Wolfie

[JHawkWX]

Hey Wolfman, was at the store and noticed that the InFisherman Catfish guide was out, you checked it out yet?

[Wolfman]

Yeah. i picked it up a couple of weeks ago...lol
It's got a decent article on new cat boats(or what could be good cat boats). The world record texoma catfish, some decent bait rigs and articles on resevoir flatheads as well. Trophy hotsopts of course but it was sadly lacking on anytyhing in our immediate area article wise except as the location of a couple of the boat companies...lol
Also a roundup on catfish electronics and how their playing a bigger part in trophy cat catching and tournments.

[Warmouth]

better get at it fella's, one of my inlaws caught a 56lb flathead monday night on a limbline at Truman. next week should be pretty hot.

i made up some jugs out of swim noodles over the weekend, but who knows when i'll ever get to use them. its been a busy spring at work, may not get any time off until Memorial weekend

[JHawkWX]

Yeah, they like to push those new toys to us! Hard to catch fish though when you're workin' to pay that boat payment! MO Game & Fish had some catfish info in their recent issue I believe.

I need to get out and catch me some shad and try to play w/ some big boys here in the next couple of weeks.

[Wolfman]

This weekends weather comes off like they claim it will ill hit the lake. Been trying to catch up on garden and yard work the last few days so i got my time free. Cats will slow a bit here before long due to the spawn except for the flatheads. June should be killer for all species though with as much water as we've had.
Got a friend been catching a lot of BIG blues on LOZ, placed fourth in a recent tournament up there.

Jhawk, them river-pro boats looked nice in the mag but they ure think a lot of them things. Expensive. Got to looking at the G3's and their not to bad looking. They got one, a 2072 model that would make an excellent cat boat. Almost 20 feet long and 8 feet at the gunnels. Shows some guy unloading a 4wheeler out of it in the catalog...lol
Have'nt got to see the new MO mag yet.

[JHawkWX]

G3 makes a nice boat, looked at one at the Sports Show here in KC back in Jan. Of course it won't catch any more fish than my old Lowe, just looks nice! If I had the money, I'd probably look at an Alweld or Blazer, these guys make some nice alum. jon boats. Check 'em out here.

http://www.blazerjetboats.com/
http://www.alweld.com/

[Wolfman]

How were the G3's priced compared to bass pro's high priced aluminum...lol? That 2072 would make a nice cat boat, pleanty of room for bait tanks, livewells rods ect. Looked like it would handle about any big lake in MO with ease.
Right now id be happy to find a short shaft 25 horse electric start i can afford for my lowe.
Guess i ought to wash the blood n cay bait out of it from last year so i can use it this year...lol

[JHawkWX]

I found little difference in the price diff. from BPro. I was looking at the G3 boat that is comparable to like a ProCrappie175 or whatever, 16' w/ front/rear decks and livewell. W/ the 40hp motor they were wanting around $9k, but you could downgrade to a 25hp and get in it for around $7K, plus they use a yamaha motor on the G3, which is leagues ahead of those tracker/mercs IMHO.

Just read a piece in the InFisherman from Jan. while I was waiting on my oil change and they were sayin' to look for these "cat boats" to increase in popularity due to the tournament needs. Anyways, they did describe how a few of the pro cat guys are using a spider rig approach to catting w/ multiple rods trolled around points. This is supposedly the latest and greatest in catfishing. Personally, I prefer to have as few poles in the water as possible. Takes away from my soda time!

[Hellbender]

Cat boats?? What are they, boats with 25 rodholders, a trotline spool, a butcher block, and a built in pressure cleaner.

[JHawkWX]

HB, don't forget the 5 gallon bucket livewell!

[Hellbender]

Right Jhawk, probably should have added an easy chair w/beer holder also. Wolfie hasen't posted, probably daydreaming about a super cat boat.

[Wolfman]

Now HB, you know any sensible cat boat has a 100 gallon livewell(at least) and a 50 gallon bait tank as well. Good comfy seats for those long hours on the water that recline for late night naps, interior lighting(what them silly bass fishermen call 'courtesy' lighting...lol), got to be black and white or red and black at the flip of a switch. Pair of headlights for running down the river at night with a spotlight throwed in.
Top of the line fishfinders that show you the structure and fish as well as tell you the temp, barometric pressure, where your at(gps) and trandsducers on the T-Motor and transom. Pleanty of rod storage for rods from 8-14 feet, and tackle storage of course. Big cooler for snacks n drinks. Got to have lots of leg n walking around room for playing them big cats, sturdy rod holders at all points of the compass to hold the rods while fishing. And of course a shallow water drive system for running across them shallow shoals to get to the really good cat spots on the lake with pleanty of HP to get around big lakes quick to! Last but not least a good anchoring system for fishing in fast waster below dams and in big rivers. Now THATS a Cat Boat...lol

JHawk, boat manufacturers are starting to look more towards catfishermen as their takeing on a more 'sportable' image in place of just fishing for food. The cat tournaments have played a part in it but how cats are looked at as a sport fish play as much or more in it. Their still a Loonngg way form makeing a real cat boat. Most still run along the lines of them wimpy bass n panfish boats, you still got to customise them after you get em. But their getting better.
Spider rigging has always been popular for crappies. To an extent it's becomeing more popular for cats when drift fishing resevoirs for suspended cats. I don't think you'll ever see a cat man running 8-10 rods in a spider rig like some crappie fishermen though. 3 or 4 rods are about all any catter wants to use as you hang a 30+ pounder you usualy got to get the others out of the way to avoid a major mess. Crappies just don't tangle rods like a big cat is likely to do.
The tournaments are makeing people setup and take notice somewhat, but their going to have to become more widespread and popular before the boat companies will design a strict cat boat just for cats.
Man would'nt that be fun, have a boat company let you design a strict cat boat and then build it to your specifications...lol

Start with that 2072 G3 with a 115 horses on it. Or one of them Grizzlies or Sea Arks...lol

[Two Tall the Neanderthal]

A cat boat is a 22 foot 12-degree V hull that's 72 wide on the bottom and 8 foot on the top.

It has the option of space to add a 40 gallong bait tank or remove it and a small livewell. Large ones are useless unless you're a tourney fisher. It'has a fair assortment of rod holders, but nothing outrageous. 8-10 is fine.

The front deck is big enought to sleep two and the chairs swivel all the way around in the back to accomodate fishing in current or still water.

Rod boxes are 9 feet long, and 2 foot by 16 inches for coffin size storage.

It's equipped with a 115 horse four stroke and an assortment of good cup holders.

Wait that's the boat I custom retrofitted to my exact specs!

[Mr B]

It's got a decent article on new cat boats

Was this one of your articles Wolfie?

By the way, where ya been lately? Can't seem to find you anywhere........

[cook]

Ditto
Hope ya been busy fishin and not because ya got banned from every boaed in MoMo land.