The Spoonpluggers Forum

Hello all,
I am new to the forum. I got the fishing bug and bought a jon boat and outboard. I read Spoonplugging in the 70"s but stopped fishing and pursued other interests. I lost my copy of the book but was able to buy one last week. I have studied thru page 133. My question is should I classify a catfish as a "slow" fish similar to a Walleye? They are a fish you catch with bait but can be make to strike a jig/bait lure. My plan is to catch a few cats for the table and sport fish for bass.
Thanks,
Tim

Hi Tim, Welcome to Spoonpluggers.net.
Yes Cats fall to spoonplugs and other lures besides bait. As Spoonpluggers we do see that if we are catching cats on Spoonplugs then we are fishing too slow for anything else, including walleyes. Personally I don't consider that walleyes are that slow. Yes, granted I doubt you'll catch a Walleye at 12 or 13 mph like you will a bass, musky, or pike - I catch plenty of walleye at 3.5 mph and above.

I haven't seen the article but would be interested to see it but I was told by Scott Jenkins (owner of Bucks Baits) that he had a huge increase in orders after someone wrote an article in a Catfish Magazine. Also if you join the National Organization you will find old articles about huge catfish catches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J-WRRHdv4Y

As Spoonpluggers we do see that if we are catching cats on Spoonplugs then we are fishing too slow for anything else, including walleyes

FALSE

The biggest Walleye Iv caught this year came as i was reeling in a cat on one rod, After I landed the fish and released it I picked up my other rod to find a giant walleye took my plug sitting on the bottom.
Depending on what species of cats you are after the speed might be a little different.
Blue cats will hit a plug 5mph+
Iv caught channels going between 3-4mph
Iv never caught a flathead.

I personally have only caught a few cats on spoonpluggs and other crank baits. On the other hand I've nailed quite a few on plastic worms and other slower jump types. The only thing that I say with a little bit of certainty is that they will strike a faster moving lure, but they tend to be a slower moving fish. Also that in my own experience if your fishing for bass or crappie and start catching cats...LEAVE...I like to eat them but I love bass and crappie.

Joshua Douglas Travis

Welcome aboard Tim.
Yes, you can catch walleye and catfish, and even crappie, on Spoonplugs. The very first fish I caught on a Spoonplug was a walleye on Great Sacandaga Lake in NY, and I caught a 22 lb cat on a 100 series Spoonplug on Lake Tawakoni in TX.