1st Catfish of the year from Pennsylvania!

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

I got out this evening and fished the Allegheny River at Lock & Dam #6 (Clinton). I fished from 6:45Pm till 8:20PM. I caught 1 Channel Catfish about 17" on a fathead. 4 Walleye/Sauger on fatheads. 1 Smallmouth Bass on a fathead and 1 Mooneye on a fathead. Fish were bitin' real good. I lost a big fish right at dark, fought like a cat plus I had slime on the leader. It was so nice to get the 1st Catfish of the year plus all the other fish. I was smilin' big time! I'm attaching some photos!

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

3 more photos from this evenings fishing trip!

[Scott Daw]

Way to go pa cat chaser.

[tbartek]

Congratulations cat chaser, I was just up the way a little from you a couple of weeks ago. I found a nice spot about a mile up from the Roston boat launch to fish the shore. Unfortunately my luck wasn't as good as yours. Were you fishing from shore and if so, how do you get there. I'm not too familiar with the area, being from central pa.

[wolfman]

congrats on the first one of the year, thanx for the pics.

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

Congratulations cat chaser, I was just up the way a little from you a couple of weeks ago. I found a nice spot about a mile up from the Roston boat launch to fish the shore. Unfortunately my luck wasn't as good as yours. Were you fishing from shore and if so, how do you get there. I'm not too familiar with the area, being from central pa.

tbartek - Yes, I was fishing from shore. How do you get there? Well it's a bit tricky if your not familiar with the area, mostly back roads and numerous turns. If you want to hook up and try the spot let me know and we can pick a meeting place and I will show you the way!

[FishMan]

good job, good eating

[Bucktail033]

Nice Catchaser. I've been fishing everyday and haven't caught a cat but i've been fishing for just walleye and sauger at lock and dam #2. Good job man. I caught this trout in the river at the dam while fishing for saugers and eyes. I was shocked.

[flathunter]

Looks like you had a great time, keep it up and catch some monsters!

[Rockjumper]

Thats a mooneye!??? I have had people tell me about them and I looked in the game book and it didn't list them. Thanks for posting I have never seen one.

How do it feel to catch fish? Good job!:)

[tbartek]

Catchaser, I also got my first cat of the year at about the same spot you're talking about. Yesterday I took a chance and found my way to lock 6. I was fishing from about 11:00AM until 4:00 PM. I caught 1 channel cat about 15", a 13" small mouth and an 11" rainbow. All on nightcrawlers. I didn't know there were trout in the Allegheny. All in all it was a good day.

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

Catchaser, I also got my first cat of the year at about the same spot you're talking about. Yesterday I took a chance and found my way to lock 6. I was fishing from about 11:00AM until 4:00 PM. I caught 1 channel cat about 15", a 13" small mouth and an 11" rainbow. All on nightcrawlers. I didn't know there were trout in the Allegheny. All in all it was a good day.

I'm glad you were able to find your way to Lock #6. Good fishing to be found there! Trout get into the Allegheny from any number of stocked streams in the area. I catch one every now and then. We will have to hook up to fish some time!:)

[back channel]

I have a fish species book from the game commission and there still are a lot of fish that are not in the book. I have also caught a couple that were not in there.

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

Thats a mooneye!??? I have had people tell me about them and I looked in the game book and it didn't list them. Thanks for posting I have never seen one.

How do it feel to catch fish? Good job!:)

Rockjumper - Yeah, you are right the fish book doesn't show the Mooneye. I don't know why but I catch them now and then in pool #7 and pool #5. They hit minnows and crawlers and fight real good. I'm waitin' to use one for Flathead bait come the right time!:)

[jigerjim]

Here's one I got Tue eve. on cut bait. It was 28 1/2" amd weighed a little over 11 lb's. I got 4 other's but they were a little smaller.

[tbartek]

Jigerjim, That's a beautiful cat where are you fishing?

[back channel]

That's a nice channel. Just wondering how warm the water is were you are fishing?

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

jigerjim - Awesome Channel Cat! Thanks for posting the photo! Way to go!

