# Lake Chatuge Catfish



## Joey Youngblood (Jul 5, 2015)

The catfish were biting up on Lake Chatuge last night. Used cut bait. Caught 13, had already cleaned a couple before I thought to get a pic made. Midway back in a creek about 20 ft deep at night, enjoying all the fireworks shows. Not too shabby for a mountain lake.


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## The mtn man (Jul 5, 2015)

Way to go!!


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## greg_n_clayton (Jul 5, 2015)

Cut what fer bait may I ask ?


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 5, 2015)

Cut bream from the boat dock and jumbo minnows from the store at jack rabbit. Herring usually work the best but I didn't have time to try to catch any nor did I want to make a Blairsville run. I don't know of anywhere in Towns Co. to buy herring?


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 5, 2015)

Has anyone ever caught any blue cats out of Chatuge?

All I ever catch, other than an occasional bullhead, are channels up to about 12 pounds.  You would think being in the Tennessee River system Chatuge would be blue cat central?  I usually only catfish there in the summer and that may explain why I don't catch blues, perhaps they're  super deep by the time I get there.  What are y'all's thoughts?


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## The mtn man (Jul 5, 2015)

Joey Youngblood said:


> Has anyone ever caught any blue cats out of Chatuge?
> 
> All I ever catch, other than an occasional bullhead, are channels up to about 12 pounds.  You would think being in the Tennessee River system Chatuge would be blue cat central?  I usually only catfish there in the summer and that may explain why I don't catch blues, perhaps they're  super deep by the time I get there.  What are y'all's thoughts?



Chatuge doesn't really have blue cats, 13 eatin sized cats in one night is a great night on chatuge. Be careful using those bream if you cross into nc. Ga license are good if your in a boat, but other laws don't cross the state line.


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 5, 2015)

I was in GA. Are bream not legal in NC?


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## The mtn man (Jul 5, 2015)

Joey Youngblood said:


> I was in GA. Are bream not legal in NC?



No, highly illegal as a matter of fact. Bass limit is different too, along with bass size limit.


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 5, 2015)

I did not know that. Interesting.


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## Klag (Jul 5, 2015)

You can use bream in NC as long as caught on rod and reel, no?


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## Klag (Jul 5, 2015)

I just double checked the 2015 regs, you can use bream as bait as long as caught on rod/reel.
_
6. Inland game fish may be used as bait if they are legally taken
and are in agreement with the size and creel limits of the waters
being fished and other regulations._

http://www.ncwildlife.org/Fishing/SeasonsLimits.aspx


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## The mtn man (Jul 5, 2015)

Klag said:


> I just double checked the 2015 regs, you can use bream as bait as long as caught on rod/reel.
> _
> 6. Inland game fish may be used as bait if they are legally taken
> and are in agreement with the size and creel limits of the waters
> ...


Thanks for correcting me, I didn't know they changed the law, it use to read no game fish allowed for bait, thAt was a dumb rule anyways. Had a buddy get a ticket several years ago for catfishing with small bream.


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 5, 2015)

Well... In that case, I was on the NC side. Haha!


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## The mtn man (Jul 5, 2015)

Joey Youngblood said:


> Well... In that case, I was on the NC side. Haha!



Haha, I hear ya!!!


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## Klag (Jul 6, 2015)

cklem said:


> Thanks for correcting me, I didn't know they changed the law, it use to read no game fish allowed for bait, thAt was a dumb rule anyways. Had a buddy get a ticket several years ago for catfishing with small bream.



Yep! I don't know when they changed it, sometime after 2011. I saw people posted in 2011 on another forum about getting in trouble for using bream for bass fishing.


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## NCHillbilly (Jul 7, 2015)

Nice mess of cats! I've never caught a blue cat out of any lake in western NC. Flatheads and channels are native in most of our rivers that drain into the Tennessee system, and are in most of our lakes here, along with bullheads and the occasional white catfish.


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## mlandrum (Jul 7, 2015)

Fine Supper catch right there!!!


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## The mtn man (Jul 7, 2015)

Klag said:


> Yep! I don't know when they changed it, sometime after 2011. I saw people posted in 2011 on another forum about getting in trouble for using bream for bass fishing.



Yea, we use to have a GW around chatuge that would make you real in your lines if you were catfishing at night to see what you were using as bait. Was a dumb law.


