# Hoover blue cats



## Brownfish89 (Feb 27, 2012)

Doing verry well and feeding heavy







a16.11 And a 11.12







. Fresh cut shad was the bait. Caught next to creek channles


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## canoe carp killer (Apr 2, 2014)

That's awesome! I've all but given up on Hoover lol. I've never done any good there for anything


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

Not awesome, incredible. That first one is a HOG.

Keep those Blue reports coming. Love to see they're doing so well.


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## RiparianRanger (Nov 18, 2015)

That first one is only a sixteen handle? Would've guessed bigger


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## kfi (Nov 11, 2013)

Nice report. Awesome pics. Great to see the cats doing well in Hoover.


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## MDBuckeye (Sep 29, 2009)

Nice and fat. Those things will continue to gorge on shad and grow. 5 years and they will be monsters.


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## Brownfish89 (Feb 27, 2012)

Here is one from last fall my grandson cAught 20 lb


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## reyangelo (May 28, 2014)

Both are good looking fish. That first one is a very nice one, great color.


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## Buckeye_Sam (Jun 6, 2005)

Little cool still for me to get out there in the yak, but it's getting close. Between now and mid May is when I always got into the cats good on Hoover. 

Nice pics! Keep em coming!


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Tourney yesterday gave up a 19+ lb blue as big fish, several from 21-24 lbs taken as the biggest ones we have seen so far from the lake, ( actually weighed) Please protect these bigger fish as they just now are barely breeding size...


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## chris1162 (Mar 12, 2008)

Salmonid said:


> Tourney yesterday gave up a 19+ lb blue as big fish, several from 21-24 lbs taken as the biggest ones we have seen so far from the lake, ( actually weighed) Please protect these bigger fish as they just now are barely breeding size...


How large do you expect them to be in around 5 years?


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

Brownfish, that 1st pic is WOW! Great shot an a beautiful cat .


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## MDBuckeye (Sep 29, 2009)

chris1162 said:


> How large do you expect them to be in around 5 years?


With fish caught near the 25lb mark so far I would guess they would be 30+ in 5 more years. Just my non educated guess.


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## sherman51 (Apr 12, 2011)

great fish for sure. thanks for sharing your success with us.
sherman


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## bluegill bill (Mar 18, 2017)

Brownfish89 said:


> Doing verry well and feeding heavy
> View attachment 232718
> a16.11 And a 11.12
> View attachment 232719
> . Fresh cut shad was the bait. Caught next to creek channles


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## bluegill bill (Mar 18, 2017)

I don't think the blue cats are that big yet. There are large channel cat in hoover .I would think the blues to be in the 8 to12 lbs range .Last year caught several in the 6or so area .Sorry if I stand corrected


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## Longbarbels (Apr 14, 2004)

bluegill bill said:


> I don't think the blue cats are that big yet. There are large channel cat in hoover .I would think the blues to be in the 8 to12 lbs range .Last year caught several in the 6or so area .Sorry if I stand corrected


Trust me. You stand corrected. The ones saved back that were original batch that are at hatchery for breeders are 20 lb. We C&R several in 15 lb. + last year. Heard report that a 28 lb. was caught last month. These bad boys are an eating machine and are going to only get bigger. Hopefully they are being released so that we may all have the fun of fighting a brute.

Long Barbels


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Check out "flatheadblues.com" for all hoover officially weighed tournament fish. Also on Facebook My friend Amanda Johnson runs those tourneys. Great group of folks


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## BuckeyeTom (Apr 6, 2004)

1st time ever fishing Hoover last Sunday during the flatheadblues tourney. What a great lake. What a great fishery. Lost count on total fish but pretty sure it was 15 or 16. Most were blues, but our channels were bigger. Bob and Bill(1st place)were right in the same area that we fished and caught some very nice blues. Why is this a 9.9 lake? Lol


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## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

Are the blue cats expected to spawn and reproduce in Hoover?


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## Earthworms (Dec 15, 2014)

I hope they grow about 5 pounds a year


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## MDBuckeye (Sep 29, 2009)

Longbarbels said:


> Heard report that a 28 lb. was caught last month. These bad boys are an eating machine and are going to only get bigger. Hopefully they are being released so that we may all have the fun of fighting a brute.


The biggest I've ever caught was in the 45lb range during a trip on the Potomac. I just hope Hoover is able to sustain fish even close to that. Wow, what a fishery it could become.

The only thing that concerns me is one of the same things that seem to be happening at Alum, fish being washed over the dam. Saugeye and Muskie have been lost or washed down stream in abundance over there. I suppose if blue cats do get in the river it wouldn't be that big of deal since they are naturally in the Ohio and the Scioto runs into the mighty Ohio eventually, right?


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## acklac7 (May 31, 2004)

MDBuckeye said:


> The biggest I've ever caught was in the 45lb range during a trip on the Potomac. I just hope Hoover is able to sustain fish even close to that. Wow, what a fishery it could become.
> 
> The only thing that concerns me is one of the same things that seem to be happening at Alum, fish being washed over the dam. Saugeye and Muskie have been lost or washed down stream in abundance over there. I suppose if blue cats do get in the river it wouldn't be that big of deal since they are naturally in the Ohio and the Scioto runs into the mighty Ohio eventually, right?


Saugeye and Muskie have a thing for current, especially when it comes time to reproduce. Catfish? Not so much.

