SARL 6/24 Catfish Opener

[DellDell26]

FNG here to the forum. I have been reading the forums for about a month and have decided to start contributing.

Got to the lake around 535am, surprisingly there was not too many people waiting, I was the 7th vehicle in. Lake was stocked around 8am with a lot of catfish. Unfortunately the fish did not seem to be hungry. Tried everything (makerel, shrimp, nightscrawlers, shad, etc.) today to catch some cats but nothing was working in Levitz corner. Caught and released one LMB, but other than that no action. Moved over to the pond around 12pm to try my luck there, but once again nothing. Only saw 3 other fish caught by the time I left at 1pm.

[TheBigBaDWolf]

wont cats need a day or too to calm down from the shock of moving?

this weekend should be the ideal time to hit the cats..

[pho boy]

welcome to the board and thanks for the report.
here a few thing i learn from fishing cats

1. when they first stock cats the bite is very slow give it a couple of day
2. cats bite better at night or early in the morning before the sun come out
3. fresh bonita is the best bait ,make sure it fresh . the only place the i know to have fresh bonita is seafood city and ranch 99.
actually seafood city will list the fish as thawed or fresh . fresh bonita is bloody and smelly
4.if u can't find fresh bonita get fresh mack please make sure there fresh also ice ur bait so it stay fresh.
5. if u can't find fresh bonita or mack stay home ur wasting money
6 catfish love structure find a spot with lots of structure and u find cats
7. fyline ur bait. if ur bait is on the bottom in the weeds ur chance of getting bitten is slim .
i have fish many time for cats plenty time have i been skunk at corona and irvine not because there is no fish is because of my bait and my selection of spot to fish .i have fish many many time next to people that are getting bite left and right using fresh bonita while i was using shrimp,a kind of catfish dip ,mackeral not fresh hard to find fresh . chicken liver ,nightcrawler ,oh i get bite i get 1 bite to there 5 bites . hope this help excuse my grammer

[TheBigBaDWolf]

pho what is fly line?

[pho boy]

is when u don't put a weight on ur line . flyling is the best method i have learn this year catch more fish . fish seem to bite better and hook themself when i,m flyling.

[TheBigBaDWolf]

well then you need a boat? casting out is needed for cats.?

or do you mean a egg weight with a swivel?

[gavin310]

thanks for the report. yeah i guess saturday or sunday will be the best day to fish for the cats. they'll be nice and hungry by then.

[smokehound]

Get some Hog-Wild. Very powerful catfish attractor. Dip a chunk of mackerel in it, and you should catch at LEAST one.

[pho boy]

catfish come pretty close to shore,
put a nice piece of bonita on and you can toss it out pretty good also i use 8 lb test .

[bluehunter]

You also may want to try livers too. Channels in particular love liver. Fresh or cured. Globs of nighcrawlers too like 3 on a hook.

I am actually thinking about going there soon, and its been years since I fished Sarl or Corona.


Also like the others stated catfish are not like trout and take time to get over shock. These fish will picked up late Sat or Sunday by that time they will be used to water temps and may get hungry and want to grub.