Moccasin Bend - Chickamauga Dam Cat 7-7-2006

[DHaun]

Notice the title is singular...MrWiskers and I launched about 5:00pm below Chickamauga Dam and ran down river to check a couple Moccasin Bend catfish holes. We came up with nothing. Went on upstream to another hole and caught one stubby 7 pounder blue cat with a deformed tail. I caught the exact same fish a week ago from the same hole! This indicates to me exactly how beneficial releasing these cats can be. If I had kept it we would have been skunked tonight as we went on to another hole and struck out there too! Luckily the semi-secret bait and conservation came through for us emoRolleyes

We decided to drift the boils for a few minutes and struck out there too with only one bite. We left about 8:30pm and figured either they must be spawning or the something else has them turned off tonight. They can't all be great trips full of action but I figured I would post this report for comparative purposes as I'm wondering how folks do in the morning. After such a slow night tonight I'll be sleeping in and going camping tomorrow. I'll probably get back and see a 90 pounder posted by somebody! emoBigsmile

 

[Guest]

Not sure exactly how much rain you all got up there, with the front that just passed through, but could it have been the influx of water and new forage coming into the water that have them turned off?

Of course, they could be spawning, but almost all the cats that I have ever caught while spawning hit bait with wreckless abandon. I have even caught catfish that were spawning while bass fishing.

 

[MrWiskers]

I did not get one single hit tonight. Unreal.

Going bass fishing in the morning at the Riverpark. I will be in a red/black 17 foot Nitro so if anyone sees me stop by and say hi.

 

[rsimms]

I'm betting you'll catch a catfish while you're bass fishing. Too bad it never seems to work the other way around. Good luck.

 

[polo-dog]

Nwgamaster, I think that DHaun was thinking that the fish had moved out of the hole to a different area to spawn and that that was the reason for the slow fishing. Once they are done spawning I would expect the fishing to pick up in the holes if that reasoning is sound. I have forgotten when/where blues spawn, I'll have to look that up. Where's our fisheries guy when we need him?

 

[DHaun]

I think I have heard/read (in articles and also here on CFF) that they only spawn for 10 days or so in shallow crevaces (rock holes and under boat ramps) and that they all can spawn at slightly different intervals and maybe even in different parts of the river. So some fish can still be caught deep during the spawn. I could be wrong on these theories but that's how my mind has it for now. My thinking is to try to identify the peak of the spawn and where it occurs so as to have some insight as to what the pattern might be next year. Yes, a biologist's opinion or any known historical data for this area would be interesting to me.

 

[MrWiskers]

rsimms - 7/7/2006 10:27 PM

I'm betting you'll catch a catfish while you're bass fishing. Too bad it never seems to work the other way around. Good luck.

No cats bass fishing. Nice bass but no cats.

 

[fisherpal2k]

Dhaun, I have found that the cats will spawn from May till August. Your right, not all of them spawn at the same time and not all will go far to do so. If you can find a place where there is an overhang or something that will create shade they seem to like it better than full sun. Don't really understand this as the water temps are what brings the spawn about, well, partially anyway. Give them a couple of days and there will be some back in your honey holes. Meantime they are just the opposite of the current. After they lay out I have found them in slack water areas nore than the current areas. I think they just need time to rest up and they will get more agressive.