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I have a theory, What do you think?

4K views 27 replies 26 participants last post by  healthydrink 
#1 ·
I was pondering the way catfish start biting when I am fishing. Seems like you can get on a pod of Blues and sometimes you have to wake them up so to speak to get them to start feeding on your baits. I have heard other catmen say the same thing. So after some thought I wanted to ask this question:

What my theory or question is, do you think a Bluecat gives off some sort of phermone or scent in the water when it starts feeding, kind of like bees do? or is it just the noise of them feeding? Or maybe give an under water bark or oink like a pig when he feeds?

Seems like you can start getting lots of action after you catch one or two fish in close proximity of eachother, then it is almost like a feeding frenzy. I have had this happen and actually had to start fishing with fewer poles because I could not keep up with the ones I started out using.
What do you guys think?

I ask this in part because alot of the Blues I have caught have bulging full stomachs and it would seem they could not even get anymore in their stomachs, yet they will agressively attack when others are feeding.
 
#4 ·
might be on to something with the sounds. Might be the vibrations also. i've sat with idle rods a few times. Seems when you get a big ole boat or tug pushing a barge I'll get a couple bites right after it passes. It has happen more then once to be a coincidence. Don't know if it has anything to do with the harmonics or vibration coming off a diesel engine or what.

Wouldn't mind narrowing it down so I could reproduce it if possible once in a while, though.
 
#7 ·
I think it may be the barge churning up the water, and running thru shad schools. The fish may follow the barge to pick up chunks floating to the bottom, similar to blues hanging out below a ball of bait. They hang below a ball of bait, eating a few live ones, and picking up leftovers from stripper and bass feeding, and pieces falling to to the floor. Just a theory.
 
#9 ·
I think it may be the barge churning up the water, and running thru shad schools. The fish may follow the barge to pick up chunks floating to the bottom, similar to blues hanging out below a ball of bait. They hang below a ball of bait, eating a few live ones, and picking up leftovers from stripper and bass feeding, and pieces falling to to the floor. Just a theory.

That's what I think.
 
#11 ·
Catfish can vocalize...I'm sure you've all heard them "quack" when you pull them out of the water.

I was thinking that along the lines of a feeding frenzy. One cat hits a the prey & squeezes some blood & body juices into the water. Other cats smell that & start looking for food too. Kinda' like chumming. Just a thought.
 
#12 ·
Thats a good question...9 times out of 10 when we catch big blues we catch them in numbers...I don't know if they are "hunting" in packs, or what, but I definatley think you are on to something...

However, lately I think when blues see my bait they give off some kind of "DO NOT EAT!" signal...:eek:oooh::smile2::wink:
 
#13 ·
I think your on to something and its not just blues.I've done a lot of bass fishing and many times when I get one close there will be two or three more with him.I even caught two at atime once when another bass came up and got hooked on treble hanging out of first ones mouth.I've seen it lots of times with sunfish fighting over food that hits water.Could be same thing with blues.You have it I want it.
 
#14 ·
I think it may be the barge churning up the water, and running thru shad schools. The fish may follow the barge to pick up chunks floating to the bottom, similar to blues hanging out below a ball of bait. They hang below a ball of bait, eating a few live ones, and picking up leftovers from stripper and bass feeding, and pieces falling to to the floor. Just a theory.
We have noticed this alot of the Ohio over the years. We always wondered if it the barge grinding up baitfish or whatever.

But one night we were sitting out there fishing, and I usually turn my depth finder off when we anchor up (the walleye fisherman from Erie in me) but this night I have forgot to turn it off. We were on top of a large school of shad, I was marking them everywhere but mainly suspended in 40 feet of water. The fish were in the area but kind of slow. Then a barge went by an d we started getting a ton of hits. I looked at my depth finder and watch the large schools of shad swim to the bottom. Several more barges went by that night and everytime the shad would swim to the bottom and within a couple minutes of the barge passing go suspended again. We have seen this on several trips since.

So my new theory is that the shad get spooked by the barge and go to the bottom. The cats have learned that when a barge goes by the shad are coming to bottom and that makes them really active. That is my theory on the 'barge bite' anyways. Check it out sometime on the water and let me know if you notice the same thing with the shad.
 
#15 ·
One of my favorite spots to fish, is just up stream at ferry crossings. I cast out and walk my bait as close to the route of the ferry as I can. There are times when the bite is almost constant, both blues and channel. Also have expierienced the barge bite.
 
#17 ·
When fishing for bait, (blugill and talapia) I have experienced this bigtime. I can see 30 or 40 fish down there.... Takes me 15 minutes sometimes tossing around different ones to find that one that will mess with my worm, it's usually a little tiny one. I've always called it the teenager theory. Once that little guy is intrested then all of a sudden the bigger guys try to punk him and take it. At that point I can catch all I want as fast as I want. In another spot I've seen spawning blugill sitting on a bed and several bass mixed in. Once I catch a bluegill the bass start nailing my worm or bobber or weight or anything I throw in. If they are big enough sometime's they nail the bluegill once they are on the hook. Just a minute ago they were all sharing the same space peacefully.

I believe it's something like being in the bank with a guy who's about to rob it. Most likely you know damn well something is wrong with that guy. No matter how calm he tries to be he puts out nervous, scared, adrenaline vibes. I think when these fish change their vibes it effects the fish around them. Like when a bluegill goes from sitting on a nest to caught on a hook they put out the "I'm in trouble vibes" and the bass that was hanging with him suddenly launches into action!
 
