5/13 catfish opener

[esteban1t]

got set up for the night session at 5:15 towards the nets at chris's pond ..
didnt get bit until around 8 right when the sun went down....
got all 3 of my fish within a 30-45 minute time frame,
1 - fly lined mac
2- marshmellow and shrimp
had a 4th on the line but it came off due to bad hook set
fish seemed to like the marshmellow and shrimp better , used a 6 inch leader
didnt get any pics because i didnt want to pick up my phone with my stinky hands haha
my first time in a while having any luck at sarl


any recipes yall recommend ?

[Marley]

Nicely done on the kittens! Best way I have found to cook them is roll the fillets in Louisiana Fish Fry (at the butcher counter most groceries) and fry until done. Be sure to skin them, too.

[Mr T-rex]

Nice good job on the kitties!
i was there for the morning session on my tube. and lost a decent 15lber on 2lb test. all i can say is that i gave the cat a run for his money haha

[E.A.R.G.]

Nice good job on the kitties!
i was there for the morning session on my tube. and lost a decent 15lber on 2lb test. all i can say is that i gave the cat a run for his money haha

not an 8 pounder? :)

[Mr T-rex]

not an 8 pounder? :)

Haha bro i have it on camera haha!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhihjukNxic

[hotramen]

got set up for the night session at 5:15 towards the nets at chris's pond ..
didnt get bit until around 8 right when the sun went down....
got all 3 of my fish within a 30-45 minute time frame,
1 - fly lined mac
2- marshmellow and shrimp
had a 4th on the line but it came off due to bad hook set
fish seemed to like the marshmellow and shrimp better , used a 6 inch leader
didnt get any pics because i didnt want to pick up my phone with my stinky hands haha
my first time in a while having any luck at sarl


any recipes yall recommend ?

Glad you caught some. I was there fishing the main lake from 5 pm to 11 pm. Moved twice and got no bites, not even a nibble.

Carolina rigs with mackerel and shrimp.

[esteban1t]

Glad you caught some. I was there fishing the main lake from 5 pm to 11 pm. Moved twice and got no bites, not even a nibble.

Carolina rigs with mackerel and shrimp.

were you using marshmallows to float them ? i only got 1 on the flylined mac... the rest were on the shrimp and marshmallow on a c-rig with 6 inch leader
i always feel like i have a better chance at chris's pond since its smaller and easier to fish most of the lake
dont know if it makes a difference but i use fresh shrimp with the head still on and fresh mac bought at ranch 99, i never use frozen mac or shrimp

[hotramen]

were you using marshmallows to float them ? i only got 1 on the flylined mac... the rest were on the shrimp and marshmallow on a c-rig with 6 inch leader
i always feel like i have a better chance at chris's pond since its smaller and easier to fish most of the lake
dont know if it makes a difference but i use fresh shrimp with the head still on and fresh mac bought at ranch 99, i never use frozen mac or shrimp

I always use pike mackerel and peeled shrimp. Usually soaked in bite on catfish attractant. That combo has worked for me all the time at Irvine. This was my second visit to SARL and nothing caught so far. The marshmallow combo is new to me, but I am seeing it being mentioned by others on here.

I have not tried Chris' Pond yet. I am assuming that is the smaller one next to the big lake. I was going to wait a few weeks until the water got warmer, but I am intrigued to try again.

[jhernandez25]

I always use pike mackerel and peeled shrimp. Usually soaked in bite on catfish attractant. That combo has worked for me all the time at Irvine. This was my second visit to SARL and nothing caught so far. The marshmallow combo is new to me, but I am seeing it being mentioned by others on here.

I have not tried Chris' Pond yet. I am assuming that is the smaller one next to the big lake. I was going to wait a few weeks until the water got warmer, but I am intrigued to try again.

Trust me it seems all the techniques that worked at Irvine DO NOT work at SARL, I use to kill it at Irvine with shrimp dipped in Bite-on or Bang Garlic but that definitely does not work in as good in SARL not sure why and of course there are a bunch of theories out there that Irvine catfish preferred Bite-On because that is what they were fed at the hatchery and what not because Irvine was a sponsor of Bite-On blah blah blah, :-). to me all it takes is time to zero in the lake and know what SARL catfish like so far from all that I have read and seen at the lake, the marshmallow Combo as well as fly lining are the best methods to attack those cats and the best location is on a float tube (I would think a boat might give the same results) The last 2 times i have gone and got skunked I have seen only the tubers catching any catfish so its time to dust off my tube (that i have never used) and hit that water, just got back from Army training in Germany so if anyone wants to go out there and show me the ropes of tubing for catfish let me know.

