03-17-2007, 01:21 AM
[cool][#0000ff]Don't use the words "fisherman" and "normal" in the same sentence.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Short answer...YES. I usually catch some of my biggest cats every year soon after ice out. Once the water starts warming, the bigguns start cruising, looking for groceries. They do not produce roe sacks until it starts warming up, to conserve energy. But, once they can feed again, they chow down and their ovaries fill up fast...for spawning in May or so.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Just about every large fish we caught today was full of recently munched fish parts. Big cats are efficient predators and besides cleaning up the winter killed fish they are capable of ambushing and killing white bass and small carp...and even other small catfish and bullheads.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]I have caught large open water channel cats as early as February. My first Utah Lake cats last year came on March 4th. This week was the first time I could get a tube on the lake. Last week on Friday LB was still ice/slush covered.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]The water is still pretty cold, by catfish standards, but those larger fish fought like it was mid summer. Much fun.[/#0000ff]
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[#0000ff]Short answer...YES. I usually catch some of my biggest cats every year soon after ice out. Once the water starts warming, the bigguns start cruising, looking for groceries. They do not produce roe sacks until it starts warming up, to conserve energy. But, once they can feed again, they chow down and their ovaries fill up fast...for spawning in May or so.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]Just about every large fish we caught today was full of recently munched fish parts. Big cats are efficient predators and besides cleaning up the winter killed fish they are capable of ambushing and killing white bass and small carp...and even other small catfish and bullheads.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]I have caught large open water channel cats as early as February. My first Utah Lake cats last year came on March 4th. This week was the first time I could get a tube on the lake. Last week on Friday LB was still ice/slush covered.[/#0000ff]
[#0000ff][/#0000ff]
[#0000ff]The water is still pretty cold, by catfish standards, but those larger fish fought like it was mid summer. Much fun.[/#0000ff]
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