[Bucktail033]

Really nice cat there jigerjim. Congratulations, I'm still looking for my first of the year.

[jigerjim]

Jigerjim, That's a beautiful cat where are you fishing?
I fish on the North branch of the Suskie anywhere from Fall's up.
The water tmp is about 50 to 55 * right now, but I'm sure it will drop now that we had 3" of rain. I was out Mon eve. The first 15 min's I had 3 fish all about 24 25" then nothin the rest of the eve. All on cut bait Bluegill.

[bigpapa15206]

first cat of the year!
30# 38" flatasaurus rex!
great start for what I think is gonna be my year to break the 20 year old pa record!

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

Congrats bigpapa! I hope you post a photo of that lunker!

[bigpapa15206]

here she blows
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h132/bigpapa15206/100_0135.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h132/bigpapa15206/100_0134.jpg
http://i63.photobucket.com/albums/h132/bigpapa15206/100_0131.jpg

[back channel]

That's what I like to see. excellent fish. You might have a really good fishing spot where you got that fish. :amazed:

[Blacky]

Awesome fish BigPapa!!!!!!!!!!!

It looks likr the river you fished is similiar to the Schuykill. Do you fish deep holes or boulders???? What baits were you using and what time of day?? I'm trying to figure out the boulder faltheads out here in Eastern PA

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

bigpapa - Thanks for posting the photos! Man that is one awesome Flathead to start the year off. Good luck and keep the photos coming!:0a31:

[catchinghogs]

Phil nice fish only have been out twice so far the mon has been kind of high lately thinking by the end of the week getting out all three days on the weekend if the water comes down.Going after the record alot this year too which will it be the Mon or the Allegheny good luck to you!

[tbartek]

bigpapa that's one heck of a catfish, congratulations and thanks for the photos!

[MRR]

:big_smile: GREAT GOING I KNOW ITS A GREAT FEELING TO CATCHT THE FRIST FISH OF THE YEAR. I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL I CAUGHT MINE THURSDAY MORNING .WAS USING DK PUNCH BAIT ORG. WAS FISHING BY A SECONDARY DAM ON SALT RIVER IN MO. JUST A START RIGHT?

[catchinghogs]

I am almost ashamed to show this fish after seeing phils monster. But got my first flathead of the year not very big but is a start caught 2 nice size channel cats also.I caught the flatty on a rainbow trout that came out of my sisters freezer.Since i have trouble resizing in avatar for now.

[catchinghogs]

cant believe this flatty ate a 10 inch trout

[back channel]

Nice first flathead. That's not that small. I have been out a couple of times so far and have not even caught a catfish yet. Thanks for posting the pic.

[bigpapa15206]

was the trout live?

[catchinghogs]

no the trout was out of my sisters freezer she gave me three of them her son brings trout home every weekend so she was trying to make room in her freezer. I had used all of the trout i think the channels were hitting them mostly they would click the baitrunner for a couple of clicks then drop the bait i left one out for a while when i reeled it in the only thing left was the skin and head and bones preety neat looking should of took a picture will do next time.

[bigpapa15206]

I fished off my buddies boat a couple days ago. I caught a few white bass and cut them up. I was mostly fishin for walleye and threw out a cat rod and before i knew it i was catfishin. them channels were nailing that cut bass. I only fished for an hour or so and got 4 nice channels.

[Pennsylvaniacatchaser]

Congrats Mark! Hey at least your on the Flathead scoreboard unlike me. Did that fish inhale a whole 10 inch frozen Trout? Or was you using it cut up?cant believe this flatty ate a 10 inch trout

[Brett2]

I just started using cut trout last night and they were really hitting well, better than my usual chicken livers.

[jigerjim]

I just started using cut trout last night and they were really hitting well, better than my usual chicken livers.
For some reason the cat's arent hitting chicken liver up here in the N branch Suskie. I only got one so far this year on liver, the rest are taken cut bait (gill's).
Right now it's at a stand still up here the last two time's out I've been sittin along side of Skunk. We do have a lot of snot weed in the river right now maybe that has something to with it.