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 7, 2015)

You'd think the GW would have better things to do with his time.


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## LTZ25 (Jul 7, 2015)

Joey Youngblood said:


> You'd think the GW would have better things to do with his time.



He might have wanted to see what you were catching them with .


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 7, 2015)

> He might have wanted to see what you were catching them with .



I hadn't thought of that. The sin on envy. Just like a new age democrat.


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## The mtn man (Jul 7, 2015)

Same guy that got a whooping with a flyrod for checking the same guy 4 times in an hour while he was trout fishing.


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## The mtn man (Jul 7, 2015)

Joey Youngblood, did you catch those cats on the bottom, I have a good idea which creek you were in from your explanation, probably right below my house.


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 7, 2015)

> Nice mess of cats! I've never caught a blue cat out of any lake in western NC. Flatheads and channels are native in most of our rivers that drain into the Tennessee system, and are in most of our lakes here, along with bullheads and the occasional white catfish.
> __________________
> Son, I ain't sayin' what's right or wrong, I'm just sayin' how it is.....Black Oak Arkansas



Interesting. I was under the assumption blue cats were native in the Tennessee River system? Learn something new every day!


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 7, 2015)

> #23
> Today, 08:35 PM
> 
> cklem
> ...



I don't kiss and tell


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 7, 2015)

Just kidding, Shooting Creek. The points close to the mouth. We have a house on the lake close to Elf School. 

Caught a few up Bell Creek The night before.

Fan casted around boat. Dropped a couple rods in same brush piles famous for spots in the summer. All the fish follow those herring, even the cats.


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 7, 2015)

Cklem,

Shoot me a PM when you see you'll have some time and you can go with me one day if you want. NCHillbilly can go also if he can and wants to. We will put some jugs out, and go anchor the pontoon and fan cast, and check the jugs every couple hours. The really good cat fishing is back toward the fair grounds.


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## The mtn man (Jul 7, 2015)

Joey Youngblood said:


> Cklem,
> 
> Shoot me a PM when you see you'll have some time and you can go with me one day if you want. NCHillbilly can go also if he can and wants to. We will put some jugs out, and go anchor the pontoon and fan cast, and check the jugs every couple hours. The really good cat fishing is back toward the fair grounds.



That sound like fun. I live up the creek , across 64 where the lake backs up. I grew up at jackrabbit, don't forget to jug the ho humm cove. Crappie are biting at hiwassee lake I'm hoping I'll get time to hit it soon, maybe get a few walleye too. We use to run a trot just above the high bridge back in the late 80s . You wouldn't believe the size of the cats we use to catch back then. I don't believe we ever caught any blues though. I heard of a 50 pounder that came from under the bridge at the fairgrounds years ago. It was caught in a trap because folks use to cheat during the carp rodeo, they caught carp in traps, put them in ponds, then turned them in at the carp rodeo. I think that's why it finally fizzled out, folks were tired of the cheating.


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 7, 2015)

Awesome! I've never run a trot line. I bet it's fun?

What did you use for bait?


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## The mtn man (Jul 7, 2015)

Joey Youngblood said:


> Awesome! I've never run a trot line. I bet it's fun?
> 
> What did you use for bait?



We usually used the commercial catfish bait, I believe it was called blood bait, back then we ordered it from a catalog, we also wrapped chicken liver in pantyhose. We ran trots in other areas too, it seems the big cats are not as plentiful as they use to be, unless like you said, they are totally commited to the heron. When I was a kid I use to catch all I wanted in every small creek channel I knew of and I could get my bicycle to, usually on nightcrawlers I caught at night in the yard, or cautaba worms. Those were the days, lol. If I ever see you I will tell you about some of the little hidden places we use to find plenty if catfish, but if your catching 13 a night, you already know more than most.


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## NCHillbilly (Jul 8, 2015)

Joey Youngblood said:


> Interesting. I was under the assumption blue cats were native in the Tennessee River system? Learn something new every day!



They are, they just don't naturally make it up into the headwaters/mountains like the flatheads do. I think they're stocked in Nottely, so there may be a few in Hiwassee.


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 8, 2015)

10-4


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## Nicodemus (Jul 8, 2015)

Our trotline techniques down here in South Georgia are probably different from ya`lls, but here`s how we used to run em. In the spring we`d bait with crawfish, summer and fall we`d bait with catawber and tobacco worms , minnows, and little bream,  and in the winter we`d bait with soap. 

