# Have u seen this fish



## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

Im hunting this creature, its very elusive!

Have any of you guys every seen him in Escambia river? i have a few guys that say they have caught them.

Theres not alot of information about the skipjack herring run in Pensacola, this guy in the picture was caught up around jims fish camp.


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## osborne311 (Aug 1, 2011)

Hey catfish - on my phone so cannot find it right now but there was a post on that fish a few weeks back titled help ID this fish or something like that. Seems a few have caught it lately. I will try to find it and pm you the link later. Love your cat posts!!


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

Like above, I thought there was a thread on this same fish last week or the week before.


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## flounder1156 (Jul 9, 2009)

Cathunter....the skipjack herring are found in local rivers in low quantities. I occasionally see these herring when we are doing fish sampling on the rivers,either in our nets or by electrofishing sampling. I personally have caught smaller ones( 6-8" ) at Jims F/C and at Swamp House Landing under the lights in early morning hours using a 1/8 or 1/16 oz. crappie jig. They are used at the beach pier for king mackeral baits.Kings love them...........so do my cats.........


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## minkmaster (Apr 5, 2008)

There are quite a few skipjack in the Ohio Valley. They are great bait for catfish because tbeir flesh is extremely oily. They also stay alive forever when used whole. They are caught commercially below dams on Sabiki Rigs 4 to 5 at a time. I didnt know they were in saltwater.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

Thanx for the input fellas, iv been reading up on them since 5:30am iv got them figured out now.

As soon as the wind dies down this week we are going on the hunt.

It will be cheaper for me to catch them then buy em, they run any where from $3 buck for one fish to $10 for 9 plus $15 for shipping plus tax very expensive bait.


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## reelthrill (Oct 3, 2007)

We used to catch those up Blackwater river a long time ago.


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## osborne311 (Aug 1, 2011)

PM sent Cat


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## osborne311 (Aug 1, 2011)

You ever tried old smelly ladyfish for cats? I can supply you with as many of those as you need in the summer. lol I get about 3 for every Spanish I catch in the surf.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

I have, I have also tried Spanish sardines and other various baits in my rookie days, but no need for experimenting all that work has already been done.

Hands down skip-jack hearing is candy for Big Bluecats, I plan on doing some extensive hunting for large blues this coming year in-between Flathead Fishing.

But first I have to stock the freezer even if it means driving 4-5 hours to the right dam spillway to catch them.

I want more of theses guys this year


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## osborne311 (Aug 1, 2011)

Cannot believe you even bothered with that tiny little cat. j/k

NICE!! Beats my largest blue by about twice. I will try to hunt up some of our old KY dam pictures of the cats drug out of there.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

Big cats in them northern rivers for sure, Catfish are new to our rivers give them time and we will start seeing cats over 60lbs fairly regular.

With our warm waters and short winter season our cats grow faster then there northern cuzins, I got that guy last year one night on Escambia river using a Float rig baited with 12in Spanish sarden for bait that we got from wal-mart, fought like a truck, we also boated a few others around 15 and 20lbs that night.


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## osborne311 (Aug 1, 2011)

I do not dive but growing up north of here we constantly heard stories of huge cats dug in at the base of KY dam. They would shut it down from time to time to maintain the turbines or something. Divers would go down there and come up refusing to go back down there due to the size of the fish dug in at the base of the turbines.

Of course that could all be urban legend but I did see some cats taken out of that river in the 80 - 100 range. I had a picture I took myself when I was a kid so no photo shop. Guy was right at about 6' Had the cat he caught under the dam over his shoulder and I swear the tail was dragging. Pretty damn impressive.


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## MrFish (Aug 21, 2009)

I think that story about huge cats at the base of a dam is around any dam. I heard the same story for years about Lay Dam. If they were there I can guarantee that somebody would've pulled one out by now. Fishermen are motivated people and eventually someone would've just dove down and speared them.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

its like that catfish video I posted in the scuba section of the flathead in SC underwater on video, he's only around 50lbs but on video he looks man size scale that up by two and he's a monster for sure, I could see how this story could spread iv herd it many times before about large river dams, a 100lb catfish in your face with limited visibility would be intense


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## osborne311 (Aug 1, 2011)

I agree, pretty sure that is urban legend. I do have to say though, I heard the same thing about ship wrecks and groupers. Always thought it was bs until a friend showed me video he shot himself of a huge goliath in a wreck. I swear that thing was big enough to inhale a diver - at least it looked that way. You could not pay me to stick my head in one of those boats after seeing that fish.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

You should watch the ultimate preditor on netflix staring manny he noodles goliath groupers


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## minkmaster (Apr 5, 2008)

I am not sure bout down there, but Green sunfish are best for Flathead in MO. Skipjack are more for blues and channels.


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## ScullsMcNasty (Oct 4, 2007)

Heard the same story years ago from my dad about goliaths around the pier on the base. Evidently from the strong tides pushing around the big pier it eroded some of the concrete away. From what he said, a diver went down to asset the damage and came back up white as a ghost and said there was a grouper down there big enough to swallow him whole!


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

minkmaster said:


> I am not sure bout down there, but Green sunfish are best for Flathead in MO. Skipjack are more for blues and channels.


That what i want them for is Blues:yes:


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

Found 'em cathunter. Across the road from jims. They are close to shore on the right, just past the bridge from jims.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

Yakavelli said:


> Found 'em cathunter. Across the road from jims. They are close to shore on the right, just past the bridge from jims.
> 
> View attachment 37003


Hmm I tried all in there the other day with no luck, my problem was I started a little late, maybe next time I need to start the hunt at daylight.


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

This one bit a small mir-o-lure. I wonder if a sabiki rig would catch more of 'em? There seemed to be lots of 'em popping the surface. Could've been menhaden though.


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## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

Yakavelli said:


> This one bit a small mir-o-lure. I wonder if a sabiki rig would catch more of 'em? There seemed to be lots of 'em popping the surface. Could've been menhaden though.


could have been gars too, they are in migration mode, big schools over them are all over the place


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## Yakavelli (Mar 17, 2010)

Nope, I saw the gars. They're always there, some big boys too. I'm talking about the little "pops" at the surface. Just like menhaden or ly's. I think you're right about early vs late with the bait. I made my way back to where they were around 3pm and nothing. Between 7 and noon is when I've been seeing all the bait in that area within 75 yds or so from the "resume speed" sign on the right from jims.

Go get 'em man...and good luck.


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