catfish time.

[Matt_Magnone]

man o man, this year has been a weird one. set some crazy goals, achieved some of them and am working hard at others. my main goal is to break the dvl record for greenies. i also want a carp over 30, a catfish over 25 and i want to tap into huge panfish. dreams, goals, wishful thinking? whatever... all i know is fishing is fricken rad and i want to tap into every aspect of it.

needless to say, ive been on a roll with the dd's lately. 4 in the past week. while i wish i could tell you they were of the green kind but i cant. 2 flat heads over 10. one at 15 and the other close to 25 and channel cats between me and my boss around 15-20. the catfish have been OUT OF CONTROL out there lately. im very surprised the public hasn't made an attempt to try and target them. im really considering trying to learn them. all were caught on reaction baits and senkos.

my question for you guys that are a little more in depth with the catfish, is there a reason why we're seeing a lot of more catfish in the last few weeks? i have my ideas that im sure are a lot like yours, but seeing as how im pretty "green", id love to hear your input. spawn, fry, territorial instinct, amount of positive feeding opportunities on the bank?

thanks guys. here's 2 of the flatties i caught. didnt have time to take pictures of the channel cats.

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[bassnet]

Nice looking flatheads! They come in with the water? I figured only the blues and channels were planned?

[ddoskocil]

Damn! And on lures, too!?! Sweet. So what were you thinking when you hooked into the big one?

[HuskerRod]

Matt,

im no expert, but all I know is that every year about this time the catfish start showing up. It must be that magic water temp numbe rthat moves them shallower and gets them more active. The best day I ever had was Memorial Day a few years back with a 110 pound 10-fish bag...all released. I just got done bragging and a guy came in with a 225 pound 10-pound bag.

[Hoot951]

Matt, were these caught in DVL? I was planning on hitting Perris for some cats. I saw a few 20lbs cats on Wed so i was thinking about putting down the bass rod and hitting the cats early. The ones I saw at Perris were looking like they were up in the shallows making a den.

[PONTOON]

Matt,
I cant tell you how happy I was to see this post and HawgZWylde's post this past week. Trolly and I as well as GdHkSet have made a few trips out to the Jewel hoping the kitties have made an appearance without too much luck. We got a fish here and there but it's been pretty tough. I think both of your posts have confirmed the kittys are on the hunt and the lake record is going to stay in the hands of someone using a bait that imitates their natural prey. The 25lb goal is not unreasonable and I have no doubt that with your skills you will see it happen.

I'm no expert on the catfish at DVL but I have to agree with HuskerRod, This is about the time of year they start to show up, the water temperature has hit that majic number and they are on the hunt. It's a sure thing that we'll need to take the information from the latest reports and go see if we can find them and find out what they want.

When I spoke to you on the phone a hile back and you told me that there were flatheads in DVL I made it my goal to get my first flathead from DVL. The picture has made me want to realize that goal even more!

Thanks for the report Matt and I hope to get the opportunity to meet up with you.

[Matt_Magnone]

yeah these were from diamond valley. based on where i've been lucking into these things, the explanation that fits best is that these fish are spawning or have already spawned. the areas i've been fishing have larger boulders with deep water access. being that the areas are windblown, the fish really have no reason to leave. constant supply of forage whether it be bass, crappie, crawdads or bluegill make it the right recipe. i think the reason we've been seeing so many fish lately is the fact that our "baits" are thought of as intruders in their nests or holes. everything i'm throwing mimics some sort of swimming forage. swimming forage the size i'm using is roughly the size of common nest raiders or fry eaters. sounds logical to me but im by no means an expert on the subject. just looking to learn. spent my whole life dialing in the bass. now its time to have fun.

pontoon, we'll definitely have to meet up one of these days. my work schedule fluctuates so much and my fishing days are so unpredictable. if i wake up and i feel like fishing; i go. needless to say we'll have to plan it in advance. by all means, give me a shout and i'll let you know what i've found on the water if it helps save a long trip down and helps you pattern these fish.

by the way, all catfish were released. no need to kill such an awesome fish. :Beer Toast:

[Brandoncrow123]

I've always heard that there where flatheads there but I've never seen one until now. That's exciting. I'm really stoked. I wan't to catch a flathead now.

[Travis K]

id love to go out and learn how to fish these catfish with you. I can pay for the gas and whatever else. I need some one to show me how to catfish this lake from a boat! Let me know if interested in a partner.

[HawgZWylde]

Kitty spawn is on dude. Here's a decent article. There's better ones out there but they lean to the complete scientific side which I like but others may find a bit too much.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPage?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&mode=article&objectID=31249

[PONTOON]

Kitty spawn is on dude. Here's a decent article. There's better ones out there but they lean to the complete scientific side which I like but others may find a bit too much.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CFPage?storeId=10151&catalogId=10001&mode=article&objectID=31249

HawgZwylde, Thanks for the link. Trolly and I had one of those more "frustrating days" looking for the catfish bite Saturday but it just made us more anxious for the next trip out to DVL to continue looking for the cats.

Matt, It was good to finally get to meet you at Last Chance Bait and Tackle Saturday afternoon and I've got to say I was very impressed with the selection of
tackle Last Chance carries. I had to practically drag Trolly from the store. Thanks for taking the time to talk and we'll see you again sometime soon.