Saginaw River Flathead Catfish Talk

[hear_kitty]

my thoughts on saginaw river I think that saginaw river is the next flattie river i have looked in to the river for a long time and . I think that since the cats are nown to be there!this is something that will grow and grow since there in the great lakes and this is proff know it is just a matere of time before they are everywhere life is grand and it will grow but now that that they are here no one will stop them and no one will look for them becuse they are trash fish in most peoples eyes and I hope you will forgive me for the spelling!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dreamcatcher]

Don I couldn't find your post, but I did find one picture of a guy who caught a flathead in the Saginaw. His name was Waterwolf. Get the boat and the bluegills ready for next spring, because it's on!!! LOL.

[hear_kitty]

Any time you get ready you let me now and we are there! and that go's for you sal sparky or any of the catfish hunters out there! Vic Sal Sparky are welcome to stay the night at my house anytime !! I need you all to get into the great catfishing that is here we can break this flattie bull butt look forward to fishing the maple and the grand the st joe the ohio the and all the lakes for my life is fishing ice boat river bay or anything or any water in the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sparky Larson]

Hey Don,
When did you start fishing for cats last year in the Bay? I know it's crazy, but I got my catfishing tackle box out last night and got it all organized. Can you believe it! It's not even January yet. I'm even looking for ads in the paper to find shrimp on sale. This year I'm going to freeze lots & lots. Last year I ran out, and paid up the nose for more.
If I'm not mistaken you were out on the Bay early, with your long johns on.
Keep me posted.
Sparky

[sal_jr]

Sparky,

WELCOME BACK!!!

Good to see you posting once again. I hope the squirrel season has done you well.

Hey... could you PM me with your address? I still have your snake light and I really REALLY need to get that back to you cause its making me feel horrible for not saving your return info. Thanks!

How is part-time doing out west? Fill us in on the details brother!

Hope to meet up with ya sometime this winter and ice-fish too.


-sal

[Sparky Larson]

Hey Guys.
Sal asked how Part-Time was doing, so here is the scoop!
He moved out to Cortez Co. the first of Aug. 05 and took a job as the Sports Editor for the Cortez Journal. (He is the youngest Sports Editor in the state of Co.) He loves his job and is doing real well out West. He has done a little fishing out there, but mostly trout and walleye. The catfish are slim. You can read some of his article by typing in cortez Journal. com . Go to the sports section and you'll find it. If you get a chance, drop him a line, he would love to hear from you.
He'll be home for the Holidays, 23rd through the 29th. It will be great to see him. It's been a long time.
Sparky

[hear_kitty]

Hey Don,
When did you start fishing for cats last year in the Bay? I know it's crazy, but I got my catfishing tackle box out last night and got it all organized. Can you believe it! It's not even January yet. I'm even looking for ads in the paper to find shrimp on sale. This year I'm going to freeze lots & lots. Last year I ran out, and paid up the nose for more.
If I'm not mistaken you were out on the Bay early, with your long johns on.
Keep me posted.
Sparky Hay sparky not to long after ice out! and will keep you up to date! as far as the crazy part that's catfishermen! :love-big: Haven't you ever seen that crazed look in peoples faces when there catfishing? :happy: Glad to here that partime is making his way in life at something he loves!!

[mich dave]

last year we hit bay in mid-april. fished for 3hr. had to go home no more room in the live well. It was like heaven. Couldn't keep 4 lines in the water with out 1 pole being bent over. when thing's slowed we'd pull and move 1/4mi. and do it again. THIS year i got a GPS. won't run aground comin in. giving up the spring turkey hunt and spend the time after the big cat's. we plan to start right after ice out.

my boy was looking up his fish on the master angler list[it dropped to #5 ] he looked under flathead and they came from allover the place. eather people are moving them or the DNR is planting. I was happy.

Deer hunten sucked this year{I'm buck less} catten all i got to look foward to.

