Scientific Fishing Tips, Rod Tips and and Recipes...

The wind was a howling but with warming temps there has been no outrageous snows in East Texas this year and the spring catfish bite is fully on. Because of the wind we hit the bridge riprap for some bank fishing on our last time and while that provided supper for the evening the real action is close to the bushes fishing with the wind. We avoided rough with a launch at Monterrey Park and scooted around the corner for some fast afternoon slip cork action.   

We don't need a new folk singer, we don't need no new Frank Sinatras (we could use a new Louie Armstrong), we need another picture of Cathy holding a catfish. We fished from 2pm till close to 5 using punch bait under slip corks tied up on a little 4' deep hump with 6' ahead of that, 6' behind us and a little draw to the side dropping to 8'. Water was the perfect temp of 69 degrees. We culled anything under 14 inches and while last year produced lots of 4-6 pound fish those spots have been too shallow for the spookier big ones and these will fillet just fine. 

So ya'll all go "mudbelly what's your secrets?" Here's one of them, take your fishing pole, I don't know what kind you have so this is a decision you have to make when you put my ideas to use but you break off 1 to 3 inches of the very tip. Take that top eye attached to the broken piece, heat with a cigarette lighter removing it and reinstall on what is now a shorter, stiffer rod. I have done experiments demonstrating that this increased stiffness speeds up the hook set when a catfish starts monkeying with a slip cork in shallow water which sometimes can be a shy bite barely reveling visible notification. As I say, the amount broken off can vary but grand kids seem to know the exact amount.    

Here in this photo Cathy is using an unmodified pole. See the bend in the rod? That's a slow hook set. I have not experimented with other fish species so if you are a bass fisherman and are reading this I urge you to proceed scientifically. Develop a theory, spend time in the lab documenting methods, catalogue your results in real world applications and avoid watching youtube videos that purport to teach shortcuts to success without science.

Note the type of cork in use here. It's from Henry's Tackle Shop in the Bridgeport Neighborhood of Chicago when our daughter, son in law and grandkids live. It's where we get live bait when fishing that neck of the woods.       

That's a bass pro shops cork in this photo and she is using the large size but I rigged a smaller one for a shy bite rig. I've fished the water behind Cathy since 1978 and have caught seven different kinds of fish in this spot, once doing it all in one day. 

Final count was 20 fat channel cats. We threw back small but legal fish and they were full of eggs. 

I had a wellness check the morning of this trip and the doc said cut back on the carbs and salt but I had lost 10 pounds in the last 6 months. It must be the catfish diet. 

Today's recipe is grilled catfish seasoned with Cavendar's Greek Seasoning, butter and lime with a side of grilled mixed veggies marinated in Tiger Sauce.