WA Fish Quest Episode 4: Channel Catfish

[Fish-or-man?]

Here's the fourth epidode of Washington Fish Quest. I have never caught a good-sized channel catfish before. It was a really good time! I look forward to making it back in 2013 or 2014 now that I have some idea of what I'm doing. Thanks again Zen Leecher and Augwen for the recommendation and info on the fishery!

[Toni]

Very nice video!

[The Quadfather]

Next time I am thinking of going fishing, I might just stay home and watch a few more of your videos. Truely well spent time!
I especially liked the blooper reel at the end. btw, could you post back with a link to whatever "Thread" you spoke of for tying your chicken livers on with. When I fish surf perch at the ocean I often wish I had some kind a tying thread to better keep the razor clams on the hook. More vids. please.

[MarkFromSea]

Great Job!

[Augwen]

Nice video and I am glad you caught fish!!! Lyons Ferry Resort is a nice place to stay.

[SculpinKing]

Nice fish. I was hoping to get over to the eastside to catch my first Catfish this summer, but I don't think it's going to happen. At least I got to live it vicariously.

[returnofthefish]

Nice video. I always wanted to go to the eastside and fish all day for channel catfish too.

[Fish-or-man?]

Thank you very much everybody for the kind words! Really happy I caught those two fish... I needed every hour to do it! SculpinKing and ReturnoftheFish, I think the fishery is a little stalled up this year due to cold water. So just as an FYI I bet there'd still be plenty of cats into early July. Maybe next year a few of us can boat buddy up or something to reduce costs. It was about a $200 trip, and $130 of it was the gas. Yeesh. Even hauling a small boat is killer on the gas mileage. As Augwen said Lyon's Ferry KOA is a really nice place to stay. Very reasonable, like $20 a night-- free place to park your boat too. Even the camp store is reasonable given the location, and has about anything you could need. After staying there, I wished Jim and Angela (husband and wife co-owners) ran the Parks Department!

Quadfather, here's a link to the thread: http://www.rapala.com/9300-030-0085/9300-030-0085,default,pd.html. Some salmon anglers use it to tie a herring fillet to their kwikfish lures. But it does a great job of keeping sand shrimp and liver on a hook too. There are a couple different brands of it, it's not just a kwikfish thing. I got mine at the Wholesale Sports in Lacey. I think any big fishing store will have it. I'll try it the next time I go surfperch fishing. If you try it before I do please let me know if it works!

[SculpinKing]

If that stretchy thread is the same stuff I'm thinking of pretty much every decent tackle shop should carry it, at least on the west side of the mountains. It's very popular with Steelhead guys for tying their egg sacks, I believe.

[zen leecher]

Fishy, Your results mirrored my first trip over there. I'd heard about the fishery for a while and in 2009 we fished for two days with no cats. We fished out in the river above the mouth of the Palouse, down below the fish hatchery, out in the main river and no fish. I kept seeing "carp" rolling in the shallows so stayed away from them. Finally checked and found out the "carp" was a ton of catfish. We used nightcrawlers, hotdog chunks (turkey preferred), shrimp, chicken livers and fish chunks for bait. All worked.

I've been watching the weather and trying to figure out when the bite will turn on and am about ready to make a trip. The BIGGGGG bay is where I usually fish and the entire thing is shallow, some parts too shallow to run a boat. That area warms up first and that's where the catfish start out.

It's been cool over here so I expect the bite to be a bit later than normal. Normal is turning on over Memorial Day.

Glad you had a good trip. Let me know when your next trip may be and I might be able to drop by.

One more thing. I fished with a bobber once I was in the shallows. It made it easier to fish and detect bites.

[Jipper]

Nice video,and good tips.!!

[SnoKing]

Fish-or-Man..... I finally got to see your video...amazing. Again, I'll report back when I return. All of the info from the other reports on the Palouse are helpful. THANKS!

[DannyCore]

I was that guy laughing at you. I think everybody does what you did the first time up the palouse. You can actually go up a ways into the river past the flats for good catfish action as well. I have personally caught over 100 cats in the last 5 years there (yearly vacation). Another tip for boatless people is that breakwater in the video you can actually fish off of the corner of that is facing the palouse, away from the snake, use worms or cutbait (i float the worms about 2 foot off the bottom) and that works as cats move up river all night.

[SnoKing]

Danny, Nice bunch of cats! I'm heading over there on Wednesday and intend to spend some time on the flats above the mouth as per Fish-Or-Man, then head up river some. Seems like night fishing may be a bit more productive although Fish-Or-Man did quite well in the early morning. Are you set up with a slip sinker rig and peg float set to keep the bait 2' above the bottom? Great pics too!

[Fish-or-man?]

Good luck SnoKing!!

I was that guy laughing at you.

Doesn't narrow it down! Ha ha. Thanks for the info! I feel this fishery is much more de-mystified now. If I don't make an annual trip out of it, I'll make it at least every other year!

[SnoKing]

Thanks Fish-Or-Man, Between you and Danny, I think I have it narrowed down. Now it looks like a low pressure depression sets in on Friday so I have to work fast or the cats will get lock jaw. If it blows in early, I'll double back and hit it on Monday. One way or the other I intend to have my way with the cats of Palouse. (sounds pornographic)

[jbball50]

Nice video, my dad will be heading over here to my place in Pasco tomorrow then we'll head out Friday morning to fish for walleye and cats at Lyon's Ferry. We might stay the night, depending on how well we do, if not we'll go to Scooteney for walleye and perch.