Used to catch a lot of fish that way.


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## NCHillbilly (Jul 8, 2015)

Nicodemus said:


> Our trotline techniques down here in South Georgia are probably different from ya`lls, but here`s how we used to run em. In the spring we`d bait with crawfish, summer and fall we`d bait with catawber and tobacco worms , minnows, and little bream,  and in the winter we`d bait with soap.
> 
> Used to catch a lot of fish that way.



Up here, all those but the soap would get you a ticket, we can't use live bait on trotlines or jugs, it has to be cut. We usually use cut minnows, cut bream, or shrimp. I would prefer live bait, for sure.


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## Nicodemus (Jul 8, 2015)

NCHillbilly said:


> Up here, all those but the soap would get you a ticket, we can't use live bait on trotlines or jugs, it has to be cut. We usually use cut minnows, cut bream, or shrimp. I would prefer live bait, for sure.





Would grass shrimp be considered live bait up there too?


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## bucky (Jul 8, 2015)

I have caught quite a few blue cats around 10 pounds but they are hard to find. I will be up there this week trying for some more..


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## lampern (Jul 10, 2015)

There are flatheads in the mountain lakes but no blues.

Nottley Lake pretty sure does not have blues.


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## bucky (Jul 11, 2015)

I've been fishing Chatuge for many years and have caught blue cats. They are there if you can find them.


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## Joey Youngblood (Jul 11, 2015)

bucky said:


> I've been fishing Chatuge for many years and have caught blue cats. They are there if you can find them.



Got any pics of them?


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## The mtn man (Jul 12, 2015)

Joey Youngblood said:


> Got any pics of them?



I've lived on, near, and around lake chatuge most of my life, I grew up on chatuge, catfished it for near 40 years, I've only seen a couple blues, 1 biggun. I guess there would be a few in there. Mostly channels and bulls. Never seen a flat head in chatuge. Seen a few that were almost white, with a big mouth, not sure if those were blues, deffinatly not channels, but not big.


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## bucky (Jul 12, 2015)

I did have but my son deleted the pictures from the IPad. I caught two last summer around 10pounds but like I said they are there just not as many as channels. Was up this past weekend and caught 5 but no blues. Didn't have my normal bait. Will be sure to post pictures when I do catch some more..


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## NCHillbilly (Jul 13, 2015)

cklem said:


> I've lived on, near, and around lake chatuge most of my life, I grew up on chatuge, catfished it for near 40 years, I've only seen a couple blues, 1 biggun. I guess there would be a few in there. Mostly channels and bulls. Never seen a flat head in chatuge. Seen a few that were almost white, with a big mouth, not sure if those were blues, deffinatly not channels, but not big.



Those sound like white catfish, I catch them out of Fontana sometimes. Colored and shaped like a blue, but don't have the straight anal fin, and don't get much over 2-3 lbs or so. Usually if I catch one of them, I'll catch a bunch. They seem to school up off points sometimes.


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## The mtn man (Jul 13, 2015)

NCHillbilly said:


> Those sound like white catfish, I catch them out of Fontana sometimes. Colored and shaped like a blue, but don't have the straight anal fin, and don't get much over 2-3 lbs or so. Usually if I catch one of them, I'll catch a bunch. They seem to school up off points sometimes.



Yep, that sounds like the same species


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## needmotime2fish (Jul 13, 2015)

A long time ago (more years than I like to think about), I heard that the president of Young Harris College caught a 50-plus-pound catfish in Chatuge, but I don't know which species.  Since the state record channel cat isn't that big, it had to have been a blue or a flathead (provided the story was true, of course).


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## The mtn man (Jul 13, 2015)

needmotime2fish said:


> A long time ago (more years than I like to think about), I heard that the president of Young Harris College caught a 50-plus-pound catfish in Chatuge, but I don't know which species.  Since the state record channel cat isn't that big, it had to have been a blue or a flathead (provided the story was true, of course).



It could have been true, I don't doubt there are some blues in chatuge, I don't believe I've ever personally caught one, I knew a fella from young Harris that caught a. 50 pounder. But he was not affiliated with the college. I caught a 15 pound channel out of chatuge on a night crawler a long time ago, and caught some heavyweights on trot lines, but I believe they were channel cats with the occasional bullhead and turtle.


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