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I went out yesterday to a place on Eufaula where we caught a lot on Tuesday. The water is now much more stained and up probably a foot. We fished shallow, depths we fished Tuesday and even went into 8-10 feet of water. They must've had lock jaw or they moved. How do you go about finding them in these conditions?
Find the cleanest water in the lake the water I was fishing yesterday evening was 8-10 inch vis. We caught 18 with a jig and cork and rolled another 30 at the boat. When your water muddies up those fish need an adjustment period usaully 3-4 days then they will bits again. EB
Thanks EB. We did move back into some coves where we had previously caught them. It wasn't as muddy, but still got blanked. Guess that's why it's called fishing instead of catching.Quote:
Originally Posted by Eufaula boy
switch to fishing for blue cats until the weather stabilizes
turkey hunting
I just stay at home until things settle.
Exactly!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by cricket george
I like catching crappie as well as anybody but when it floods, like Kaw does about every year, we are not gonna stop fishing. If you have never experienced a 30 to 40 lb blue cat on the end of a rod you don't know what your missing. And cleaned right, there is no better fish to eat out there.
I agree Tim:biggrin
TimY,
Please share your catfish cleaning secrets!
Pretty simple. The main thing is you have to hang them and cut the tails off and let them completely bleed out. Doesn't matter how big or what kind of catfish. I carry a pair of loppers in my boat and with the fish still on the stringer, I put them in a plastic tub and cut all the tails off then hang them over the side of the boat until they bleed out usually 20 to 30 min. Put them back in the tub and fillet them out and trim all red meat off. Some people trim the belly meat but I stay away from it. One bite of belly fat will be all you want. Put it in ziplock bags and keep it in the ice chest until I get home then wash it off a little before freezing it. You don't want to wash all the oil off because that's where you get the flavor. Most people over wash the fish. I use Cuda fillet knives with 7 and 9 in blades. I don't use electric knives on catfish. Wash it up a little bit and make sure to trim off all red meat. If it's bled out good the meat should be almost white. Roll it in a Cajun batter and it is unreal.Quote:
Originally Posted by mathewjp
Bled, I don't think there is a better eating blue than from Kaw. I have eaten lots of them. Not a finer meal than them, some fresh fries, and my friend's wife's hushpuppies. I'm with ya on the belly meat on blues. One thing Tim said that I have corrected from my old ways is to rinse the fish thoroughly then NOT soak it in water. The red meat will sour much quicker in water. We will trim and dry a little and put in a ziplock until freezing.
Just FYI, make sure that all of your rods are stowed away and your totally finished with fishing before you do that, if a warden happens by there could be a problem!Quote:
Originally Posted by TimY
From the rules & regulations:
It is unlawful to:
- Possess a gamefish, hybrid striped bass or flathead catfish that has been filleted or had its head or tail removed while actively engaging in fishing.
I've had better luck cutting their gills while on a stringer. They seem to bleed out faster and better. Just a few minutes and they are done. That is for smaller fish; I throw back any blue over 8lbs or so. Livewell, stringer, then cooler works pretty well.
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I like to pack them in ice, by the time I get home all of the blood is pulled out of the meat.
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I have tried cutting the gills but didn't work as well as cutting the tails at least on the bigger fish. May work ok on smaller ones but only takes a minute or 2 to cut the tails with good loppers.Quote:
Originally Posted by mjg_07
Tim - I agree with you that lopping the tails is a better option because the heart is still active and pumping versus suffocation due to destroying the gills. My .02
I usually just cut their whiskers off.
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That's funny don't care who you areQuote:
Originally Posted by crapAlicous
Give em a clean shave! Haha.
Thanks for the tips.
Mat