It barely fits in the Net!! Monster fish of the Madison Chain.

#catfish #fishing #wisconsin
It barely fits in the Net!! Monster fish of the Madison Chain. Catching some huge pre-spawn cats from the bank.
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[@WisconsinEric]

The Madison chain is the Yahara river chain of lakes. Yahara translates to "Catfish" in the local Native American language. It is the Catfish chain of lakes. 17yrs ago I lost a vary rare Rapala known as the "Team Esko" on that power line above you

[@ericl2969]

I have not noticed that their heads of catfish change size as related to spawning season. Once they reach larger sizes, the males have much bigger heads and wider mouths than the females, and they also have two big knobs of muscle on top of the head at the rear edge, but their heads still have those same features when you catch them all through summer and into October/November. No matter what time of year it is, you can always tell if a bigger catfish is male by the huge, muscular head.

[@herbsuperb6034]

Looks like a fun night. Those Mendota Cats are no joke. If you want to pursue them, have a good landing net. I fished them a bunch a few years back, had a blast. On July 18, 2019 I lucked into a 34.9 pounder on a Cut Sucker. Absolute tank. Head the size of a Football. I forgot to take a length measurement but she was around 40". Our State Record channel was caught back in the 1960s, at 44 pounds. Probably as close as I'll get, but I'd bet good money there's a new State Record in that lake somewhere. That 30 LB Madison Chain Carp still eludes me. I've tangled with a few that size, but they know how to get out of trouble when they get to be that big. Couple years back I caught a 26.2 LB Channel on a Carp setup. The whole Madison Chain is a terrific fishery. Each lake is a little different. Each good for different things. Great multi-species fisheries. Went after Pike this morning with my guide and caught 7 plus a 20" Largie. Tight lines, all! If you're in the area give those Mendota Channels a try. I never regretted it. One pro tip I'll give away. If you can catch some Mendota Perch, there's nothing they like better. Mendota is a HUGE Perch fishery, and it's a big chunk of their natural forage. By far my best-producing bait for big Mendota cats was cut perch. Heads and Gut Pockets. White/Yellow Bass was also very effective. I'll use Bluegill if I can find nothing better. Store-bought Suckers will also work fine.

[@magnificentmacarons1472]

At the spot right now, no bites yet, but maybe something this evening

[@ChewingToons]

Caught nice Pike in England to 32lb

[@OddBallofCheese]

What size sinker would you recommend for this place?

[@ancientfishing]

There’s very little current there. I usually just use my regular 1’s or 2’s.

[@johnnyrasavong1987]

I am interested in taking my son there. What is the name of this place? Thank you.

[@ancientfishing]

Doesn’t really have a name. It’s sort of by skipper buds.

[@madtownangler]

You can probably switch the handle of that spincast reel to the other side by unscrewing it and putting the handle in the other way. That way you don't have to flop it around after every cast. Nice fish !!!

[@ancientfishing]

I got rid of the spin cast reel. Just replaced it with a spinning one.

[@user-pz1xk7ym8d]

It would be nice if people didnt blow up local spots and bring more people to them!

[@CatfishandCrappie]

Nice Fish! We slayed them the whole 2nd week in May there! I got my new PB of 23.5# ;)

[@herbsuperb6034]

Bet that was fun. I've always found they fight their hardest between 15 and 25 pounds. Any bigger than that, and they simply have no fear of anything. Carp are the same way. They get lazy :-). I caught a 34.9 LB channel a few years ago. Really didn't fight that well. Probably a very old fish near the end of its life. I almost felt bad turning her loose. But I just can't take a fish that size out of the lake. T'aint right.

[@CatfishandCrappie]

@@herbsuperb6034 I was there all last week! Caught a bunch in the 20's and got my PB 25#! Still looking for the 30#

[@OhTheRiverWasDeep.]

Wow, Awesome!!

[@adamzahrt309]

Epic channel you rock

[@alessandrayang6376]

What bait did you use for the cat fish . Is that the spot that you share of Madison area

[@ancientfishing]

Cut bluegills. Yeah, it’s the bridge place.

[@erickayson588]

That looks heaver than 18.5ibs. Thought bear market was over.

[@jwoods5234]

I think when u deep hook a fish and can’t Remove the hook , keep the fish

[@markomomcilovic4622]

Can we catch flatheads in this time of the year? Or are they already spawning?

[@ancientfishing]

You can catch them. All of them don’t spawn at the same time.

[@wreckitluigi]

Thats me right across from you 😅😅😅. I was really excited about that place. But i didn't have any luck😭😭😭

[@ancientfishing]

What bait were you using?

[@wreckitluigi]

I've tried worms, liver, chicken, cut bait and i had no luck. I went back to my usual spot and ended catching a couple 20 pounders

[@jwoods5234]

@@wreckitluigi nice

[@Mini-po7hp]

@@wreckitluigi what’s ur usual spot? Tell me

[@ramonhernandez6422]

what bait to use for cats

[@ancientfishing]

Cut bait. Bluegill, drum, or whatever small fish is in that water body.

[@herbsuperb6034]

On Mendota, I've always found Perch and White/Yellow Bass to be most effective. Rock Bass never worked, not sure why. But I wouldn't waste my time. Bluegill and Suckers will work well enough. I've caught them on Drum and Carp chunks, but they're both more hassle than they're worth. The amount of time I spend fishing cats on Mendota is often directly linked to how often I can come across fresh caught Perch!! 🙂

[@abettertomorrow5928]

Gado Gado 😁👍

[@ericl2969]

So, you have zero regard for fishing regulations? All that talk about possibly keeping a walleye which was shorter than the legal limit (the limit there is 18") doesn't indicate that you care about the laws.

[@ancientfishing]

I don’t know what you are talking about, I don’t keep any walleye from the Madison chain.

[@ericl2969]

@@ancientfishing You mentioned how good it would be to take it home and eat it, about six times in a row during your narration.