The Great Blue Cat Hunt Continues.
It is in the doing!
Fish Catching Travel
So the great hunt to catch a big blue ends this week successfully. For the first time I set out to catch some blues cats on purpose with a rod and reel. With the assistance of lots of good folks online, I had a great head start to what will know be a part of my fishing obsession. Great, another layer to the fishing disease.
After the success of actually catching a few on the first day, then catching a couple the next afternoon with my wife, I decided to take one more run at it before I shifted gears next week. My first starting point was just that, a point leading into a main lake cove with the channel swinging close to the bank. With a stiff wind blowing, I used a drift sock and went up from a 1 oz. to 2 oz. sinker, and both definitely helped. Using cut bait, the only change I made from the prior trips was to change over one leader. That rod had a 50 lb. leader of clear mono and had very few strikes with no fish, so it was switched to 35 lb. fluoro.
Most of the strikes on the prior trip came in the 20 – 25 ft. range, so that is where I started. I drifted in the area we saw them the night before and ended up catching one on the rod where I just changed the leader. He was about 26″ long and probably around 10 lbs. plus, which is just an estimate as I have no scale in the boat. As far as I am concerned he was a good fish.
A little big for the fish cooler, he was a CPR.
I ended up having about 5 or 6 bites, catching 2, losing 1, and missing the rest. I can tell I am getting closer to catching a big blue. Since everything I am hearing and reading points to winter, I will be putting the Great Blue Cat hunt aside for right now. There are some other places I have to go and catch fish next week.
The second one I caught. I like the fact that this is a “little one”, I can’t wait to catch a “big one”.
I have learned that anyone can do this, it is a process. It does not take a fancy boat, or high dollar tackle, it just takes a desire to learn to do something different. So if you have ever thought about catching a big blue, or want to try something different, this is a great option. Definitely something the kids, or anyone who can get in the boat, can do. And of course, catching blues has the side benefit of the great fish fry you can have when you are done.
Is it a little of the “Barta” Way?
For me fishing has always been in the doing. I love the process of thinking about it, learning about it, and then actually doing it myself. Many times when we travel my wife asks why I do not hire a guide, and I have done so on a few occasions. Whether it is towing the boat 24 hours to Chokoloskee in the Everglades by myself without having ever seen it and jumping huge tarpon, or dropping the boat in the Arkansas River for a day of bass fishing, it has always been about exploring and trying to do it myself. As I said before, It Is In The Doing. Whether it is a Blue Marlin or Blue Cat, nothing beats the excitement of a plan coming together.
Good Luck and Tight Lines!