[Sparky Larson]

Dave,
It's good to hear from you. I must admit, I'm not going to give up my Spring Turkey season, ( of course it's usually only two days) but I'll be ready earlier this year than last. Maybe we can hook up together this year. I'm sure Don will be around. Maybe we can get Sal,Vic and Jim Ross (or is it Steve)LOL. to all join in another camp out.
I didn't go buckless! I got a seven point the opening morning, but I must admit there were not many shot around my area.
Sparky

[Sparky Larson]

Hey Dave,
Have you heard of any Flatties coming out of the Saginaw Bay?
Sparky

[sal_jr]

sparky,

Don has proof of em on the saginaw bay. He showed me this year.

I am shocked, but stand corrected.

We're going!!! We will root them out, find them wherever they are, and bring them to justice.... (or the surface for pictures) LOL

[Sparky Larson]

It seems to me, I read something about one being caught in the Saginaw river. Does anyone know where on the Saginaw River? Or what town it was near!
Sparky

[dreamcatcher]

Sparky, according to Don the fish can be caught a little further upriver out of Bay City. Conventional thinking says that if they are caught in the river then the bay would have them too.

Dave, good to hear from you man, try not to be a stranger. Thanks for the report on those kitties. I am really looking forward to fishing with you guys this year early and often...

[Sparky Larson]

Hey Vic,
What kind of line would you suggest I put on my new Abu 6500? If I'm not mistaken, Sal said something about a fireline. What do you think?
Sparky

[mich dave]

I have'nt heard of any flat's from the saginaw. I did hear of a monater pike from the mouth of the river 48"30# That would be a wild ride on 6#test. the guy was fishing on the edge of the ice for walleye.
Looking forward to camping with you guy's. It would be fun to talk about fish that fight and taste good rather than about fish that taste bad or don't fight that the guy's at work go after. They think I'm a bit odd for going after THEM FISH I allways have a come back about there's.
FISHING LINE. We like spider wire stealth it cast real well knots hold with out glue and last a couple years. We have been useing 20# but we're droping down a bit cause all our biggest fish came on a long cast on the bay. No snag's out there and we got the time.
gotta git going and git somethin done

LATER

[jspiel]

as far as line goes. on my light cat rods i use 14# fireline. i use these rods fishing during the daylight fishin' for channels in the grand. on my heavy rods, which hold garcia 6500's, i use 30# fire line. but i fish in the rivers, with alot of snags. depends on how you fish. good luck however you decide.

guess i should say "hi guys" i'm back again. hope you all are surviving the winter. with this warm weather, i ready to go chase some kitties.

[Sparky Larson]

Thanks Dave & Jon for you input. It is greatly appreciated.
By the way Dave we will get together camping this year. Jon Your are well also. We have had some great times last year.
I wouldn't mind getting on the Maple again this Spring down by Sals house. Good place to camp & fish. How about some input on that one guys!
Sparky

[sal_jr]

Michigan Dave! Good to see ya made it to the new site! You too, Jspiel!

I'd really like having you fellas out to the maple for another try for flatties, perhaps some camping, likely a warm fire, definately some buttershots, and surely some good eats.

Just let me know when!

Sparky,
I use spiderwire fusion on three reels and Cajun red on my fourth.

[jross1901]

isn't cajun red designed for spinning reels though?

i think it mentions it on the box.

i like berekley big game. then from the swivel to the hook i use fireline or some other braid.

-jim(steve)

[sal_jr]

probably, Jim (you dont have to call yourself Steve... that only helps me, but the problem of me forgetting that you ARE NOT named Steve will likely continue if you allow me to go on believing it- LOL)

I have some spooled on my Pinnacle Guide Series Spinner..... but I love it on the Shimano Corsair 400 baitcaster cause it just looks like it fits. Brass and red is purty. lol

I do have to respool this winter. I will likely stay with the cajun line on the corsair- I havent had it break off from anything but snags, and even then I had to put all I had into it to bust it up... so I cant say anything bad about it.

sal

[dreamcatcher]

