I'm missing one heck of a time out there. I'm planning on makin my first trip out there next weekend and not sure what to expect but a good time. Anyways since I have never dosed for cats through the ice, what kind of rod and line should I use? Just a normal walleye setup or should I go heavier? Reading other posts it seems like normal walleye jigs, a green glow or red glow jig works pretty good. Biggest thing just curious on what type of rod and line I need and I will be set!

Thanks for any info. If anyone wants to jump along this weekend let me know or meet on ice, will be in a white f-150!

[DTro]

I actually put together a How To video this morning and then filmed a little footage tonight of us catching them. I won't be able to get it all edited together and produced until tomorrow night though.

I touched on a little bit of everything (rods reels lures and bait).

[Brad B]

if all works out and the weather cooperates I may make the run up on the 19th. I will be driving a maroon Tahoe with HSO decals on the rear side windows, stop by and say hi and fish awhile if you see my truck.

[Rick G]

Got a late start to it tonight. Bite was slow to fair for us, had to work for the ones we got. Location must make all the difference in the world, as we sure the heck didn't get no 85, or any where even close But did run into some respectable size fish for once. Glow blue with a chunk of meat turned them for us. Might be back out tomorrow if someone gives me a hint to where the honey hole is

[DTro]

I'll let Brian throw you the bone Rick since it was his decision to hit this spot.

I will say this, it was weird being on the lake, only having 5" of ice under us, first ones to put holes there, and not another person fishing in any direction.

First time I've ever used an entire tub of livers too.