VineAssist
09-28-2011, 12:10 PM
Here we go trophy Catfish hunters the final month of Catfish season is upon us! Historically October has been the best month to chase Trophy sized (over 25lbs) Blue Catfish at Irvine Lake. Everything is happeing on schedule too as the water level is holding pretty high and the water is starting to get to the low 70's and even into the high 60's. This is the month in my humble opinon that the lake record catfish and trophy catfish are most vunerable. Below I will kind of lay out some things to look for and some little tips that will help you land more GIANT Cats.
October has long been considered ROCKTOBER by a lot of the regulars Catfish gurus here at Irvine Lake. The reason for the nickname to the month is a lot of great bites can and do happen during this month. October and November are by far the two best months to chase Trophy Catfish here at Irvine Lake. And for a couple key reasons:
Water Temperatures
Catfish are a warm water speicies that feeds heavily in water temperatures from 70-90+ degrees. Catfish use all there senses to find there prey as they work the entire water column for food. Now with a Blue Catfish this is espically true because a Blue Catfish will feed on anything that gets in its path whether it be alive or dead. As the water cools down Big Blue Catfish start to feed heavily on deepwater structure to build up for the winter doldrums. During the winter a Catfish's metablolism slows way down so they have to eat less often to maintain there body weight. Right now the water temperture is hovering in the mid 70's which is pretty close to average in years past. So now is the time to be fishing those giant slabs of mackeral, bonita or even skipjack which is extra bloody and fatty.
water level
Water level plays a key role on where these Giant Blues and Channel Catfish will be sitting or feeding and traditonally it has been a deep water bite. What few anglers knew where the lake regulars where actually fishing a old creek channel that runs the entire length of the Santiago Cliffs, wraps Rocky Point, runs all the way in front of Sierra Cove and runs along the dam. This is the Old Santiago Creek Channel and it is a Giant Blue Catfish highway. A big trophy size Blue can use this Creek Channel to instantly get to deep water where it feels safe or move up onto a ledge and find plenty of food in the form of bluegill or dead, dying or even a live trout. With the water levels being high a Catfish angler would be wise to find a nice structure spot close to this channel and put out big baits. A good spot right now would be the very edge of the island in Sierra Cove because of its steep drop offs with plenty of rock. It also gets extra points because it is super close to the Creek Channel. Another good spot would be the very tip of Rocky Point and when I say the very tip I am saying where the rock meets the lake bottom. This will be very good transition spot but also as a lot of structure and once again it is really close the the old creek channel.
Baits
Whatever you choose to use for bait the only hint I have is go big! This is the time of year where you will only get three baits of that mackeral if you are chasing that wallhanger. Serioulsy fillet the Mackeral out and chop off the head of the Mackeral. Same going for bonita too if they are of the smaller variety. It would also be wise to leave your baits out for a good period of time to maximize the scent in the water. Bring plenty of bait just in case you run into that bite of a lifetime. Sometimes you can run into schools of 10lb to 50lb fish all using the same spot and when you find these bites it can be epic. Bring enough bait just in case.
Tips
1.Cant stress this one enough! BRING A NET MEANT TO HANDLE A TROPHY SIZED CATFISH! A little trout hand net will not work.
2.This one will fall under the no kidding catergory but I see it far to often! Dress for cold weather. On the lake the temperatures can and will drop and there is sometimes a mist in the air. Bring sweatshirts and pants. Also pack the rain gear in the boat just in case.
3.Have fresh abrasion resistant line on your reels. Trophy catfish hunters will tell you that they fish 15lb all the way up to 30lb test mono when chasing these fish! Spool your reels with a quality (Maxima, Big Game, insert your favorite line here) monofilament when fishing trophy Catfish. A lot of anglers are going to the new superlines or spectras in deep water braid will more than likely hinder you as braid has a characteristic that makes it float higher and is actually less abraision resistant than one might think. Also spectra has very little stretch which an angler will need when fighting a trophy Catfish.
4. Re tie after every fish! This is another one that should fall under the no kidding category! Even if the fish is 1lb and ate a 10/0 hook just retie. You dont wanna lose that fish a lifetime do to line failure.
5.Last but not least is TIME ON THE WATER!!!! I hear people gripe about how certain individuals always get the big cats. There is a very logical explanation as to why they are on the fish! That reason is they are on the water. Some of our big cat guys are on the water from open to close. Get right off the water and camp in line only to do the same thing the very next day. These days being Friday and Saturday of course. The more time you are on the water and fishing a spot the higher your odds of catching that trophy fish are.
