While fishing for stocker sized cats at Irvine, keeping my bait off the bottom definitely increased my success. I fished the same spot many times (shore fishing in boat dock cove) and tried different methods. I found which method works best for me and now I always go home with at least a few fish. At first I used a larger hook and bait and fished the bottom. I was only catching stockers (1.5 - 3 lb.) and missing quite a few. I'm more than happy catching cats that size, so I just focused on catching those and not waiting for a big one. I put my weight on the bottom and about 1.5' - 2' up I added a short leader (about 4"). I was using 8 lb. mono. I switched to a smaller hook (#6 J hook) and SMALL pieces of shrimp or mackerel (cut in pieces a little bit bigger than the size of the hook) soaked in stink bait overnight. For the stinkbait, I've had by far the most success with Hog Wild mixed with W-D-3. W-D-3 is awesome and works very well at most places, but at Irvine mixing it with Hog Wild gets more bites. The spot I was fishing at has lots of vegetation on the bottom, which could be why keeping the bait off the bottom helps. Keep the line tight and be ready to set the hook quickly on the fish. I haven't used rods other than my 7' Ugly Stik Lite rods (the cork handle ones), but it seems those have the perfect action for this type of fishing. I've only not hooked a few fish that have bitten and I think the action of the rod helps with this.
If I was hoping for something larger than 4 or 5 pounds I wouldn't use this method. I'd use TaperSteve's method or a Carolina rig.
Last edited by gavin310; 06-24-2012 at 11:54 PM.
How can i learn to own ?
Blech I hate hogwild.. That's one thing I'll never carry on me.
I'd rather smell like fish than poop. lol
I like to use shrimp and Mack that have been marinated with either bite on Cajun or love sauce. Seems like the Cats at the vine like it.
I caught my #32 Blue Cat on the sink, literally 6-7 seconds after the cast.
Great info there,thanks!
Cya Tuna Vic