REVIEW OF FALL 2005
Nov 7th. UPDATE BEST DAY OF THIS YEAR! Nov 7th. I got to my first fishing spot on the river at 07:45. There was some light fog and a little current on the river as I dropped my anchor. Fished this spot just kept getting hard bites, but never got one hooked. I then started to check out other spots that produced fish in the past. The third place by the Ky pierof the L&N bridge; turned the trick. 10 o’clock sharp boated my first fish of the day. It was a nice channel cat that weighed in at 5.6 pounds. This fish liked the small skipjack that was on the hook. A nice blue cat took off at 10:25, when in the boat measured out at 28 inches, 9.5 pounds. This fish like the chunk of rare seasoned steak that I had as bait. I was running a little low on bait so headed up river to catch some fresh Shad. The fog was still on the water at that spot so it made locating the bait difficult. I threw my net several times and got only a few Shad for my efforts. Took what I caught,and headed back to my first spot of the day. I got my boat and lines out at 11:30 just above Hooters. 11:50 boated my one of my largest channel cats of the year .This fish topped out at 10.9 pounds and 29 inches long. This fish also liked the chunk of raw steak. From then on I hooked a fish just a soon as I got fresh bait in the river. One time I had 2 nice channel cats and a 7 pound carp all in the bottom of my small boat at the same time. I had problems with taking a self timed photo of the fish.Just about time for the camera to take the picture the camera fell over or the fish flopped the wrong way. Whenever the reel took off, I just had to put the fish back down to reel in the new fish. I did get the photos of the cats but just weighed the carp. Once that was done I released them back to the river. The cat were caught on cut up Shad, the carp also liked the raw steak. The action stopped dead after I pulled in the carp so I headed for the last stop of the day. I went back to the bridge pier for it was on the way back to the ramp. The wind was blowing up river and caused the boat to rock a good deal. As I was winding in my lines for the day I felt a fish. A small flathead had swallowed a cut up shad. This cat was so small he could not really do more than just cause a tap on the rod tip. The fish measured 17.5 inches and only 2.5 pounds. When I headed home felt good to have such a great day of CATCHING fish. I caught all three types of catsfish, plus a nice carp. The largest number of fish caught on a trip this year 8. Over all weight of around 63 pounds tops in that department as well. Yes this was my BEST day of fishing this year.
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October 31 thru Nov 3rd 2005 UPDATE Put my boat in 3 times this week. Boated a total of 8 cats. The largest was 11 pound channel, the smallest was a flathead of 1.4 pounds. the big channel hit on a fillet of gizzard shad. The little one also hit on that while I was trying to get a photo of the big one. The Ohio Is in great shape clear and now some current. I got two other channels that day a 2.9 pounder caught on thawed out shad. The 5 pounder.caught on FRIED CHICKEN SKIN ! The 2nd of November I was delayed a little by fog. Caught a small channel of 2.5 on thawed shad at 09;30. Checked out a couple more spots before I hooked into another fish. This one was a 8.6 pounder that took a chunck of thawed skipjack. I was trying to get it measured out when the pole took off and I hooked into a 6.5 pounder was So I had 2 channel cats floppying all over the bottom of my small boat. I did get the camera sorta working but the photos did not turn out as well as I wanted. Returned the fish back in the Ohio River . I ran my boat up to a spot where I had seen Shad in the past. I gave it a throw with my casting net. The net was loaded with the largest haul I ever got in one cast in my life. The bottom of my boat had too many shad even after I put nearlly all in the container I had. Nov 3rd. I headed back to the spot I fished the day before with some of the Shad I had frozen. The fish were just pecking the bait off the hooks. Had one fish half way to the boat but he got off. The wind really started blowing hard up river. I moved my boat to a spot to try to get out of the wind. Even there the wind was moving my boat too much. Then my one pole bent down, thought it was a asnag and boat movement caused the bending of the pole. Picked up the pole and the fish at the other end let me know the truth. This channel came in at 7.4 ponds and as caught on the shad. Tried one other spot but gave up due to the strong wind causing white caps. Was off the river by 11 a.m. If the wether stays mild I will be out there a couple times next week. Just have to hope the wind stays down so one can tell a bite.
October 18 2005 Put my boat in at the public landing this morning. Hit my usual spots but no bites again. Went and checked out a place my brother told me about the other night. I marked fish as I got to it, so figured give it a try. I only had a couple cunks of Skipjack left, used it up at the other spots. Had 2 good bites shortly after getting set up. Then at 11:25 I hooked a decent channel cat on the skipjack head. The cat was 3.5 pounds and 22 inches. I was now down to just thawed out shad for bait. Put about 4 nice size shad on a rod and cast it out. As I was getting ready to wind in another rod to bait it, the first rod took off. I thought it was a blue the way the fish hit the bait. When I got it to the boat a nice channel was hooked. This one weighed 6.5 pounds. Here is the 6.5 pound channel 
. That was the end of the action for the day. Still NO current in the river. Hopefully some of the rain that will help out with getting some current again. Went to listen to Dale Broughton catfishing talk on the 20th. Once again did pick up some good info for future trips on the river. He did show how to put strips of Gizzard shad on a hook that won't get knocked off the hook. He also show me a different way to bait with the smaller shad or skipjacks that I will use from now on.
October 11th.- 13th.UPDATE!! 10-10 I got a call Sunday night from my bother. He had been fishing on the river and gave me a report. Boated 7 cats 3 blues ,4 channels. Two of the blues were in the 6 pound range. He said the bites where all day long each time he baited up. He told me exactly where he fished, so I decieded to go on Monday morning. I got out in my boat 2 times this week. I spent a total of around 11 hours on the water. There was very little reward for the time and effort. I caught 1 small blue cat of 1.5 pounds. Had just 4 decent bites combined for those two trips. The Ohio River is still very clear, the problem is just very little if any current. Hopefully there will get some current in the river before I have to put my gear away for the season. So once again a a lot of effort with very little reward . Not sure how many trips I will even try with results such as this. Normally I put my covers on the boat by November.
October 4th.UPDATE!! 10-04 Had a better trip with my boat this morning. Lines were in the water at 08:00. Caught a 1 pound perch at 09:05 at my 3rd spot. At 9;15 boated a 3 pound channel cat 19.5 inches. The 2nd perch hit at 9:25, this one came in at 5.3 pounds. All three fish hit on skipjack. That was all my action, tried 3 more spots but NO bites. My brother had a great day from the call I got tonight. He boated 6 cats. 3 channel cats about 3 pounds each. They were caught in the Licking River. 3 blues cats, one 13.5 pounds ,one 13 pounds and a 4 pounder were caught in the Ohio River. Once again the bait they hit was skipjack. Hopefully the cooler tempatures due by the end of the week will really get the cats to turn on. By the way Dale Broughton a catfish guide from Cincinnati will be at Plapps Outdoors on Oct 20th. He will present how he goes about get Cats from the Markland Pool. Pick Dales brain of info. should help put a few more cats in your boat.
Tight lines and lots of action.
UPDATED 11-24-05
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