# Some one should dive our rivers



## CatHunter

I would love to see some footage of the bottom of our rivers, I have some great spots with pretty good visibility down there, Iv snorkeld around Escambia but I cant stay down long enough to see any thing.

Does any one want to take a ride up to the river this spring or summer and try and get some big cat footage, Im not a diver but i know where to go.


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## CatHunter

during the winter months i know where the fish will be schooled up by the thousands. Lots of big cats


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## Evensplit

Come get certified and see it for yourself! I know a few that might take you up on your offer, but it's gonna be next spring before they're going to try it.


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## drifterfisher

CatHunter,I'm no diver,but I love to fish,and would really like to meet up one day for some fishing with someone who knows where to go to get them.I promise to leave my GPS at home :notworthy:


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## CatHunter

During the spring months the cats will be nesting along the banks, but during the winter they will be in a dormant like state stacked on top of each other in 20 feet and deeper holes, we could be the first to get footage of Pensacola river bottoms.

Here is the muddy Mississippi river during winter as the cats pile into deep holes.Great video.


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## bigrick

Are you talking about freediving or scuba diving? Winter is nothing a wetsuit can't handle. Are they legal to spear?


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## Dragonfire21281

Do u have the underwater camera?


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## CatHunter

Scuba diving, yes they are legal to spear and as good of eating as grouper.

I'm about to purchase a Go-pro just for this occasion


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## bigrick

If you know where the holes are 20 feet is shallow enough to dive down and blast one, I'd just be worried about the clarity and how spooked they get.


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## Evensplit

*From the FWC regs:*

You may NOT spearfish
(excluding bowfishing and gigging):​*■*​​​​*■ Spearfishing of marine and freshwater species in freshwater is*
*prohibited. Possession of a spear gun in or on freshwater is also*​
*prohibited.*


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## CatHunter

Evensplit said:


> *From the FWC regs:*
> 
> You may NOT spearfish
> (excluding bowfishing and gigging):​*■*​*■ Spearfishing of marine and freshwater species in freshwater is*
> *prohibited. Possession of a spear gun in or on freshwater is also*​
> *prohibited.*


ah good call, but we can gig right ill look in too it some more,

The Flathead catfish will not spook, you can get right in his face before he runs, they will try and look camouflage and blend in before fleeing .

Beside the Flathead catfish is on FWC hit list, they have been trying top exterminate them for years, we might be doing them a favor by experimenting with these ever exploding populations of big cats invading Florida's rivers

Going fishing now ill be back in a week or two...


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## fishFEEDER9697

I have already thought about this. You would have to noodle them if that is even legal. If you could find one in the 100lb range... you could just tie off to the boat and noodle with your whole body. 3 or more tugs to your tender, and you got your diver and a big*ss catfish.


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## WhackUmStackUm

Sure, I'll dive some spots for you. I think it would be cool to get video of big cats.

I have video cameras, lights, drysuit, surface communcations gear, etc.

Send me a PM to arrange the details.


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## Deep Obsession

Have you guys set this up yet. Love to see some pics or video. Might be intrested in diving there myself. Maybe try scuba noodling. HMMMMMMMM........


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## SHunter

fishFEEDER9697 said:


> I have already thought about this. You would have to noodle them if that is even legal. If you could find one in the 100lb range... you could just tie off to the boat and noodle with your whole body. 3 or more tugs to your tender, and you got your diver and a big*ss catfish.


If you do this, I would like to see the video. :yes:


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## devildog83

WhackUmStackUm said:


> Sure, I'll dive some spots for you. I think it would be cool to get video of big cats.
> 
> I have video cameras, lights, drysuit, surface communcations gear, etc.
> 
> Send me a PM to arrange the details.


Let me know when you get this set up I'd love to dive along!


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## Realtor

this is gonna be cool, I have windered about whats in the rivers.....


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## DiverShane1

I am intrested in trying this out for sure...If you guys try to get something going you get me also at MBT dive shop, ask for Shane....


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## coolbluestreak

This defiantly sparks the imagination, I wanna go also.


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## devildog83

DiverShane1 and I went for a dive today up on one of the tributaries of the Escambia river. Vis was better than expected between 5-8ft and a warm 56 degrees. We dove a 30ft hole where I've caught good cats in the past but didn't see a fish. All in all great time enjoyed the dive but no luck. Ready to go again.......


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## DiverShane1

Like Devildog83 said it was a good dive...Like the rivers back home in NC...Took my new Hollis LED light I picked up at MBT to test it out on this dive and WOW what a difference it made :thumbup:. Wish we could have seen some cats though...Maybe when it warms back up...


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## coolbluestreak

DiverShane1 said:


> Wish we could have seen some cats though...Maybe when it warms back up...


