Wake up and speak out!

[michiganwhitetailRLM]

It's hard to believe that we live in a state with more freshwater lakes, rivers and streams than any other state in the usa. There must be a lot of caves and cave exsperts in this state because it seems like most of us michiganders are living in them. Why is there never anyone talking on this forum? There seems to be more members from other states checking it out than there are locals. I'm going to post up some flyers for this site @ local bait stores and fishing holes to see if it makes a difference. If anyone wants to do the same you can go to....http://www.catfish1.com/1/flyer.pdf... and get some cool flyers to print off. We need more locals or michiganders period to visit our michigan forums.

[Mickey]

Great idea Rick. I expect it will make a great difference. Looking for an influx of new members from Michigan.

[michiganwhitetailRLM]

Man! I just don't think anyone cares about this or any other michigan forum. I've passed out over 50 flyers for the B.O.C. and still don't see a thing happening. @ least i tried!

[catfisherman_eky3]

Sounds like you have your self a plan there Ricky, I personally dont live in Michigan but my mom was born and raised there and I go there alot during the summer, I have never fished down there but usually mom will take me down there to the peer at lake erie and walk around showing me everything you all have some beautiful lakes and alot of water down there. Hopefully some people on here from your area will be interested in your idea.

[catman4926]

i have had the same thing in alabama i think 12 people have responded oh well i am trying

[michiganwhitetailRLM]

Any of you non-michiganders are ever in my neck of the woods, pm me and we can go do some fishing. Then you can go tell all your friends about how some yank showed ya a real fine time with some channelcats...........god bless!:amazed:

[uapipefitter]

I agree with you Rick. I think the problem is that cats in this state are regarded as trash fish. My dad is from S. Illinois and they worship them down there. I talk to guys I work about going cattin' and they look at me as if I'm going out to catch carp or something. Not that there is anything wrong with that either. Some of the screamenest drags off my reels have been from big carp. I'll respect any fish that can do that.
In michigan we have all the sport fishing going on, people think it's a waste of time to go catfishing. Thats fine with me. Thats one thing I've not run into on my favorite cat rivers is having a hard time finding a place to park my truck and trailer or pay a launch fee to use it. Let 'em fish for all the bass and walleye they want and give us are peaceful rivers at night to us.

[uapipefitter]

It still would be nice to talk to more guys out there that I know who do it in our state.

[michiganwhitetailRLM]

AMEN brother! I dont get much grief about catin, but folks do find it hard to believe i eat them........hmmmmmm! They dont know what there missing man. My biggest problem is no boat and few places to go from the bank that arent swamped with direspectful anglers that have no conservation skills @ all.:ooooh:

[tofish]

i hear the cry. i moved to yuma az in oct 06. this is catfish heaven here. course, not like some places back east, but for west coast, it is. met a guy here and became good friends. he has a fishing site and asked me to join and help monitor it. also help start a catfish forum. can't believe that very few here want to talk about it. more on this site do.
gary

[veryama1975]

It would be nice to talk to more people on the Michigan forum but there are plenty of catters in my neck of the woods. I run into people quite often when I'm out at night trying out new spots.

By the way I just caught my first good-sized channel cat of the year and I caught him in the daytime! I was pretty happy about that because I didn't really even think that I'd get anything because I've been having terrible luck finding the cats so far this year...until today. Maybe my luck's gonna change now?

[DLB-in-GR]

Most of my buddies that fish go for salmon or walleye or bass, not much interest in catfish at all, if they are accidently caught while fishing for something else they are thrown back. The people I talk to about catfishing seem to have the misconception that all they eat is muck and poop, I have to correct that by explaining that they are freshwater sharks. This does not get them wanting to spend a few hours on the bank waiting for bites, however, they are content with their bass or whatever. Even my friend who buys catfish from the store will not join me and catch his own. I know very few people who are computer literate, catfish, and want to talk about it on an internet forum. Maybe I should give out fliers to those I know or those very few people I see at the lake catfishing, but that isn't really my personality either. Don't most people who are interested come to this site by way of a search engine, like I did, or are most recruited? Oh well, I guess if nobody at my local lake wants to target my prized species, there won't be much competition for shore spots in the evening.

