catfish

Due to a lack of fishing success, I need to do another profile.

Time for catfish!

There are thousands of species of catfish in the world. In fact, catfish are the largest family of fish in the world. The catfish family is represented in Kansas by blue catfish, flathead catfish, channel catfish, and bullhead. All of the catfish in Kansas are scaleless, have whiskers, and have rough tooth patches in their mouths.

The blue catfish is the largest member of the catfish family in America. The world record blue catfish was 143 pounds! These catfish live mainly in large rivers like the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, but they venture up into the blue river and a small population exists in Tuttle Creek. These fish eat dead and dying fish and crayfish. The blue catfish can easily grow up to ten pounds in places like Tuttle Creek- where there is a large population of gizzard shad. These fish have a very strong sense of taste because, like the other catfish in Kansas, they have taste buds all over their bodies- especially on their "whiskers". Blue catfish (along with the other catfish) are known to congregate below the tubes waiting for unsuspecting fish to be flushed right at them in the turbulent water. There was once a time that I was at the tubes with a friend. We were about to leave when I snagged the one-thousandth rock of the day. As I pulled the line I realized that this was1 no rock- it was something huge. I told my friend to grab the net, because I obviously was going to need it. That fish took me back and forth for 28 minutes before it wrapped around a rock and pulled the hook out of its mouth. There are only two likely suspects for what this fish was, and those are blue catfish and flathead catfish.


Flathead catfish are a more well known catfish in Kansas. The world record flathead was 123 pounds and was caught in the Elk City Reservoir in Kansas. Their habits are more like that of largemouth bass than like the other catfish. For example, flathead only eats live food and will stay motionless for hours waiting for food to come to them. The flathead catfish is a largely unpredictable fish, during the day it stays on its favorite rock and you can only catch it by the professional process of dumb luck (my primary tactic). At night they move into river beds and gorges to feed on whatever fish they can find. Because of their feeding habits, you may catch three of them in a day, or one of them in three months. Although they are the largest predators in Kansas, the average size that I catch them is only 17 inches- not really that monstrous.

here is my dad with a 25in. flathead

The most common catfish in Kansas is the channel catfish. It it the catfish most refer to when they say "I caught a catfish." This catfish can grow to more than fifty pounds, but they usually cap out at seven or eight pounds. They are abundant in every water system in Kansas- ponds, lakes, reservoirs, rivers, creeks, and even in ditches- so long as they stay wet all year. The channel catfish is the least picky fish that I know. They will eat anything that stinks or swims, so long as they can fit it in their mouths. Bait for channel catfish includes: pre-molded catfish dough (in flavors like "liver and cheese"), pretty much any lure that has either scent or motion (meaning all lures), certain vegetables (like corn), anything fit for human consumption, and basically all non-plant organic matter. Channel catfish are easy to find and easy to catch for most young anglers. I on the other hand, couldn't catch a catfish until sixth-grade. If you happen to catch a channel (or blue) catfish, you should first wet your hand, press down on the dorsal fin, and grab just behind the pectorals. If you don't hold these fish right, you could get a two inch serrated barb through your hand. If you happen to catch a bigger catfish (20+ inches) the barbs should be dull- so don't try to hold it by its mouth. I once caught a large channel catfish and though that I could just hold it by the mouth- Like those guys holding giant flathead on tv. The fish clamped down on my hand so hard that it drew blood and nearly made me cry (and we all know that I never cry). 1 those guys on tv are psychotic rednecks, 2 Who on earth does what they see on tv and comes away unharmed, and 3 flathead catfish don't have anywhere near the jaw strength or leverage that blue catfish and channel catfish do. Please learn from my mistakes.

                                        Here is a 25 inch channel catfish that I caught at rocky ford

      The final fish that I mentioned were the bullheads. I actually have never seen nor heard of anyone who has ever caught a bullhead. I think that it is part of a conspiracy, like how there is no gold in Fort Knox and how the Egyptians had alien contractors build the pyramids. If you have any information regarding bullheads please send it to me so that I can file it between bigfoot and chupacabra. We may yet discover the secrets of the bullhead someday.

    All of the catfish (which actually exist) in Kansas give great, consistent fights when hooked, and make good table fare if you catch them at the right size.

some fish

I didn't go fishing a single time this week! My faith is being tested obviously.

So it's time for another profile

Walleye, saugeye, and sauger are the three fish I will profile.

