Vegitarian Catfish in KY

[LeFaive]

I've done quite a bit of fishing around the country and have never come across the quantity of vegitarian catfish as what I have found since I moved to KY... they just seem to have an incredible appetite for balsa wood! Honestly though, when I think of catching catfish I always think of something with a scent... chicken livers, worms, minnows, stink bait, etc... but this weekend at Green River proved quite the opposite! All I did was pull plugs around the lake targeting crappie and walleye and my fiance and I ended up catching 10 catfish to go with the collection... couple 5's were the small ones and one about 14 lbs being the biggest of them, but was blown away by so many catfish targeting artificial baits with no scent on them or anything. Has anyone else had similar experience? Perhaps a certain time of year when they are more aggressive than others? Just curious.
As for the report for the rest of the fish... like I said, just stuck to trolling with plugs. Fished into the evenings without a whole lot of luck besides a couple smaller crappie and a small walleye, but mornings proved a little more fruitful with some nice crappie, an assortment of active bass, and of course the catfish that provided some nice little fights to mix things up. Found the majority of the fish in the main channel and just adjusted the depth we were fishing to match where they were on the graph... (varied from 7'-20' as they slowly got deeper as the morning went on) All in all, was an absolutely gorgeous weekend to be out enjoying the water!

[Carter1]

I once caught a 20 pound flathead on a Bagley crankbait in Barren River just below the dam. And I have caught them on spinnerbaits and soft plastics but never as many as you all did in one day.

[Brandon__]

That is so disappointing when you do it to.. Thinking you caught a HUGE bass then you realize you line is spinning. its depressing.

[coombro]

I've caught them on rooster tails, crankbaits , texas rigged rubber worms and other artificial lures. Last cat I caught,caught him on ivory soap limb line fishing. Didn't think of it as a vegitarian though. Scent just makes it easier for them to find.

[offdtop]

In 2001 I had a 33.67 "yellow" cat Caught on Carlyle Lake in Illinois and it was entered into IGFA world line class record (which it would be new record) but scale certification could not be verified, I caught it in a bass tourney throwing a Poe's 300 in firetiger if you scroll down the following page you will see me with the fish and my partner is holding the lure just to the left... lol.

http://www.bassworldsports.com/d12-01.htm

[riverrat12]

You can catch a mess of channels on artificial by slowing your retreive down. My biggest flathead was caught on a 1\4 oz jig and 12# test back in 1998 she was 80#.That record didn't last long sum guy went and caught a 123# flat on 12# test that year...record still stands.The thing that made me feel good was I think he was in a boat, I was on the shore

[mhall]

You can catch a mess of channels on artificial by slowing your retreive down. My biggest flathead was caught on a 1\4 oz jig and 12# test back in 1998 she was 80#.That record didn't last long sum guy went and caught a 123# flat on 12# test that year...record still stands.The thing that made me feel good was I think he was in a boat, I was on the shore

And has the Courier Journal article to prove it to for you ''Doubting Thomas's'' out there. The man is part catfish.

Hey Chuck, Doug was on my facebook page saying a pic of one I had was bogus on the weight, it was the one a little over 50lb when he came jacking them jaws and you had to lay the smack on him.

Come'on Douglas... I think it went....''Alright Chuck they say you are the man, you know all about it....Let's see what you got?'' Three to five minutes after you said that we was weighing one over 50lb, that was flippin Classic. He shut and but quick, lol. Hey Meyer, where you at, lmao...

[artcarney_agr]

Recently have been catching large quantities of channel cats on rooster tails and spinnerbaits on the Ohio River. In all instances, there were huge clouds of small shad/fry present, so I'm guessing they have been feeding very aggresively on them and hitting anything that resemebles such.

[riverrat12]

And has the Courier Journal article to prove it to for you ''Doubting Thomas's'' out there. The man is part catfish.

Hey Chuck, Doug was on my facebook page saying a pic of one I had was bogus on the weight, it was the one a little over 50lb when he came jacking them jaws and you had to lay the smack on him.

Come'on Douglas... I think it went....''Alright Chuck they say you are the man, you know all about it....Let's see what you got?'' Three to five minutes after you said that we was weighing one over 50lb, that was flippin Classic. He shut and but quick, lol. Hey Meyer, where you at, lmao...

LOL Man let me see if I can find that pic. I'm getting better at figuring out that dang digital camera,even though I almost lost it to the fish I posted on the photo board Fri. All I remember was hittin the timer and going to grab the fish and all heck broke out,I saw my camera flying up in the air bouncing around the bow of the boat WHewww,my wife would have killed me. Mean critters,speakin a critters were has ole Doug been.

[riverrat12]

Recently have been catching large quantities of channel cats on rooster tails and spinnerbaits on the Ohio River. In all instances, there were huge clouds of small shad/fry present, so I'm guessing they have been feeding very aggresively on them and hitting anything that resemebles such.

Art them Mepps Aglia's are cat getters to. You catchin them around Harrods?

[KYCatfish]

Recently have been catching large quantities of channel cats on rooster tails and spinnerbaits on the Ohio River. In all instances, there were huge clouds of small shad/fry present, so I'm guessing they have been feeding very aggresively on them and hitting anything that resemebles such.

I went jugging last Friday and caught a 5 lb blue that had 18 2" shad in its stomach. I think they are starting the fall feeding freenzy. The rest of the 10 that I caught had 5-8 shad in their stomachs too.

[artcarney_agr]

Art them Mepps Aglia's are cat getters to. You catchin them around Harrods?

Main river, on flats that are covered up with the small shad/fry, in about 1.5 to 2 ft of water....when they hit, their tail comes up out of the water and smacks hard and loud! Almost scares ya! Ha ha ha! About a 2 to 3 pound average size.