Hope these tips and pointers help out
Jimmy
Hope these tips help out in your
October has long been considered ROCKTOBER by a lot of the regulars Catfish gurus here at Irvine Lake. The reason for the nickname to the month is a lot of great bites can and do happen during this month. October and November are by far the two best months to chase Trophy Catfish here at Irvine Lake. And for a couple key reasons:
Water Temperatures
Catfish are a warm water speicies that feeds heavily in water temperatures from 70-90+ degrees. Catfish use all there senses to find there prey as they work the entire water column for food. Now with a Blue Catfish this is espically true because a Blue Catfish will feed on anything that gets in its path whether it be alive or dead. As the water cools down Big Blue Catfish start to feed heavily on deepwater structure to build up for the winter doldrums. During the winter a Catfish's metablolism slows way down so they have to eat less often to maintain there body weight. Right now the water temperture is hovering in the mid 70's which is pretty close to average in years past. So now is the time to be fishing those giant slabs of mackeral, bonita or even skipjack which is extra bloody and fatty.
water level
Water level plays a key role on where these Giant Blues and Channel Catfish will be sitting or feeding and traditonally it has been a deep water bite. What few anglers knew where the lake regulars where actually fishing a old creek channel that runs the entire length of the Santiago Cliffs, wraps Rocky Point, runs all the way in front of Sierra Cove and runs along the dam. This is the Old Santiago Creek Channel and it is a Giant Blue Catfish highway. A big trophy size Blue can use this Creek Channel to instantly get to deep water where it feels safe or move up onto a ledge and find plenty of food in the form of bluegill or dead, dying or even a live trout. With the water levels being high a Catfish angler would be wise to find a nice structure spot close to this channel and put out big baits. A good spot right now would be the very edge of the island in Sierra Cove because of its steep drop offs with plenty of rock. It also gets extra points because it is super close to the Creek Channel. Another good spot would be the very tip of Rocky Point and when I say the very tip I am saying where the rock meets the lake bottom. This will be very good transition spot but also as a lot of structure and once again it is really close the the old creek channel.
Baits
Whatever you choose to use for bait the only hint I have is go big! This is the time of year where you will only get three baits of that mackeral if you are chasing that wallhanger. Serioulsy fillet the Mackeral out and chop off the head of the Mackeral. Same going for bonita too if they are of the smaller variety. It would also be wise to leave your baits out for a good period of time to maximize the scent in the water. Bring plenty of bait just in case you run into that bite of a lifetime. Sometimes you can run into schools of 10lb to 50lb fish all using the same spot and when you find these bites it can be epic. Bring enough bait just in case.
Tips
1.Cant stress this one enough! BRING A NET MEANT TO HANDLE A TROPHY SIZED CATFISH! A little trout hand net will not work.
2.This one will fall under the no kidding catergory but I see it far to often! Dress for cold weather. On the lake the temperatures can and will drop and there is sometimes a mist in the air. Bring sweatshirts and pants. Also pack the rain gear in the boat just in case.
3.Have fresh abrasion resistant line on your reels. Trophy catfish hunters will tell you that they fish 15lb all the way up to 30lb test mono when chasing these fish! Spool your reels with a quality (Maxima, Big Game, insert your favorite line here) monofilament when fishing trophy Catfish. A lot of anglers are going to the new superlines or spectras in deep water braid will more than likely hinder you as braid has a characteristic that makes it float higher and is actually less abraision resistant than one might think. Also spectra has very little stretch which an angler will need when fighting a trophy Catfish.
4. Re tie after every fish! This is another one that should fall under the no kidding category! Even if the fish is 1lb and ate a 10/0 hook just retie. You dont wanna lose that fish a lifetime do to line failure.
5.Last but not least is TIME ON THE WATER!!!! I hear people gripe about how certain individuals always get the big cats. There is a very logical explanation as to why they are on the fish! That reason is they are on the water. Some of our big cat guys are on the water from open to close. Get right off the water and camp in line only to do the same thing the very next day. These days being Friday and Saturday of course. The more time you are on the water and fishing a spot the higher your odds of catching that trophy fish are.
Hope these tips and pointers help out
Jimmy
Hope these tips help out in your