Yes we fish cats too...make a trip every summer for a weekend to fish cats on the Red River in Selkirk, MB. This pic was from our first time. We caught 22 over 32" in under 4 hrs. We go with Blackriver Cat Outfitters rather than drag ourboat 600 miles each way. Half day charters(4hrs) will leave you sore from battling these beasts in the strong current. 9'MH downrigger rods are used with baitcast reels loaded with 80# braid. A 34" fish qualifies for a MB Master Angler award. We got 9 MA's that first day. These were the two biggest. This was one of several double headers that morning. Wifes was 36 1/4" and mine was 38 1/2" and was the biggest brought into the outfitters boat for the 2018 season.
I haven't cat-fished for many many years. Going cat-fishing on a hot August night was what I did before I ever shot trap. But I wasn't the serious fisherman in the family. Here is a vintage picture of Ann's dad and my father-in-law Frank Davis holding a couple of big cats that was on the cover of Ohio Fisherman in August of 1977 which happens to be the same month and year that I first met Ann at the Great Eastern Gun Club ran by Sue and Aden Kaufman. The little boy with Frank is my brother-in-law Jon Davis. I've got another picture or two from the article that I'll try and post later. Ann caught some big cats with her dad too back in the day, I think she said the biggest Frank every caught was over 60 lbs. I was more in the under 5 lb range. Frank isn't around anymore and I'm not sure what he used for bait; Joe I didn't know skank catfish bait was still around after all these years.
Here is some of the article and another picture of Frank and some big cats. I think the pictures were taken in the mid to late 60's by the size and age of Jon.
My neighbors back in South Carolina, He is an old friend of Randy Ross in Ohio who used to spend the winters in SC.