     Walleye are fish that are common to the Midwestern United States and up into Canada. They are one of the most sought-after gamefish in the areas that they live. The reasons for this is that the walleye has tasty flesh and it is a top predator. The world record walleye was 25 pounds, to put that in perspective, the largest walleye I have ever caught was four pounds. The walleye is commonly referred to as the pikeperch, this is incorrect as the walleye is in a family with the yellow perch and the European perches, and is not closely related to pike. The reason these fish were called pikeperch is that they bear a close resemblance to the pike, with long, thin bodies, and a mouth full of teeth.

    The walleye lives in deep cold lakes and rivers in the Midwestern part of North America. It has highly reflective eyes which are used to hunt baitfish in the deeper, darker portions of the water column. Their eyeshine is caused by the reflective layer which is used to enhance the light coming from the surroundings, much like a cat. Walleye have been known to strike a wide range of baits, including, live minnows, mayflies, live and plastic leaches, spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and poppers (at night).
The walleye was introduced into Kansas unsuccessfully for years until the population started to catch on in lakes like Milford. The problem was that the fish were flushed out of the reservoirs that they were stocked in.


   The saugeye was produced to help establish a gamefish into Kansas, as they seem less likely to get flushed out of reservoirs. As you may be able to tell, the saugeye is a hybrid between the walleye and sauger, and because of this, it has many of the same traits as both its parents. The saugeye is hard to tell apart from its parents other than the patterning of the spiny dorsal fin. The sauger has distinct spots in the margins of the spines, the walleye has one large dark blotch at the base of the dorsal fin, and the saugeye has dark streaks running down the margin of the spines. The saugeye is the only one of the three that I catch on a regular basis, so it is the one that I know the most about (as far as catching experience). The saugeye has an amazing ability to feel much heavier than it is. When they are smaller, they use this ability very well. During the spring spawning run last year, they would hit a crankbait and hold still. If you set the hook, they would take off at mach 9, stripping line from your reel as they went. It was an awesome time to fish, as I would average ten fish per trip and get at least one huge saugeye every time.

     The sauger is a much less well-known fish compared to the walleye. It only grows to about five pounds and it doesn't do as well in lakes. It is mostly a river fish that lives in waters that are darker and muddier than the water walleye thrive in. There eyes are even larger than in the walleye, and they use this to their benefit when hunting baitfish- like shiners and minnows. The saugeye is the only one of the three that is never stocked in Kansas. This fish has a near identical build as its brethren, which includes the spikes.

     These fish are the only fish other than gar that you will readily find near Manhattan that have teeth. On top of that, their first dorsal fin is comprised of sharp spines that can reach several inches long. On top of on top of that, they have nasty spines on their gills that really like to dig in when they throw their heads back at your hand. There is simply no way to hold these fish that doesn't hurt the fish or the holder. All of these fish are known to attack lures of the most outlandish colors, like neon green, yellow, pink, and in this weird color pattern called "firetiger".

    Hopefully this post was helpful to you- o' young fishers. Happy fishing!

Black Bass Profile

        Time for another profile post.

        There is a group of fishes called the centrarchidae family. It includes all of the sunfish, crappie, and black bass. The fish I will primarily cover are the black bass, but I will go over the others.

        There are three species of black bass which are relevant to a Kansas fishing blog- Largemouth, Smallmouth, and Spotted bass.

        The largemouth bass is one of the most well known sportfish in the world. It has been introduced to many areas- such as Japan. Largemouth- believe it or not- actually have large mouths! So large that when they close their mouths, their lip goes past their eyes.

note the strongly green coloration and horizontal bar of dark blotches on this largemouth.

The largemouth has several features that help distinguish it from the smallmouth and spotted bass.

Largemouths have two dorsal fins (spiny and soft-rayed) which are only partially connected. They have a horizontal bar running down below their lateral line. Actually, the least reliable method of distinguishing the black basses is the most common- checking their mouths. I have caught many largemouths that had mouths the size of a smallmouth because the mouth only extends past the eye if the mouth is perfectly closed and undamaged.

        The largemouth is an ambush predator, and it relies greatly on it's eyesight to help it catch prey. You will rarely find a largemouth in a moving body of water as they like to stake out their own territory in deep waters among weeds and rocks. They tend to be more tolerant of murky and muddy water than the other black basses. Needless to say, the largemouth is a voracious carnivore, feeding on fish, crayfish, frogs, birds, mice, and sometimes even other largmouths-which will barely fit in their mouths! Because of their aggressive and territorial behavior, they will accept a massive assortment of lures and baits. This list includes but is not limited to: swimbaits, minnowbaits, crankbaits, buzzbaits, spinnerbaits, bass jigs, grubs, plastic worms, salamanders, and crayfish, spoons, poppers, stickbaits, prop-baits, live minnows, frogs, and ye olde faithful worms. With this kind of  aggression, the largmouth is an apex predator in most ponds and lakes in Kansas.

the only fish that can eat full-grown largemouth are flathead catfish and pike/muske.