Shoot, at least you did the dive, I know a bunch of ppl that won't get in the water til spring. :thumbsup:


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## Evensplit

devildog83 said:


> DiverShane1 and I went for a dive today up on one of the tributaries of the Escambia river. Vis was better than expected between 5-8ft and a warm 56 degrees. We dove a 30ft hole where I've caught good cats in the past but didn't see a fish. All in all great time enjoyed the dive but no luck. Ready to go again.......


Good on ya!!!!! :thumbup:


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## CatHunter

Sorry guys iv been busy.

When the water temps drops to around 45 in the river I have a few spots where the fish school up by the thousands..Your sure to get a glimpse of something then, if willing to brave the cold, and if not

During the spring the catfish will be spawning around mid April, the water temp will be almost 70, and the fish will be banked up along the shore making it easy to get shoots of them..

Right now they are spread out hunting a feeding and fating up getting ready for winter, this is a hard time of year to pin point the big cats..Feb and April is the months..


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## CatHunter

Originally Posted by *devildog83*  
_DiverShane1 and I went for a dive today up on one of the tributaries of the Escambia river. Vis was better than expected between 5-8ft and a warm 56 degrees. We dove a 30ft hole where I've caught good cats in the past but didn't see a fish. All in all great time enjoyed the dive but no luck. Ready to go again......._


Great try, did the water get clearer the deeper you went?


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## hjorgan

CatHunter: When they stack up like that will they hit a bait? Or are they just totally dormant?

Also spearing may be illegal but is "pole snatching" legal? We use a big treble on a PVC pipe with a line running through it to poke into limestone banks in the spring. Course we put a piece of red or white cloth on the hook to look like a fish or turtle to the catfish. They bite the hook and we wrassle them out. I'd think that if you took this rig underwater, you could stick them with the hook then subdue them with your stringer.


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## stickmyshare

http://myfwc.com/fishing/freshwater/regulations/taking-fish/

Game fish and nongame fish may only be taken with pole and line or rod and reel. There is no limit on the number of rods an angler may use.
Freshwater fish may not be taken by use of any free-floating, unattached device, or by taking of fish or wildlife with firearms, explosives, electricity, spear gun, poison or other chemicals. *The taking of fish by underwater swimming or diving is prohibited. *It is unlawful to sell, offer for sale or transport out of the state any freshwater game fish unless specifically permitted by the FWC, except that licensed anglers may transport two days' bag limit of legally harvested game fish.
It is illegal to possess any freshwater fish along with gear that cannot legally be used to take freshwater fish, including gear types listed above and below for taking nongame fish or bait.* An exception is game fish may be possessed together with cast nets having a stretched mesh size not greater than 1 inch; minnow dip nets not more than 4 feet in diameter; minnow seines having a stretched mesh size not greater than 1 inch, a length not more than 20 feet and a depth not more than 4 feet; and minnow traps not more than 24 inches in length and 12 inches in diameter, with a funnel entrance not more than 1 inch in spread.


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## devildog83

CatHunter said:


> Originally Posted by *devildog83*
> _DiverShane1 and I went for a dive today up on one of the tributaries of the Escambia river. Vis was better than expected between 5-8ft and a warm 56 degrees. We dove a 30ft hole where I've caught good cats in the past but didn't see a fish. All in all great time enjoyed the dive but no luck. Ready to go again......._
> 
> 
> Great try, did the water get clearer the deeper you went?


The water clarity was better on the bottom by a foot or two but nothing major. Cold water is fine and with the rain in the winter being little so far hopefully it will only get better for vis. Will be back in town around the first of February till the end of the month. Let us know.


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## DiverShane1

I am up for another trip when your ready just let me know.........


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## markw4321

Can you get a Go Pro camera with a water proof housing? Depending on visibility at depth if you had a camera set up you could lower it down first on your intended dive spots and take a look to see if anything was there. 

If you saw fish then you could gear up and get wet.


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## CatHunter

hjorgan said:


> CatHunter: When they stack up like that will they hit a bait? Or are they just totally dormant?
> 
> Also spearing may be illegal but is "pole snatching" legal? We use a big treble on a PVC pipe with a line running through it to poke into limestone banks in the spring. Course we put a piece of red or white cloth on the hook to look like a fish or turtle to the catfish. They bite the hook and we wrassle them out. I'd think that if you took this rig underwater, you could stick them with the hook then subdue them with your stringer.


The bluecats will eat bait in the winter months, pole snatching that's new to me, never herd of that.



markw4321 said:


> Can you get a Go Pro camera with a water proof housing? Depending on visibility at depth if you had a camera set up you could lower it down first on your intended dive spots and take a look to see if anything was there.
> 
> If you saw fish then you could gear up and get wet.


Yes they have lots of options for gopros


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