# Big channel cats



## jhouser (Jul 8, 2013)

Went out for a few hours yesterday after the rain and the bite was on! Ended up with 12 channels and 1 bowfin. Here are some pictures of the real big ones


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

Those are some great channels. Nice job.


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## whodeynati (Mar 12, 2012)

Heck yea! Nice channels!


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## jhouser (Jul 8, 2013)

I'm wishing I had a set of scales. Going I get a set for this weekend. I think a couple of them would have been close to 20. What do you guys think ?


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## catfishhunterjames (Mar 29, 2010)

Caught these flatheads yesterday also and had two other good bites.


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## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

yeah some nice channels, that's for sure, I don't think any of them are 20 though, that's a mighty hard number to hit. just saw my first 20 lb 1 oz channel a few weeks ago at a tourney, it was a beast, Im jealous I didn't catch it..LOL time to invest in a scale I guess, bottom left looks the heaviest to me, maybe 13-14 lbs since its a heavy big male... curious what watershed you got them at if you don't mind sharing....

Salmonid


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

Definitely not 20lbs. I'm guessing low teens on the big ones. Still great fish though.


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## jhouser (Jul 8, 2013)

Not at all. It's in the portage lakes watershed.


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## jhouser (Jul 8, 2013)

There is a previous post I did as well. All of the channels have came out of the same lake.


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## BottomBouncer (Jan 20, 2005)

Good catchin'


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## catfishcc (Oct 28, 2013)

Keep at her. It take patiences. 


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## frostymug56 (May 7, 2012)

took the son-in-law to C.J Brown wensday night. not a great bite, but did manage 6 for the skillet. tossed 2 back to grow up some..


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## Bait Bucket (Oct 9, 2013)

Got major hits at Mentor Lagoons yesterday. Started with catching two small blue gill then it was catfish on.
Sorry, I'm usually just a Lake Erie percher so I didn't know the skill it takes to catch anything big on 6 lb. test.
The first major hit, I got the fish within a few feet of the boat then went to get the fish in the boat by picking up the line --SNAP.
A few minutes later got a big hit but fish went under boat and SNAP.
A few minutes later, I learned about setting the drag, but after five minutes of fighting hauled in a 2 lb. channel.
A few minutes later, got a major, major hit. The fish zinged this way and that. Kept adjusting the drag to tire the fish out. the last six feet the thing would keep trying to run, so it was five feet out then back in, then inch by inch. It took ten minutes to land it. Thing weighed 5 lbs. I can't imagine catching a 10 pounder and I don't know if that 6 lb. test and cinch knots on the hooks would hold one.
Had to call it quits, those things are tiring and I really didn't have anything besides a 3 gallon bucket to put them in.
Used a slip-bobber 6 feet depth with a small pink rubber crappie lure with white frills tipped with half a red worm. Tried another rod with an orange head crappie lure and white frills but nothing there. They liked the pink/white.
There have got to be a bunch more of those big channel cats at Mentor Lagoons.


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## winguy7 (Mar 12, 2014)

Salmonid said:


> yeah some nice channels, that's for sure, I don't think any of them are 20 though, that's a mighty hard number to hit. just saw my first 20 lb 1 oz channel a few weeks ago at a tourney, it was a beast, Im jealous I didn't catch it..LOL time to invest in a scale I guess, bottom left looks the heaviest to me, maybe 13-14 lbs since its a heavy big male... curious what watershed you got them at if you don't mind sharing....
> 
> Salmonid


Nice fish for sure! I'm going bottom middle though. looks over 15lb to me.


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## jhouser (Jul 8, 2013)

Hahaha no kidding i watched that turtle swim right towards my line disappeared underwater and the 5 min later he was on the line.


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## winguy7 (Mar 12, 2014)

fish pics can be deceiving unless you really look at them. I'd say all the other fish in the pics were 3-8lbers. Bottom middle is a beast though. You have to take into account whether or not the fish is being straight armed, the perspective has a lot to do with it. look at the size of that fishes head compared to the subjects hands, in that bottom pic. It's huge. And it's close to him. I once saw a pic of a 40lb coyote that was made to look like it weighed 150 because it was sittn on a mound with the guy feet behind it. Wifes a photographer so I can spot tricks easy.


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## winguy7 (Mar 12, 2014)

jhouser said:


> Hahaha no kidding i watched that turtle swim right towards my line disappeared underwater and the 5 min later he was on the line.


hmmm. just realized my computer might be displaying the images in a different order. lol. I wasn't talking about the turtle, I meant the pic of the clean shaven guy with the lake behind him.


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## bigsig (Jun 15, 2014)




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## bigsig (Jun 15, 2014)

nice cats jhouser


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## jhouser (Jul 8, 2013)

You as well and thank you. Caught 2 bruisers tonight but for some reason it will not let me upload them.


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## catfishcc (Oct 28, 2013)

Way to go. 


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