       The spotted bass is like a little brother to the largemouth. It has a smaller mouth and the dorsal fins are well joined. Spotted bass do not cope well with warm and murky water, so they are rare around Manhattan. Other than that, the spotted bass is just like the largemouth. It will ambush it's prey from an established territory, and it puts up an amazing fight. The spotted bass gets very little publicity as it only grows to a few pounds and is more picky than the largemouth and smallmouth.

                               The spotted bass has a darker/browner overall coloration than the largemouth.

                             you can also see the stronger bar coloration and joined dorsal fins.

         The smallmouth bass is one of the most fished for species in the Midwest. It is easier to tell apart from the other two black bass because it never has a horizontal bar, and usually has vertical barring. Smallmouths have entirely different behavior from the other black bass. They travel in schools and cover ground when they hunt, unlike their ambush counterparts. I know very little about smallmouths, mostly because you can count the number of "smallies" that I have caught on one hand. They don't inhabit any nearby areas except for Pott 2, Milford lake, and wildcat creek. I hate Pott 2 and never go to Milford, and fishing at wildcat creek is like taking a shot in the dark-you never get anything. I have only caught one decent-sized smallmouth in recorded history (when I started my logbook). It was an accidental catch at Rocky Ford while I was fishing for wiper. If ever I catch a smallmouth or spotted bass, it just makes my day, that shows how rare they are for me.

        The next fish I will include are the crappie. They are well known for their tasty meat, and for their seasonal spawning runs. If you fish at just the right time you can get fish every cast during the spawning time.

Their are two species of crappie that live in Kansas, white and black. Black crappie were introduced to Kansas for a myriad of reasons, but mainly because they taste good. Black crappie will put up a descent fight if you hook one. I am sorry, but there is little good that I can say about white crappie. They come from a family of fish known for their intense fights and strong, stocky bodies. But that doesn't stop them from being the absolute worst fighters in the universe. I quite literally think I have a weed every single time I hook into one of these stupid fish. I do believe I can confidently say that an eight inch largemouth will put up a better fight than a world record white crappie. The recreational value is actually in the negative with these fish, especially with a catch-and-release person like me. I literally feel drained after catching one of these fish.

      The last fish are the sunfish. They really live up to their name, as many of these fish would make excellent aquarium fish if they weren't so aggressive or picky. These fish fight with more passion for their size than most other fish can. The sunfish are many-a-anglers first fish when they are young, including me. They are sometimes referred to as panfish because of their deep, thin bodies.

 This is a beautiful example of hybridization between sunfish. It appears to be a hybrid between a bluegill and longear sunfish.

This is a longear sunfish. I wanted to put him in my aquarium, but I forgot my bucket.

With all these awesome fish piled into one family. I see no possibility that there isn't an awesome God that created them all and placed them all here for our enjoyment.

next trips

 Yay new post! This one will cover my last week of fishing.


          My fishing week started on Thursday with a trip to Dick's Sporting Goods and Walmart. While at Dick's, I only planned on getting a pack of jigheads (hooks with lead weights molded on to provide weight), but ended up also getting a pack of Berkely Gulp minnows (small soft plastic lures, soaked in powerfully scented juice, that are meant to be used on jigheads). After reading an article from Field and Stream about ultraviolet paint on lures, I really wanted to try it out. So I got a rather expensive Rapala Shad Rap (very similar to the one that I lost in my first post). The thing is that the more I spend, the more I want to spend. So I ended up finding more and more until I had $20 worth of stuff. I knew that I had to cut back, but I decided to go to Walmart- just in case. I really felt like a kid in the candy store by this point, but I managed to control myself and keep it under $10. There was something interesting that I found though. You see, I have a rod with a broken tip, and I found a rod-tip replacement kit. The kit comes with three tips of various sizes, only the smallest of which I could use. When I went to replace the tip, I accidentally broke the end of the rod. Now that I had effectively destroyed my rod, I decided to improvise. I found out that the binding that holds the guides in place is flammable. So I burned it off and tried using a larger guide. Hope my stupid idea pays off.

         The next day I went to Rocky Ford, where the water is now at extremely low levels. I had a feeling that the fishing would be good, and I was right. In three hours I had caught 20 fish, most of them channel catfish which were about fifteen inches long. They hit the new minnows (that I just bought) so hard that the minnows started getting shredded by their mouths. They even bit the tails off.