Sparky, from what I've learned through research about braided lines is the stuff is good if you're fishing with the proper guides that will handle it. I'm told the stuff is a blast because you can feel everything the fish is doing as opposed to mono, but it will eat through cheaper guides. Also, you have to be careful with it because it cuts through flesh like the proverbial hot knife. Bird nesting is no fun either...I believe it has its uses, but for me it presents more obstacles than I'm willing to deal with for the type of fishing that I'm doing now. If I was throwing lures all day with lighter gear then I would look at it as a viable option,because in that mode it's more user friendly. Otherwise, I feel pretty comfortable with my mono for catfishing purposes. It's cheaper, reliable, and easier on those guides. It really isn't about the reel, because it's not going to take that much abuse regardless of the line you use, unless you lock down the drag. Hope this info helps some, and I am looking forward to fishing with you guys this year with one caveat: let's actually catch some fish this year. LOL. I'm not really interested in camping for a couple of months, but when is the earliest you guys get out for some daytime channels?

[Sparky Larson]

Thanks for the info Vic. It certainly gives food for thought.
Now, to the real question! When do we get out fishing? I have always waited til May, but this year I'm getting out earlier. Don and Michigan Dave both say right after ice out. That seem early to me, But I'm going to give it a try this year. I'm usually fishing suckers in the river the last week-end in March, if your interested, let me know. I go up to Omer. It's an absolute Riot! Plus this year, I'm going to freeze me a little bait. When I'm cleaning these fish to smoke, no sense in throughing away those Sucker Bellies.
Sparky

[sal_jr]

Aww man!

I absolutely LOVE sucker spearing. There is something about walking for half a night with a 22oz tucked in your pack and a army rucksack filled with flopping slimeballs that REALLY wakes up the fiherman in me every year. I dont like cleaning fish till well past daylight, but Ill take the challenge in exchange for the rest of it.

Up by me Bear creek (which joins the Bad river and then the Saginaw river at St Charles) is about knee deep. By the 1st weekend in April you can cross parts of the creek on th backs of suckers, theyre stacked in there so deep. Thats the time that you can fill the whole rucksack in an hour and a half if you have the stamina.

And thats a great idea to use up all of the sucker. Freeze the guts in a 5 gallon bucket like I had when Sparky and Part time came out. That sme bucket was refroze and used again as horrific stinkbait when we went to quannacassee..... Unfortunately I got skunked there but nonetheless, that was part of what I used.

Cant wait till the thaw!

[dreamcatcher]

Sparky, you tell me man. If we can get weather like we have today I wouldn't mind hitting it at all. It's a balmy 40 something right now, and definitely a go for a day of fishing. Funny thing about March is it seems to get especially nasty weather-wise, but anything is possible. What type of rig and bait do you use to catch suckers?

[sal_jr]

Vic,
A pointed stick or a spear. Arfter an hour of stab/hoist/bag/unstick, your arm feels like jello. The good thing is that if youre wearing your fish sack right, you get a great back massage from the floppers. lol

[Sparky Larson]

Well Vic, to answer your question, and suprise Sal, I don't spear them, we hook and line them. If the fish are in, and they usually are, it's a great time. I'm fishing by day light and back on the road by noon as a rule, with all I want to clean for the smoker. I have been up there and in 5hrs. another fella and myself caught all I wanted plus we filled up a fifty-five gal drum for a local that lives up there. It is a riot!
As far as gear goes, I take my spinning rod & reel with 12lb test, some #10 trebble hooks, hand full of split shot about the size of buck shot, a 5gal bucket, cooler and I'm good to go. As far as bait goes, we use a little piece of red yarn, or sponge, or rubber eggs.
If your interested, let me know, I can give you more details.
As far as this weather, your right. Yeserday I did a little scouting on the Black River. I found a couple of spots that look good, but who knows. I was going to go fishing on Thursday, cause it's going to get up to 50, but I have to work both Thusday & Friday. Bummer
Sparky