[uapipefitter]

Rick I know you live far away but I got some great spots on the Grand around Grand Ledge you can fish from the bank. Some great dam fishing.:tounge_out:<- five year olds input lol

[mrmoo42]

Hi i am newer to fishing michigan. I am from around Missouri and my parents are from nebraska. I have lived here for a few years and i finallly convinced my dad to get a boat because i was sick of shore fishing with intrusive and disrespectful anglers. Yesterday my dad and i were up at Holloway resevoir fishing for walleye. After only catching one walleye in two hours we headed towards the back ( we had to go under a bridge to get to it) to try some bass fishin. After another hour of nothin i gave in and threw in a bobber and a worm. Instantly my bobber went down and i pulled up a channel. My dad and i were pretty excited for our catch. We then began Fishin for cats and ended cathing 11 good eaters about 15 in.. We cought about 20 cats in total in about an hours time. When ever boaters came by and asked what we were fishin for, they kind of stuck up there nose. I was shocked, in missouri we would have had all of those boaters joing in with us. The reason i found this site is because i came home and looked up michigan catfishing and why everyone stuck there nose up at it. I was shocked to find that michiganders find cats as trash fish. I am actually kind of excited to go out catting again in this almost untapped michigan gold mine.

We caught all of our cats around 11 am. I was pretty shocked they were hittin

[uapipefitter]

Rick, I've got some great bank fishing spots around Grand Ledge, just west of Lansing. Right at the dam. Give me a holl'er.

[uapipefitter]

Welcome aboard Shane. Sounds like a good day of fishin'. I enjoy that nobody else enjoyes michigan cattin like we do too. Where's holloway at?

[eyeguy]

I have been reading the posts today and I would like to add a comment about the lack of posts on this forum. I saw a TV show that listed catfish1.com and immediately went to my computer and signed up. Most of the people I know who fish are after salmon, steelhead, walleyes, bass, bluegills, crappie and trout. I only know a couple guys who would even consider fishing for catfish. I think the fish has a bad reputation, "his fins can sting you", "that fish is ugly" and last but not least, "I don't fish for garbage eating fish." This is simply what I have experienced. I know people who buy catfish at the store and resturant but they won't fish for them. When I catch a nice channel cat and rave about the terrific meal we are about to have they look at me like I bumped my head or something. Frankly, it is nice to fish for catfish with no competition while the other guys fishing for the most sought after fish fight the crowd every time they go out. I talk about catfishing and invite friends to go along with me but to date only one guy acted interested...............oh well, their loss. My only problem is finding and catching enough catfish to justify the cost of gas. It is fun learning how to fish for them but so far it has been a long process with not much to show for it. I had to go crappie fishing just to be certain I could still catch fish.
These are just my thoughts on the subject.
eyeguy

[eyeguy]

I am new here and would like to know why as a new user you can't send a message to another member. Every time I try I get a screen that says I have to have ten posts before I can send a message, that seems odd. If we want more posts, lets open the lines of communication to each other.
Just a thought.
eyeguy

[mrmoo42]

uapipefitter this is a link to a google map of hollway. it is north east of flint a little bit. It has really nice boat ramps and some shore fishing spots that i have spotted. It is 10 dollars a day to launch boat.

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&safe=off&resnum=0&q=holloway%20reservoir&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

we should start a thread of good catting lakes and rivers if it already hasn't been started.