Picture showing the damage taken by the top minnow compared to what it should look like

        The largest fish was a 22in. channel cat that took about two minutes to fight. I decided to move to Tuttle Creek at 6:30 to try to get at one of the schools of wiper that like to hang out near shore in the evening. I decided to try out my new UV Rapala and in not-too-long, I had a little wiper on the rocks. I then thought "Hey, I should document this for mah blog" (my thought process while fishing is highly informal). I went to get the camera and I turn around to see the fish gone and my lure sitting high and dry on the rock. "O snahp" my brain intelligently remarked. I eventually hooked into two more wiper using the minnows, but I lost far more minnows on the rocks than the number of fish I caught.

       The next day I went out to Tuttle Creek, this time with my dad and the kayak. I started out in the kayak, using my new UV Rapala. I started blindly casting in open water hoping to find a feeding school of wiper. Unfortunately, it didn't work, and I still have not caught a fish from a boat. I started fishing on the bank, and I was soon hooked into a huge blue catfish that took me at least four minutes to land. It was 28in. and weighed 7 pounds. While I was examining it, I found line hanging out of it's mouth. When I pulled it out, the end of the line had a jig that I had used (and lost) yesterday. The fish must have found it on the rocks and liked it enough for a second try.

        This week saw one record broken (biggest blue catfish) and another challenged (fourth most fish caught in one day). And the water isn't even cooling down yet!

*if you go to www.basspro.com and search Rapala Shad Rap, you can see what they look like

Temperate Bass' Profile

             There certainly are a lot of great fish in Kansas, and the temperate bass are no exception. The temperate bass in Kansas include white bass, striped bass, wiper, and white perch.

             The first one I will list is the white bass. These fish are common in the eastern half of the state. They live very active lifestyles, forming large schools and targeting baitfish in open water. They don't live very long and usually mature in only two or three years. Because of these factors, the white bass doesn't grow very large. The state record white bass (according to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks) weighed 5.67 pounds and was 20 3/8 inches, but they rarely grow more than two pounds and 15 inches. They are my personal favorite species to catch as they put up a truly relentless fight, even if they are out of the water (and I am making a bare-handed attempt to get the hook out). Tuttle Creek has a small population of large white bass and some may even be of record size.

            The second species is the striped bass otherwise known as the striper. It is an anadromous fish, meaning that it live in saltwater but spawns in rivers. They are therefore capable of living in freshwater. Striper are much larger than white bass because of their long life span (sometimes 30 years) and the steady source of food found in the ocean. The fish that live in the ocean are capable of growing up to 80 pounds but the landlocked fish only reach about 60 pounds at the very most. The striped bass was once introduced into Kansas waters via stocking to produce a new angling experience as well as to provide a new apex predator. The only way to do this is to keep live striper at the hatcheries year-round, as there are no wild striper to be found in Kansas. This proves to be a very costly endeavor as striper are voracious predators that require live shad to thrive and produce healthy offspring. The state decided to experiment with hybridizing the striper to keep the cost down, and thus was born the wiper.


           Wiper are the hybrid product of male white bass and female striper. Wiper share many qualities with both striper and white bass, including their action-packed way of living along with agressive tendencies. They are therefore a primary target for many anglers. Because the striper and white bass are so similar, it is very hard to tell the difference between them and their hybrid counterparts. In fact it is hopeless unless you know exactly what to look for or the fish have started getting very large. The primary method recommended for telling the difference between wiper and white bass is to check the tongue tooth-patches. The white bass always has one patch while the wiper has two (in theory). The wiper are most of what I catch in places like Tuttle Creek and Rocky Ford. They are much like the white bass in the way they fight except that they can be much larger. The state record is 25lbs and 33 1/2 inches, but they realistically reach 3 pounds on average. They are well known for the feeding frenzies that they cause when they chase a school of shad to the surface and subsequently tear into it, sometimes getting the gulls to join in.


         The final fish is the white perch. It is not of much relevance in this part of Kansas but it is an invasive species that is blamed for the reduction of the population of sportfish like the white bass. It is easier to tell apart from the rest of the fish in this profile because it lacks the horizontal stripes that are common to all of the others. The white perch has no real value since it is so small and doesn't have particularly good meat. If one ever catches a white perch (in Kansas) they should not release it and they should contact the local Wildlife and Parks Department office and report their catch.

   
        To recap. The white bass is a native sportfish that is fairly popular and easy to catch. The striper was introduced but is expensive to maintain and doesn't naturally reproduce in Kansas waters. The wiper is a hybrid between the white and striped basses, and shares both of their qualities.

Here is a link to the ID gallery at the KDWPT website. If you click this and click on the poster for "Temperate bass family" it will show you how to identify them.
www.kdwpt.state.ks.us/news/Fishing/Fish-ID-Gallery