Very nice! I know exactly where that is 
**Hey Jeff, hereās a little piece I put together on fixinā bullheads/mudders/yeller bellies.
I gotta admit there have been some trips when they were hitting well that TubeBabe and I kept the bullheads and released the channels. They are good.
**
Is cutler completely ice free now? wondering about getting boat out on it.
Nice bullheads, my grandmothers favorite fish for eating.
Thanksā¦
I am fortunate to live near the south end of Cutler marsh, and I wet a line on Saturday evening as well. I hooked into something decent. It acted more like a big cat than a carp. It stayed near the bottom and got wrapped up on something that gave me trouble in the same spot last year. After some big head shakes (me and the fish), and walking around to pull in the opposite direction, I was left with little else but to pull. 20# mono was not enough to hold the fish and pull sticks or rocks out of the mud, so it is still out there.
I am using big circle hooks, and last year I had more trouble with crawdads stripping bait and appearing as false bites than from the mud cats.
I hope to try again later this week.
Hey Rod think mourning doves. Small but like they mention not bad to fillet the meat off so they are easy to prepare. Iām not real careful up front, but the tails are nice. Pat gave us a great write up if you didnāt read it, check it out. Later J
Wow, very nice. Go catch him again today so it will count. Nice start to the season. Later J
Hey are you signing up for the contest this year? I havenāt seen your name yet. Hope youāll join in again. Later J
Hey Pat, been wanting to thank you for the Mudcat write up but every time I start I get distracted. So thank you and Iāll have to try this youāve never steered me wrong.
With this cold snap, what would you try to make a cat bite tomorrow or the next day? Iām figuring it will be too cold to get Willard to be very active so Iām going to fish close to home to reduce the investment on a marginal day. Figure deep water and slow small baits? Or shallows after the sun comes out and starts to warm things up? Worms still or slow trolled minnows? Probably wonāt fish long, but wouldnāt mind trying a little. Later J
**What you have experienced so far is an indicator that your home waters are progressing toward spring. The mudders get active firstā¦usually several days and several degrees sooner than the channels. But not always. You can bet that there will be some bigger kitties nosing around and looking both for more comfy warmer water and spring food.
While the water is still well under 60 degrees you will do best by waiting until late afternoon. Then look for shallow backwater areas that are protected, out of the current and facing southā¦to pick up as much of the sunās heat as possible. Just a few degrees difference can get the cats moving in and looking for food.
And in the colder water, with the fish still sluggish, they will be moved more by scent than motion. So bloody carp meat or something like shrimp will be more likely to get an inquiry. If you have some leftover minnows from last year, pin them on a hook and poke them full of holes to release more flavor into the water. Cats are looking for winter killed tidbits so āagedā minnows will work better now than they will later in the year.
Also, better to let your bait lay on the bottom rather than soaking it under a bobberā¦usually. Sluggish kitties are more likely to swim up and settle down to dineā¦rather than chasing their food. So even a light pickup might signal an interested 30 incher. Give it time to munch a few times and wait until it starts to swim off before tightening up or yanking.
Very soon the fish WILL be moving into deeper flowsā¦especially during the daytime. But in the eveningsā¦after a warm dayā¦they will cruise into the sun-warmed shallows. Down at Utah Lake it is surprising how good the fishing can be early in the springā¦right at dark and for a while afterward. Then the next morningā¦after a cold nightā¦it is tough to get a sniff. Iām guessing it will not be much different on your fave spots.
About Willard. I have been modestly successful at finding a few willing cookies. But I really had to drag baits over a lot of underwater real estate. I have not found any ākitty condosā yet. But once the water warms and the fish get more active they tend to gravitate towards certain areas and you can catch more in a smaller area. Still not what I would call a wide open bite.
**
Thanks for the info Pat, it makes sense, Iāll give it a try tomorrow afternoonish if I can wait that long. Itās cold up here this afternoon and been snowing so Iām concerned it will be a tough weekend. See if I can find some nasty carplets to tease the kitties with. What will carp take best now? I used up all my carp chunks and I need to resupply. Thanks J
**What will carp take best? Corn.
Oh, wait a minute. Not legal in Utah.
Of course they will take a piece of crawler. But to target carp specifically you might try a dough bait. Plain old rolled up Wonderbread balls will work. Or you can make up some fancy schmancy dough baits as listed on any carp fishing website.
One of my fave carp dough baits from the past is saltine crackers crushed up and mixed with water or a bit of milk. Actually seems to work best if you chew them up and wet them with saliva. The Ptyalin in your saliva starts breaking down the starch and turning it to sugar. The key is to get it just moist enough to hold on the hook without it turning to goo.
A dough made of plain old flour and water will work too. For extra added attraction you can add flavoringsā¦like anise (licorice), garlic or strawberry.
A lot of carp chasers swear by a dough made from blender-crushed dry cerealā¦like Wheaties or Corn Flakes. Again, add some fruity flavoring for added attraction.
If nothing else, you can āforce feedā the carp with jigs or arrows. Strongly recommend against using āDupont spinnersā (dynamite).
**
Thanks Pat, do you use a cheese hook with that dough bait? I havenāt ever tried it before. Last year I had that set line permit and the night crawlers on it kept me in carp, but I only put it out twice so Iām trying to decide if I want to buy one again this year. Since I donāt keep many cats at all itās expensive for a bait catching means. Plus it just takes too long to deal with it. I got my bow set up last year, but when they arenāt spawning or sucking the surface itās hard to find a shot. Guess Iāll try the dough and see if I can find some that will bite. Thanks for the tips. J
**I hate treble hooks but if your dough bait is loose it will stay on better. I prefer a single hookā¦about size 6 or 4ā¦molded into the middle of the ball. You will still get a good hook setā¦especially if you treat it as a circle hook and let the fish pull tight before you set the hook. Also, carp are not dummies. Sometimes if they feel a treble they will spit the bait before you can do business.
One other thing. Sometimes the fish will slurp up a smaller dough ball faster than a big one. If they have to mouth it too much before swallowing they can suck the bait off the hook.
**
Thanks Pat, I hate trebles as well. They are a pain to work with. Iāll try my luck with the dough and see how it goes. Report later J
Orā¦wait for another couple of months for the carp infestation āSpawnā to begin. Last year I could reach out and kick them from the bank. I imagine it would be easy pickings with a bow.
Dang carp. Always ruining things.
Thatās one way of looking at it, but I find the channels follow the carp into their spawning areas, so I fish around the carp and usually catch a lot of fish. May not be monsters but usually average 24". So I donāt mind carp even if they are messy and stir up lots of mud.
My first dough attempt was a failure, but to be fair I only got to fish for 20 minutes or so before my wife found me and put me back to work. Oh well maybe today.
Hey Iām one step closer to our night cat run. Got my bow lights working and put some new LED ones on the boat. They are great and much brighter than the original. My new anchor light and six way switch should be here today with an LED light string for my boat interior. I also got some spot lights for night navigation in the swamp. Hope this will make it ready for night cat runs.
Now itās just the wait for warmer water temperatures. Later J