Hillsdale catfishing

[center12]

Going to fish Hillsdale on Thursday or Friday, pre-fishing for the Acats, and was wondering if anyone knew of a guaranteed shad spot. I've got some frozen fish, but much prefer fresh. Thanks.

[kccats]

Charlie, I have not had any luck at Hillsdale for Shad.
Hillsdale Lake used to have a huge population of them. You could go in the morning or evening and see them all over the lake.
Not any more.
Also, it used to be that it was full of bullheads. When you crappie fished, if you let your minnow get to close to the bottom it was instant bullhead.
Have not caught a bullhead there for years now.

Perhaps someone here nows about a good spot, but I sure have not found it.

[kcgeoff]

I agree with Chris, I've never had any luck catching shad in my castnet at Hillsdale. I few in the spillway when they were releasing but it was always to crowded with people. I used to catch carp in my castnet in the coves. I haven't fished Hillsdale in a couple years. I quit fishing Hillsdale since I had so much better luck fishing Olathe lake or the Kaw. Plus getting shad at Olathe lake or Waterworks was alot easier. I imagine with a boat you would have much better luck catching shad.

[center12]

Thanks Chris, I'll for sure take some frozen shad when I pre-fish............doesn't sound to promising finding any there. If I do luck into a spot I'll be sure and post it up. Hopefully the Clinton shad are still where I left them:) .


Tackleman, be sure and bring an extra gallon of DK Blood on Saturday.

[sparky806]

We usually stop at Olathe Lake on the way to Hillsdale. It's only 20 minutes from Hillsdale and almost always get a bucket of shad.
Richard

[LBM]

Charlie

At daylight around the Jayhawker ramp I have been seeing lots of shad on the surface with birds working them. Yesterday the birds weren't around as much but I did see shad in the small cove running to the west just off of the Jayhawker ramp.

I don't know anything about castnets and how to catch shad but when they are in there my graph will completly cloud up (go dark) when I pass over them fishing for crappie. Yesturday after the sun came up and fishing out of the cove I didn't see the shad that I had seen while fishing towards the back of the cove.

I have just been lurking around trying to pick up pointers on fishing for the whiskered type fish in the more traditional mode.

In the summer months I fish for channels around the KDWP fish feeders. I have been using worms to catch some bait to cut up to use as bait for the channel cats.

I use my 10 ft crappie pole rigged with 30lb or plus braided line a circle hook and sometime a small splitshot on my line depending if I want the bait to sink faster. I just slowly work around the feeder from my boat and flip the bait around the feeder and let it slowly sink to the bottom set a bit (probably around a minute) slowly bring it back in and re-flip it to another position around the feeder.

I have caught up to 15 pound channel with this method using the long crappie pole. I have at times had to break off if I don't get the channel turned before it wraps around the anchor chain below the feeder.

I have been releasing any that go over 10 lbs but have discoverd that I really like eating these pellet fed channel (4 to 8 pounders) since I think they are as good as or better than the crappie I catch the rest of the year.

Guess I should have broken this post up into smaller posts so I could get my post count up to ten so I could look at some of the pictures posted here.

Anyhow good luck at Hillsdale.

[center12]

Thank you for the heads-up LBM, I'll try that area first as that's where I'll be putting in at.

Knew a fellow that used to take nice cats from around the feeders on Douglas the same way you do..........he said it was a blast!!

When you tire of staring at depthfinders and donating jigs to the brushpile Gods, whiskerskitties are a nice change. I'm a big fan of the 1.5 to 2 lb. kitty for tablefare.

Thanks again for the lead.

[Rajun_Cajun]

i've actually never seen much shad action around hillsdale but i have seen alot of shad in the shallows were the bass are. i mihgt see you up there on friday cause were gonna go down there and see what patterns i can get out of my shotgun for turkey, were that have publuc hunting. then after that were gonna go crappie fish... well atleast my dad will be, but i will be catfishing. but ya my suggestion if the shad are even kickin and screamin yet, just try around the shallows up in the little back areas. there deep enough were you can drive your boat in there, but i would say its only about 4 feet max. but ya hope that works and good luck and i hope to see you up there

[center12]

Richard, sorry I overlooked your post. I've heard Olathe has a really nice shad population but going to cut down thru Wellsville, thanks for the heads up though(could be the backup, backup plan:) )

[center12]

Cajun, you skipp'n school on Friday:eek:

[barbel]

Cajun, you skipp'n school on Friday:eek:

Charlie, lucky for us we have a day off from school :) They have some sort of thing going on with the teachers, an in-service day or something, and since it is strictly a teacher work day, they decided to be sweethearts and give us the day off :rolleyes: So we are in the clear.

[center12]

Dang boys, that works real well with the Youth turkey opener(course you all maybe too old for that).

If it's not to breezy, I'll be heading that way tomorrow.

[kcgeoff]

Richard, sorry I overlooked your post. I've heard Olathe has a really nice shad population but going to cut down thru Wellsville, thanks for the heads up though(could be the backup, backup plan:) )
Charlie,
I used to catch aton of shad at Edgerton City lake right by Wellsville. Some really big shad on ocassion. We used to stop there on our way to the Maris Des Cygnes in Ottawa. That might be worth a shot as a back up plan aswell.

[Rajun_Cajun]

hahah center12. we wouldnt skip school, were good fellas...:rolleyes: but i guess im gonna go turkey hunting friday now since youth season opens. so my dad said we could go do that. but ya i would love to get a harvest this year...BADLY!!!