[Number1topgun]

The one catfish I've ever caught here was off of a piece of string cheese but that fish hit it almost as soon as it hit the water. I've tried everything else and never got a nibble, however I've only tried Chris pond for catfish never the main lake and never in a boat or float tube.

[etucker1959]

Trust me it seems all the techniques that worked at Irvine DO NOT work at SARL, I use to kill it at Irvine with shrimp dipped in Bite-on or Bang Garlic but that definitely does not work in as good in SARL not sure why and of course there are a bunch of theories out there that Irvine catfish preferred Bite-On because that is what they were fed at the hatchery and what not because Irvine was a sponsor of Bite-On blah blah blah, :-). to me all it takes is time to zero in the lake and know what SARL catfish like so far from all that I have read and seen at the lake, the marshmallow Combo as well as fly lining are the best methods to attack those cats and the best location is on a float tube (I would think a boat might give the same results) The last 2 times i have gone and got skunked I have seen only the tubers catching any catfish so its time to dust off my tube (that i have never used) and hit that water, just got back from Army training in Germany so if anyone wants to go out there and show me the ropes of tubing for catfish let me know.
SARL catfish are their own animal. The only good way to fish them is from a tube or boat. (The 2 baits we've had the most luck on is N/C and shrimp) They tend to school up and go on a feeding frenzy at a certain time of the day. (what time???) That's the trick, being there at the right time and finding a good school. A fish graph helps tremendously!!!!!! Try drifting in a boat or tube with the meter on, once you get bit or see them on your graph anchor up on them. If you keep seeing them on your fish graph, you'll probably have a good day!!!

[jhernandez25]

SARL catfish are their own animal. The only good way to fish them is from a tube or boat. (The 2 baits we've had the most luck on is N/C and shrimp) They tend to school up and go on a feeding frenzy at a certain time of the day. (what time???) That's the trick, being there at the right time and finding a good school. A fish graph helps tremendously!!!!!! Try drifting in a boat or tube with the meter on, once you get bit or see them on your graph anchor up on them. If you keep seeing them on your fish graph, you'll probably have a good day!!!

Yeah I have come to realize that SARL Catfish are by far not you ordinary catfish, I have made plans to either take my float tube or my boat on my next trip and try the fly lining technique and now am going to drift thanks for the advice, I was just going to hit certain hot spots I seen the tubers and boats have success in. Guess if I dont want to get skunked I need to clear my schedule and plan to spend most of the day at the lake until I find the school or the feeding frenzy starts :-), Thanks for the advice, am definitely going to put it into practice.

[hotramen]

The catfish at Irvine were definitely easier to catch. As soon as the sun went down it was game on. I figure it will take me a few visits before I get the layout and good spots figured out for SARL. From looking at pictures of the lakes when they were drained it seems like shore fishing will be on a slope. Maybe that is why bait that is suspended works better.

I thought about tube and boat fishing, but the big lake seems small enough as it is.

Ever try trolling for trout in the big lake? Or is it all shore fishing for trout?

[etucker1959]

Yeah I have come to realize that SARL Catfish are by far not you ordinary catfish, I have made plans to either take my float tube or my boat on my next trip and try the fly lining technique and now am going to drift thanks for the advice, I was just going to hit certain hot spots I seen the tubers and boats have success in. Guess if I dont want to get skunked I need to clear my schedule and plan to spend most of the day at the lake until I find the school or the feeding frenzy starts :-), Thanks for the advice, am definitely going to put it into practice.
Another thing about SARL catfish they like to hang out on humps and depth changes. So I'm watching my meter the whole time when I'm drifting. Shrimp is the best bait to use while drifting. (impossible to come off the hook) You don't need to see a lot of fish on your meter when drifting to put the anchor down, (just a pattern of fish in the same area) but when you do and you're on the anchor. ( You're on a good spot) If they start stocking a lot of Blue catfish the N/C come into play, if not peeled white shrimp is all you need. Good Luck!!!!

[Mr T-rex]

Yeah I have come to realize that SARL Catfish are by far not you ordinary catfish, I have made plans to either take my float tube or my boat on my next trip and try the fly lining technique and now am going to drift thanks for the advice, I was just going to hit certain hot spots I seen the tubers and boats have success in. Guess if I dont want to get skunked I need to clear my schedule and plan to spend most of the day at the lake until I find the school or the feeding frenzy starts :-), Thanks for the advice, am definitely going to put it into practice.

Whenever you're ready buddy!
Lets kill some kitties on the tubes