#18 ·
I believe the "barge bite" is a real phenomenon and there's even some research to support or at the very least strongly suggest it as more than coincidence. My thesis work looked at fishes moving in response to barges and it also hinted that this was indead the case. Scientifically I can't say I know for sure, but I did see fish move to get out of the way of a barge as well as return to the channel relatively quickly after a barge is passed. Take it for what it's worth. I think it's common sense really, shad face a pretty strong selective pressure... move or die when faced with a barge. So they move to the bottom or to the channel borders where predator fishes also have learned to avoid barges and reap the benefits of the moving bait.

Remember your high school science class talking about Pavlovian Response? Knock a dogs food bowl and the dog starts to drool? Well fish hear that barge and they anticipate a relatively easy meal and go into a feeding mode. Along the same lines, most of you have seen Seagulls following barges eating turned up invertebrates from the bottom of the river as well as chopped up or disoriented bait fish... why wouldn't fish be doing the same?


As for fish communicating in some way, I haven't seen or heard of any research that suggests this, although that doesn't mean it isn't true. I tend to think Blues are like wolves, probably not that intelligent or organized, but maybe they often hunt in "packs" and if you happen to catch a "pack" that's on a "hunt" they are moving and already aggressive. Once 1 fish eats and then fights on the line the others sense the feed is on and search for prey in that area. Whether it's the vibration of the fish fighting the line, the smell of the fish crushing the prey, or the fish releasing a pheromone the others might pick up on it... not quite communication but cause and reaction.
 
#19 ·
As you may have experienced a lot of times at a new spot say around dead trees you bait up & cast out..then while your baiting another rod the 1st one goes off:tounge_out: and it continues for a while.....then dies out.....you move & the same occurs..it happens a lot around here....:eek:oooh: These places are wher there is a higher content of food & they compete over it...it is a place where the commarants roost so there is chum & 1/2 digested shad in the water..i believe they respond to the "sound" of the bait hitting the water thinking the birds just deposited "breakfast":wink: fish communicate like any other animal does so you are correct in my beliefs...as for when there gorging themselves it is a matter of keeping there body fat at a higher level in the winter to assure their survival...plus a "little" skips might entice them more than shad!!!:smile2:
 
#20 ·
In trout fly fishing and occasionally in bass, they stress on 'multiple' reasons why a fish might strike, a lure, fly or bait. Hunger is one and only one of those motivations. I would think more than likely if you see a school of fishing lazily hanging around anything, they are not particularly hungry. Hungry fish would disperse and roam around looking for food.

However fish detect whats going on, it seems certain that a competitive behavior will bring out more aggresive behavior in those that stick around.

thus a competitive, aggresive feeding by one fish might enliven the whole school; sounds fun to me. On the other hand, I have cast into huge schools of fish with not so much of twitch They aren't in huge shallow schools to actively feed.

These days, I am trying to (with every fish) spend less time on the lazy neutral fish (and schools) that I see and be more proactive in finding more active ones.:cool2:

not sure how fish communicate (smells, sounds); but I've heard some fish have actions/gestures/or poses that are significant to their own kind.
 
#21 ·
I don't think it is just barges that trigger them but smaller boats as well. I think lots of fish come up and get an easy meal from passing boats.
Seagulls follow my boat all the time and dive behind it at shad that are hit and I am sure fish clue on to this to. I think this is one reason trolling for white bass is so effective. Most times you can catch them when trolling but if you stop in the same place and cast for them you won't get a bite but just as soon as you start trolling again you start picking up fish instantly. I don't know how many times I have had that happen to me as soon as I am on them I shut the motor down and start casting and get nothing. Then start the motor back up and as soon as I get the lures behind the boat I pick up fish.
Blues are school fish just like many other species of fish and that is why when one rod gets hit you can just about count on getting bites on the other rods while you are reeling in the fish you hooked. I have sat there for 30 minutes and not got a bite and then had all the rods start getting hits at nearly the same time. Then it may shut down till the next school comes along and the same thing will happen again.
 
#24 ·
I have seen the same action from barges passen on the MO river. But get this. We have a train crossing on the gasconade 1/4 mile from the mouth of the MO, when a train rumbles over the fish bite like crazy sometimes for 30 min after. You can feel the train shake the ground and it pops bubbles all over the area around the bridge. I wonder if the low freq soundwaves disorient the bait fish like a sonic blast from a wale or somthing with its echo location. But cats being the tough suckers they are ant all that affected and learn easy pickens are to be had from slightly stunned bait fish. Just a though mabe one of you young guys goen to college could present that in a paper for a class and get a marine bioligest looking into it.:smile2:
 
#25 ·
I have seen the same action from barges passen on the MO river. But get this. We have a train crossing on the gasconade 1/4 mile from the mouth of the MO, when a train rumbles over the fish bite like crazy sometimes for 30 min after. You can feel the train shake the ground and it pops bubbles all over the area around the bridge. I wonder if the low freq soundwaves disorient the bait fish like a sonic blast from a wale or somthing with its echo location. But cats being the tough suckers they are ant all that affected and learn easy pickens are to be had from slightly stunned bait fish. Just a though mabe one of you young guys goen to college could present that in a paper for a class and get a marine bioligest looking into it.:smile2:
There was a lake we used to fish when I was a kid that had a railroad trestle at the end of the lake with just a road between it and the water.A train came by about every hour and shook the ground and about scared the crap out of us because it was almost overhead.But we learned to stay right there and fish because they always bit like crazy right after.
 
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