This week, I thought it might be fun to take a little look at Pymatuning Lake, This huge, man made lake is located in both Pennsylvania and Ohio. It was one of the favorite spots of my late wife and me. We went there often, to look at the wildlife, visit the museums, feed the fish at the spillway and have a picnic. I haven’t been there since her passing, but I am planning to make a trip there soon,
As for myself, I haven’t fished Pymatuning in a very long time. I’ve always had a good time there, and I can’t recall of ever getting totally skunked. There are just so many different species of fish in the big lake that something is usually biting, at least a little bit. Walleyes are probably the number one quarry for anglers, and the lake has lots of them. I’ve had my best luck with nightcrawlers, although the biggest walleye I ever caught, which won the Pymatuning walleye contest many years ago, was caught on a Hot-n-Tot lure. Jigs work very well, too, but I have never been able to master the use of them.
Walleyes are just one of the many opportunities at this lake. Big crappies, yellow perch and bluegills are abundant, as are various types of catfish. It is, therefore, a good idea to take several combos and a variety of baits along on your trip. That way, you’ll be prepared for whatever is biting.
A couple of precautions are in order here. While you can fish from a boat on the Ohio side of the lake with a Pennsylvania license, you cannot do it from shore. To fish from shore, you must purchase an Ohio license. Also, this lake is very big and shallow. That means it can get rough quickly. When I say rough, I mean just that. Once, years ago, the propeller of my outboard was actually coming up out of the water due to the waves. I have never been so glad to get to shore as I was that day. Further, if your sense of direction is less than ideal, you can get lost on the lake. Not lost in the sense of danger or of never being found, but lost in the sense of a major inconvenience and a ruined day on the water. A GPS unit can be worth its weight in gold in this particular situation. Peace of mind alone makes it worth having one.
What do you think of the weather we’ve been having? As this is being written, the heat is blistering. Next week, it might be chilly. Go figure.
One of my favorite songs, “Like a Rock,” by Bob Seger, makes reference to “the height of summer.” Well, that time of year is now upon us, and that, to many folks in this neck of the woods, means catfishing. This week, let’s take a realistic look at the sport of catfishing.
After years of lugging huge reels around, trying to cast with rods whose actions resembled a broom handle and gagging and retching from horribly foul baits, all the while having few fish to show for it, I began to seriously rethink my catfishing program. It occurred to me that catfish, at least the ones I caught, could be handled on the same tackle used for bass, walleyes and other gamefish. I now use medium action rods and reels, and 10 or 12 pound test line. I suppose if I ever hook a real monster, I’ll have a tough time, but it’s a chance I’m willing to take. After all, I once landed a 36 inch northern pike on 12 pound test, and the line back then wasn’t as good as it is now.
My habits have changed a lot, too. I must confess that I still succumb to old habits and use a commercial stink bait from time to time for channel cats and bullheads. Gone forever, though, are the unspeakably vile homemade baits. In fact, I can now actually eat a sandwich while catfishing. Minnows and worms are about the only baits I use anymore.
When it comes to minnows, those on the large side seem to be the best producers. I go with a minimum size of about three inches, and usually buy or catch larger ones if I can. It seems that cats prefer a hearty main course to a bunch of snacks.
As for nightcrawlers, there are essentially two ways to fish them. One is to put a wriggling gob of worms on the hook. The other, and the one that works best for me, is to use a single worm, bunched up on the hook, with a trailer left behind. Some catfish attracting scent sprayed on the crawlers can sometimes be helpful. If you’re after bullheads, crawlers are probably the best bait around. As for artificial lures, I don’t use them, although I know catfish have been caught on them. I only ever saw this happen once, when the late Joe “Doc” Scisly caught a channel cat on a Johnson Weedless Spoon on a lake in Canada.
Once you catch yourself some cats, you’re in for a real eating treat. First, though, you have to clean the fish. There are lots of time honored methods of doing this. One of the most bizarre involves nailing the head of the fish to a log or plank. In case you’re wondering, this is not a lead in for the old joke about throwing the fish away and eating the board. The idea is to cut a ring around the neck of the fish and use pliers to peel off the skin. There are lots of other bizarre methods out there. One day, I decided to just filet the catfish like any other fish. You have to nip off the spines by the fins in order to get the fish to lie flat. Then just filet the critters. Skinning the filets is a bit tricky at first, but you’ll get the hang of it before very long. These days, when fileting, I just start behind the rib cage of the smaller ones, and pass the knife over the ribs of the big ones. This prevents dulling of your knife on the thick ribs. Also, since I hate cleaning a fish that is still alive, I shoot them in the head with a 22. That kills them instantly. It’s remarkable how long they can live out of water.
Catfishing is great fun. Admittedly, I don’t do as much of it as I used to, but I still enjoy it fairly often. Give it a try. I think you’ll be glad you did.
I have seen very few butterflies this year. If I can find some info as to why, we’ll look at the topic soon.
Email: salmonangler1@gmail.com