[michiganwhitetailRLM]

WOW! Just as i thought this forum was no more than a cold case file, it gets good. The holloway dam is like my home away from home. I hit the cats hard over the last 4 weeks and got skunked my last 3 times out. I'm amazed that the channels are being caught during daylight hours, since all of my cattin is done @ night. The DNR just finished doing a survey out there and said that nearly 65% of the fish they caught with nets were channels. I put a wuppin on the cats out there earlier this spring but have been coming up cold lately. Maybe i need to give it a try during daytime hours. Most of the cats i catch are between 19 and 31 inches so YES mrmoo, it is a catfish goldmine. One that i dont think many know about. The biggest problem out @ the holloway are other anglers who dont respect your space. The guys who wade out in the middle of the dam keep the cats from coming up river and love to stand next to the hole your trying to fish. By the way, what did you mean by THE BACK?

[michiganwhitetailRLM]

Rick, I've got some great bank fishing spots around Grand Ledge, just west of Lansing. Right at the dam. Give me a holl'er.
Hey brother! Man i've been asking about the grand for a long time now with no response. I'm gonna pm you with my e-mail adress so we can chat....thank a million bro!:big_smile:

[veryama1975]

I am new here and would like to know why as a new user you can't send a message to another member. Every time I try I get a screen that says I have to have ten posts before I can send a message, that seems odd. If we want more posts, lets open the lines of communication to each other.
Just a thought.
eyeguy

Yeah it does seem odd. When I first joined I just deliberately posted whether I really wanted to or not just to get the right number of posts so that I could pm & look at & upload pictures. Anyhow, welcome to the BOC.

[mrmoo42]

If this picture works this shows where to channels were caught. This is what i meant by back of holloway. Where ate you bank fishing in holloway?

[michiganwhitetailRLM]

Well i went out to do some catfishing tonight and just got done felleting up a half dozen really nice ones. Most of my bank fishing is done right @ the dam itself. It started out slow but picked up around 10:30. lol...I was the only one out there after 12 and had a chance to hit up a few deep holes. One of the cats i caught was a crazy,:crazy: almost floresent green color. Whats up with that? I,ll try to get a picture of it posted soon!

[michiganwhitetailRLM]

Welcome aboard Shane. Sounds like a good day of fishin'. I enjoy that nobody else enjoyes michigan cattin like we do too. Where's holloway at?
Hey brother! The holloway is only 20 minutes from me. If your ever thinking about traveling for some fishing i,de be more than happy to show you around the res as i call it.

[uapipefitter]

Your on your way Mike. Just keep posting. Any questions you have or things you want to talk about just post them and before you know it you'll have them.(10 posts). I went thru the same thing. I had alot of questions myself and posted them and before I knew it I had over ten posts in like two days. Welcome aboard. You can come here anytime and share the love of catfishing with us. I think undoubtly it is a learning process fishing in Michigan for catfish because you can'nt go and talk to anybody about it. I can go to Gander mountain and find what the panfish are bitting ,how deep they are, if they are spawning, and how many Bill johnson caught yesterday or any other fish besides catfish. Thats why I'm always on here.

[uapipefitter]

Sounds good Rick. I went last night and caught alot of bait( small gills). Had you really nice to send my bait clicker a going but let'er go before I could get it.

[ittybittykitty]

I catch lots of nice fish during the daytime. However, come summer I'm mostly fishing at night. I catch fewer fish then, but I don't have the power boaters and rude "fishermen" to put up with.

[madiaz]

greetings Rick,

pretty much this sums it up I agree with you Rick. I think the problem is that cats in this state are regarded as trash fish. .

people assume you fish for bass and when you say catfish they look at you strange, and then when you say carp also they look at you like your missing a few marbles. we only get 2 lines out on the inland here so i fish toothy critters and have one stationary line for my two favorite species. i'm not ashamed to admit that 2/3rds of that time it's for carp but i was extremely pleased and grateful to catch a lil channel the other day. plus if you see my truck on the road or on the ramp you might be inclined to login to catfish1 on account of the big stickers. i know what your saying though, i usually check Indiana, Ohio and Illinois forum before getting to Mi forum where i live. All those guys have tournaments and meets do we?

