Shadowcliffs 1/12/20 - That's not a trout!

Went to shadowcliffs to test out my newly fixed rudder line, as well as a repair job on my Mirage Drive (replaced sprocket).  It was very foggy in the morning, and I launched and paddled out and started trolling right away, and did a run against the far side along Stanley, then reset and trolled to the back of the lake, all in an eerie sort of foggy silence. 

When I reached the far back I pulled up my lines and saw what looked like a tree on my FF.  Decided why not, i'll drop down some powerbait and see if there is a trout hiding down there.  But soon as I hit the bottom I felt like there was a maybe a branch that I was hung up on, so I slowly tried to reel it back up. But for a moment it felt like there was a tug... and I thought still that it might be a branch, so I slowly started reeling again and this time I could feel a head shake. 

I set the hook this time, and could feel some serious weight, but felt still like I might be fooling myself. My drag was set light, so I worked the drag and kept trying to gain on the fish, but knew if it was a big fish that it may break off my 4lb line.  I made some gains, but then as I started to see the fish rising on my FF, it started to freak out, and try and head for the tree again!  This time I chanced horsing it a little more, but kept the drag loose, so it was give and take over and over...

I finally got it up and saw it, and for a moment I was confused as to why that trout looked so funny    But I finally understood that it wasn't a trout, but a huge catfish!  I netted it finally, and it gave me a good splash.  I pulled it up and into my lap, but it had clamped its mouth down so tight I couldn't get my stringer to go through the gills and out it's mouth, so I just jabbed it through the skin below it's lips and out the gills, and secured my catch   

What a great fight, first time in a while I've had that good ol' feeling of battling a nice sized fish.     And what a surprise, it just goes to show you never know what might happen when fishing! 

I bled it out for a long time, and actually did catch a trout while soaking some bait out in the middle of the lake, like the PB's do.  But I lost it when I tried to put it on the stringer 

  12lbs 30.5"

Nice one Al!  Nice fish to start off the year.

Sounds like lingcod fishing but freshwater style. Nice catch.

Kitty killer 

Whoa, dayum! 12lb, 30.5” catfish on 4lb line???? You are a skilled and patient man. WTG, AHO!

Nice one, Al.   

Whoa, dayum! 12lb, 30.5” catfish on 4lb line???? You are a skilled and patient man. WTG, AHO!

ditto that!

Wow! Great job bringing that in, you’re a patient fisherman.
Good job, Al!

 I was out there trolling Sunday and caught 2 trouts ~16in nothing to brag about.

WTG Al. Nice fatty cat.
Nice write up too...

Nice looking fish! Thanks for the write up👍

Nice one! Nice write up also.

Congrats Al!!!! I caught one like that several years back, trolling a crawler, but I threw it back. Let us know how it tasted, I always wondered.

congrats bro.  looks like the kayak is ready to slay them butts.

ironically, i was there on sat and only trolled for 1 lap before my rudder line snapped.  luckily it happened there and not in the ocean trolling for salmon.

Congrats Al!!!! I caught one like that several years back, trolling a crawler, but I threw it back. Let us know how it tasted, I always wondered.

Sara cooked it up like she said her Nana did back when she was a kid as an Catfish Almondine, basically butter, garlic, salt, pepper and almonds slivers.  It's really my first time eating a catfish that I caught, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.  The stomach had a HUGE crawdad in it, so I was hoping it would taste good.  I have to say, it was delicious !

congrats bro.  looks like the kayak is ready to slay them butts.

ironically, i was there on sat and only trolled for 1 lap before my rudder line snapped.  luckily it happened there and not in the ocean trolling for salmon.

Hah!  Well, that is nice that it didn't happen on the big blue!