Today, the Mercury Marine Destination takes us over to the Grand River near Dunnville, Ontario. This week, Charlie joins up with friend Steve Hardcastle from Fishmasters Ultimate Charters for Channel Catfish on the Lower Grand. The Cats are here in big numbers and many stay for the summer, and if you hit it right, it can be fun with both size and numbers. This fishery can start as early as April and can be an absolute blast when other fisheries haven't even started yet. This sheltered area is just what the fishing bug ordered. Call or text Captain Steve Hardcastle 905-701-6874 or www.fishmastersultimatecharters.com
A quick run in the RAM 2500 diesel to the launch at Steve's Fishmaster location, and a beautiful spring day is shaping up. The RAM even makes getting the boat ready so much easier! This RAM has the convenient RAM BOX feature; that makes it easy for quick access to ropes, storing straps, messy bait, etc. The RAM BOX is a waterproof, lockable compartment down the outside panels of the bed for one of the greatest ideas yet as an option for your next truck. Today, it is keeping the smell and mess from the rest of the truck. Not only does the RAM BOX have lights for night time use, but can be hosed out for easy clean up. Talk about the right place for Catfish bait! Clean up is simple, wash and hose out, and it all runs out the drain hole at the bottom. At first, Charlie was unsure if the RAM BOX would be used much, it didn't take long for this to be one of his favorite features.
Channel Cats on the Grand is about as simple as fishing can be. Shore fishing along the bank, or by boat, and tackle can stay simple with only a handful of terminal tackle. All you really need for this, is a few 2 oz egg sinkers to stay down in the current, a few 4/0 and 5/0 Mustad Circle hooks, and just about any rod and reel will do, but the more you do this, the more selective you get. Charlie loves a downrigger type action for the rods, and the Okuma Coldwater does a perfect job. This rod has a soft bait feeding tip and plenty of backbone when strength and power is needed. The 50 lb test Seaguar Kanzen is well suited for this. More abrasion resistant than many other braided lines, no stretch and thin. Since Catfish have very poor sight but excellent feel, leaders are made of the same Seaguar Kanzen. The braided line is much softer to the touch over mono or Fluorocarbon, and the Cats do not feel it during the ‘pick up'.
The new 350 sized Okuma Komodo baitcaster reels are perfect for this. This low profile, easy to hold reel is simply a bigger brother to the already popular Komodo Bass sized reels, only a size larger to handle a larger line capacity. Weighing in at only 10.6 ounces, it features heavy duty stainless steel gearing and shaft, has a maximum drag pressure of 25 lbs, an on/off bait clicker, as well as a synchronized levelwind to ensure a smooth drag when line is being stripped out. This will be a favorite reel for anyone who fishes for large Pike, Muskie, Stripers or Catfish. Anytime you need a quality reel with a sizable line capacity, this will be the reel you want to cast with.
The set up is very simple, the entire set up is a 4/0 or 5/0 Mustad Circle hook tied to a 18 – 24 inch leader of 50 lb Seaguar Kanzen. On your main line of 50lb Seaguar Kanzen, a 2 ounce egg sinker, a small plastic bead, and swivel. The leader is tied to the other end of the swivel. The bead is only there to prevent damage to the knot from the rubbing egg sinker. This set up is standard, but you can make it even better if you wish. Bottom fishing can be tough on your tackle, but there are a few innovative ideas to help make line damage a thing of the past. A 2 ounce egg sinker sliding up and down your braid all day does do damage that needs to be monitored. To make it even better, Charlie has added a 2 – 3 foot length of 80 lb Seaguar fluorocarbon leader material above the leader for the egg sinker to slide on. This still allows for the Catfish to take the bait without feeling the sinker, but the Seaguar fluorocarbon leader material can take the abuse all day long without showing any wear.
Charlie also makes sure he has an assortment of leaders and hooks already pre-tied and ready to go, but without a proper way to store leaders, not only can they get damaged, but also tangled. When they are tangled, it hardly saves time pre-tying them when all you are doing now is fighting to untangle them. The RigRap storage containers are ideal for this. These containers are available in many sizes for different uses, but are ideal to keep rigs and leaders stored and ready to go without the usual tangles and possible damage when trying to find leaders and pulling them out of the tackle bags. When done for the day, leaders rap up quickly back in the RigRap storage containers, safe from damage, and ready for use the next time. Bait can be an assortment of Sucker meat, Shad, worms, etc. Anything that the Cats would normally find on the bottom of the river will work, however, Steve sells a special brined Sucker meat that is hard to beat and saves the trouble and mess of doing it yourself.
For this day of fishing, Charlie brought along the 2050 Crestliner Raptor. This is an all around versatile fishing vessel. Generous room at the front on the casting deck, and perfectly designed for room in the back for trolling, and still room to spare. With a Mercury 300 hp Verado being the maximum horsepower, needless to say this is a Walleye style boat with Bass boat speeds that can really cover the water quickly, and with the whisper quiet Mercury Verado, fuel efficiency is an added bonus.
Fishing from the boat, anchors are a must, and two is even better to keep the boat from any movement. In the shallows or on the ledge casting to deeper water, even better than a regular anchor is the Minn Kota Talon anchoring system. This powered telescopic pole will hold the boat at the touch of a button, in rocks, mud or sand, this is a dream come true for holding the boat steady and exactly where you want it. The 12 foot version was a perfect companion today and truly made the difference when the breeze started later in the day. If you are sliding in the current or blowing side to side in the wind, you are constantly pulling and moving the baits. Totally unnatural for the Catfish and while the smaller fish might still chase them around, the larger fish will simply move off sensing that something is not right.
Fishing Circle hooks is simple, and fish quite often hook themselves. Looking at a circle hook, you would wonder how they even catch a fish since they are bent back in toward the shank of the hook. The trick is steady pressure. If you set the hook like a regular J-hook, they will shoot out almost every time without gripping. But when used properly, the Circle Hook is extremely efficient at consistent hook ups, and almost always in the corner of the mouth. Circle hooks were designed to not only hook and hold well, but prevent deep throat and gut hooking. The design allows them to slide back up from potential deep gut or throat hooking, and catch only the corner of the mouth. The steady pressure allows the hook to turn and work properly. With the rod in a rod holder, the fish actually will hook themselves, and many times you will find yourself seeing only a bent rod before you can react, these hooks work extremely well. Once you have confidence in the Mustad Circle hooks, you will purposely sit back and watch the rods slowly load into a powerful bend before you even start reeling, just for the fun of it to see them hook themselves! For first timers using circle hooks, to avoid the ‘set hook' motion, leave the rod in the rod holder and reel until the rod is loaded under pressure, then the hook will be set, this will avoid the motion we have all done out of habit for so many years with regular hooks, and that is to set that hook. It is an odd feeling at first not setting the hook, but with circle hooks, it is a must for these hooks to work properly.
Are you tired of tripping and falling over your net, well the EGO nets not only have an assortment of hoop sizes, they also feature a telescopic handle. So when not in use, they tuck beautifully out of the way, and when you need it, quickly extend out. With the Cannon track system and adjustable rod holders, rod placement can be exactly where you want it. If you are looking for an upgrade to your current boat, this is one that tops the list. With the ratcheting system on the rod holders, you can even pull back before taking the rod out of the holder. A nice feature when you are trying to keep tension on a fish. If you don't have rod holders in your boat yet, plan on some before this - every year many rods are launched from the boat, or dragged from shore from powerful 20+ lb Channel Cats. Some fish will peck and play with the bait for minutes before a take, others just nail it, but this is a fun fishery that will surely keep you entertained.