Not sure where you are mate but i got a lil boat and would be more than willing to meet up with you to cat or fish period. for real. Pm me if you would like otherwise you could come visit down here and we can do Kalamazoo or St. Joe. As a matter of fact that would apply to any of you Cats.

regards,
m.a.d.

[wishbone1]

Well i went out to do some catfishing tonight and just got done felleting up a half dozen really nice ones. Most of my bank fishing is done right @ the dam itself. It started out slow but picked up around 10:30. lol...I was the only one out there after 12 and had a chance to hit up a few deep holes. One of the cats i caught was a crazy,:crazy: almost floresent green color. Whats up with that? I,ll try to get a picture of it posted soon!
floresent green cats, green coyote's whats going on:0a28:

[Wabash River Bear]

Any of you non-michiganders are ever in my neck of the woods, pm me and we can go do some fishing. Then you can go tell all your friends about how some yank showed ya a real fine time with some channelcats...........god bless!:amazed:Rick, I am gonna take ya up on your Michigan hospitality sometime in the near future. My son plans on starting school at Rochester College in Rochester Hills north of Detroit this fall. If I gotta drive all the way up there to see him, I might as well get some fishin in too, lol. How far are ya from Rochester?

[CountryHart]

Ahhhh, thanks for the link. I'm printing some off as i speak. I got a few docks and baitshops i can hang em in. Again thanks

[eyeguy]

I have been signing on nearly everyday and you are right it is really quiet. I don't believe it has anything to do with the site I think its the fish, yes the fish. Think about how many of your friends fish salmon, steelhead, bass, walleyes, crappie, northerns, bluegills, trout etc. Now how many of them get all excited about fishing for catfish? How many of them talk about how good they are to eat? Or how beautiful they are?
Now when you bring up fishing catfish how often have your heard "man they are ugly", or "I hear they can sting you pretty bad", or "I don't fish for bottom eating fish?"
In the south everybody either fishes for them or at least is happy to eat a few from a friend. In the north they just haven't been sought after. If it had not been for a guy I met while camping who gave me a mess of fresh catfish fillets I wouldn't be here either.
I have been talking these fish up everywhere I go and sometimes the looks I get make me wonder why I try so hard to promote them. Then I think of the crowds at Tippy Dam and the White River and any salmon or steelhead river you go to and I wonder why I don't just keep my mouth shut and enjoy the bounty and the piece and quiet. I figure if I can convert a couple of my friends and they find out how hard these fish fight and how good they are to eat, then they will tell a couple other friends and on and on. But for now there is only a handfull of us in my area and we are enjoying the solitude and plentiful numbers of cats.
This is probably not what you wanted to hear but..........from what I have experienced this is just the way of it.
eyeguy

[Doneinne]

I agree, they are just not as popular in Michigan. My brother said if he goes into a sporting goods store and asks about catfish he always gets a strange look. Here in Nebraska they are the state fish. Every body of water has them.

[michiganwhitetailRLM]

Rick, I am gonna take ya up on your Michigan hospitality sometime in the near future. My son plans on starting school at Rochester College in Rochester Hills north of Detroit this fall. If I gotta drive all the way up there to see him, I might as well get some fishin in too, lol. How far are ya from Rochester?
I'm only about 45 minutes from there. Lapeer is right off of I-69, about 20 minutes east of Flint. pm me when you plan on making the trip, It's a sure fire deal brother.

[steinomyte]

All I have to say is its every one elses lost and our gain if they are to stubborn to join in our excitment of catching catfish. Dont get me wrong I love to fish everything else but nothing beats setting up four poles w/ bluegills at the end along a river and sitting by a nice fire kicking back with a beer. I try to get people to go with here in Cali and there is a select few at were looking forward to going but gas prices ptu a damper on that. So I guess I'll wait until July and go with family when I'm back in Michigan.