That said im sure a few will wash over and quickly wind up in the Scioto (to which they are Native). No complaints here


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## MDBuckeye (Sep 29, 2009)

AJ, while I generally agree with you blue cats are a different beast. They like some current and tend to situate themselves in more current areas than other cats. Example being on the Potomac you could catch blues all day out on the main part of the river but if you tried to catch them back in the areas we caught large mouth in you would still be waiting for a bite.


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## percidaeben (Jan 15, 2010)

Agree MD, but Blues are current fighters. Muskies and saugeye will drift with current. Blues will sit low,and gather what the current brings them.


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## bluegill bill (Mar 18, 2017)

Bluecat are the best at current and travel long distances to feed .The hoover fish will hopefully grow to be monsters as long as folks know the difference between them and channels .The best thing the state has done is the size limit on cats.The blues will get past that soon.Fingers crossed they grow to be brutes.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

As much as they love current,I think for some reason more fish are being caught on the north part of the lake. An I think I remember reading on here I might be wrong but the ones there tracking have preffered the north end?
Does Hoover have the right habitat for natural spawning to go on???


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## Gus Martin (Jan 31, 2017)

Phew! Great work fellas! I'd love to get out and go after some of them


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## Longbarbels (Apr 14, 2004)

Saugeyefisher said:


> Does Hoover have the right habitat for natural spawning to go on???


Yet to be determined. Div. of Wildlife is not optimistic about them spawning.

Long Babels


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

Longbarbels said:


> Yet to be determined. Div. of Wildlife is not optimistic about them spawning.
> 
> Long Babels


Thanks


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## mashunter18 (Jun 23, 2005)

Hi Long Barbels,

Are they still stocking blues regularly at hoover and do they plan to keep stocking?
I know the whole thing tanked at dillon.

I bank fished most of last year all over the lake, and went with my neighbor a few times on his boat. 39 cats all channels for me...lol. Cant catch a blue there to save my life. Seems like alot get caught by saugeye guys. My niece did catch one with us one evening from the bank smaller just a few pounds.


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## Longbarbels (Apr 14, 2004)

mashunter18 said:


> Hi Long Barbels,
> 
> Are they still stocking blues regularly at hoover and do they plan to keep stocking?
> I know the whole thing tanked at dillon..


Yes, they are annually stocking Hoover with Blue Cats. Last Oct. Over 35,000 were put in the lake. You can go and read the history at http://fishandtales.net/blue%20cats.html .
A study is underway of Catfish and the results will help determine the future of stocking. 

Dillon didn't work because they went over the dam due to rapid flow rate from end to end of reservoir.
http://fishandtales.net/blue cats.html
Long Barbels


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## BottomBouncer (Jan 20, 2005)

They put some in alum shortly after it was created. I wonder why they stopped? I would think alum would be better blue cat water that hoover.


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## Snyd (May 5, 2004)

Very nice fish - Congrats! Seeing your grandson with the catch was priceless and I am sure made his day.


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## timmyv (Apr 26, 2006)

BottomBouncer said:


> They put some in alum shortly after it was created. I wonder why they stopped? I would think alum would be better blue cat water that hoover.


They have never stocked Blue Cats in Alum. The first ever inland lake was Dillon and then Hoover. Dillon did not work out as almost all fish ended out of the lake.


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## Cajunsaugeye (Apr 9, 2013)

Yes they did timmyv. 1975= 36,000 and 1977 12,000.


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## OnTheFly (Jul 30, 2010)

That looks like fun!!! If anyone is headed out this weekend and want to meet up/ give me some pointers let me know. Might grab some fresh shad at alum and give it a try.


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## August West (Dec 5, 2011)

I wonder if the blues are to blame for the recent decrease of saugeye fingerlings?


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## timmyv (Apr 26, 2006)

Cajunsaugeye said:


> Yes they did timmyv. 1975= 36,000 and 1977 12,000.


I stand corrected. I found the article below. I never knew this! 
http://www.outdoornews.com/2009/04/09/blue-catfish-destined-for-dillon-resevoir/


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## FINMAN (Apr 14, 2004)

Netted up some shad today and planning to head out there in the morning. Hope I'll have some good pics tomorrow night . Today I started a new shad program. I took a big tote on the boat to dump the castnet into as soon as I got it inside the boat. Weeded out the 6-10 inchers and put them in the live well. Then dumped hundreds of young-of the years back into the lake. I think I left a greater percent to grow up then I usually do. AND no smashed little bodies all over the boat. Much better program than the 5 gallon bucket full of water.


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## Saugeyefisher (Jul 19, 2010)

FINMAN said:


> Netted up some shad today and planning to head out there in the morning. Hope I'll have some good pics tomorrow night . Today I started a new shad program. I took a big tote on the boat to dump the castnet into as soon as I got it inside the boat. Weeded out the 6-10 inchers and put them in the live well. Then dumped hundreds of young-of the years back into the lake. I think I left a greater percent to grow up then I usually do. AND no smashed little bodies all over the boat. Much better program than the 5 gallon bucket full of water.


Good luck,hope you find some!!


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## ReadHeaded Hunter (Apr 17, 2007)

Never really targetted cats anywhere and never at all on Hoover but after being around here and seeing/hearing reports, a day of feet kicked up watching a rod tip may be in the near future


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## edlovereze (Mar 7, 2012)

Anyone have much success for cats bank fishing hoover? I've always wanted to catch cats but everywhere I go, I never have any luck. I prefer bass fishing but I want to get into cats this year!


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