[center12]

"we're good fellows"..............I'm picking my feet up as I type. Probably a couple wild asre teenagers with there hormones all out a whack:p

Hope you get a chance are a nice bird, seen some struting in a field last week............that get's ya going:)

[barbel]

"we're good fellows"..............I'm picking my feet up as I type. Probably a couple wild asre teenagers with there hormones all out a whack:p

Hope you get a chance are a nice bird, seen some struting in a field last week............that get's ya going:)

Hehe, I dont know about anyone else, but I generally try to keep myself in line. No drugs, try not to act too stupid, stay away from sex myself (mostly because I cant get a gal LOL) . And Cajun isnt too bad of a guy either though, but occassionally I have to kick him in the butt so he can get himself moving ;) .

[center12]

Dang that was funny:) Heck you boys might just be OK............watch them girls close though, their a rough crowd!!

[KC Jayhawk 78]

Charlie , keep us posted how you do in the tourney. Good luck. I wish I could hit that one. Ill be shooting for the Perry ACATS tourney , or the Mined Land one. :)

[center12]

If I don't get skunked I'll tell you about it!!

Weather is supposed to start getting bad on Friday and carry on in to Saturday, could be tuff fishing................Ya, I'm making excuses already,hehe.

I'm out there to have fun so yes I'll post a report, it may be real humble though:)

[JayGonefishing]

good luck Center, Let us know how it goes!

[center12]

Why is it that I'm always on the far east end of a lake when a howling west wind picks up:mad:

Caught plenty of shad at the end of the first cove North of Jawhawker boat ramp, all shad were between 4 and 10 inchs. Caught them right under the bridge at the back of that cove................the creek starts with a W but I can't remember the name of it and am to lazy to go get the map:rolleyes:

The fishing will be a challenge tomorrow...........that's all I'll say about that:)

[LBM]

Charlie

The Jayhawker ramp is in the Scott Branch cove and the Wade Branch is the next feeder into Hillsdale north of the Scott Branch.

Good luck tomorrow.

[center12]

Wade is the place, caught about 30 in 4 casts. Also caught about a 10" bullhead...............any other time and I'd have had his butt planted in front of a logjam on the Kaw!!

[kscatman]

I sure am cheering today for you charlie! GOOD LUCK!! I hope you stay warm and comfortable the weather really sucks this morning. If you go to the river tommorow maybe I will see you, I think I'm going to try to slip down by the outlet mall I dont think I'll be able to get to the island.

[brad kilpatrick]

I hope ole Charlie does well today. i'm gonna try to slide on down hillsdale way to check out the weigh in at 3:00

[fishoutloud]

Wish I was there fishin' today but I got to be at the shop in 40 minutes - already let the boss know I'll be "out of town" on May 13th so I'll see ya' at that one! Good luck!! Call me when ya' want to do some practice fishin' up at Perry and hopfully my schedule will alow it!!

[center12]

Steve(tackleman) thanks for putting this event on, my partner and myself had a great time. You did a great jobs of hosting your first event, they will only get bigger. The rod give away and the hook removers were beyond the call, first class all the way!!

BradK, it was nice to put a face to a name, wish we could of stayed and visited longer but 8 hours in a boat under those conditions(along with a vey slow bite) had us just wanting for home.

All that said, we ended up catching a limit of cats...........not big, but a limit. Under these trying conditions it was enough for a win:)

Enough for now, I've got to go take a shower.............stinkbait stinks, and how I get it on 90% of my body is still a mystery.:cool:

[kscatman]

congratulations on your win Charlie!!

[brad kilpatrick]

Way to go Charlie!!!! looks like you two ran away with it!!! I'm looking forward to joining in on the fun next month at Perry. Heres some pics from todays festivities

[center12]

Dang Brad, that camera flat out takes some great pictures. I've got the first 2 pictures (close) on my camera and they sure aren't that clear, I'm impressed..........hell, Steve even looks good:p

[brad kilpatrick]

Yeah Charlie i love That Camera its another one of My wifes toys That She just had to have and that I use more then Her!!!! 8 Mega Pixels man no subsitute for mega pixels in a digital camera

[catfishcentral]

Congrats on the win there Charlie!!!!

[center12]

Thanks all.

Here are a couple that were taken with my camera.

[GaryF]

Cograts, Charlie. That's great! Dang, I didn't realize you had such a killer competitve streak.

[kcgeoff]

Congratualtions on the win Charlie!

[tackleman]

Congrats. Charlie and James. It was a tuff day of fishing 32 degrees at launch time and the wind blowing. BradK thanks for coming out for the weigh in. It was great getting to meet all of you guys.

[KC Jayhawk 78]

Congrats Charlie. :)

[smallriverrat]

Congrats Charlie

[lakeith]

Nice job Charlie, how'd ya do it?

[Rajun_Cajun]

CHARLIE! CHARLIE! I GOT MY FIRST BIRD. but it wasnt at hillsdale though, it was up in lawrence on our friends land. go read the post about it in local talk. :004:

[Rajun_Cajun]

also some fine looking fish my friend :004:

[BoCaHoLiC]

Charlie, congrats on the win. Looks like that plaque will share a lifetime of memories. Maybe you'll be trying to add some more this year? Look forward to seeing.

[Flathead Hunter]

How are they biting?

[KingCat]

The Hillsdale outlet has shad in it. I've seen guys put longer ropes on their nets and cast over the wall to get a bucket full. They're in close to shore at night.

[Gumboot]

Allright, I was a lurker for a long time on the old sight, now it seems I have to have 10 posts to look at the pics, so be patient.

Didn't feel like taking flatbottom out Sun, so iced down a few beverages and sat my butt on the East side of dam. Used some old frozen shad I had left over, caught 4 eatin' size channels and one confused bass.

9 more to go. Think I'll go to the KAW section.