Maxi Mini Cats

What’s a maxi mini cat?

Well, maybe this will help. I went down to the boat dock just after daybreak a few days ago and was straightening up a few things.  It was pretty calm, so I picked up a MINI cast and put a worm on it and tossed it out close to one of the Tupelo Gum trees near the bank in about three feet of water. I was trying to see if one of the 2013 bream had arrived near my dock yet.

I just kind of sat there for a minute and nothing. I moved it about a foot.  A few seconds later the bobber started doing what it was supposed to do when a fish is biting (bobbing . . .) and I set the hook. Ziiiiiinnngggg!!!   It was obvious this was no bream, 2013 sports model or not.

A few minutes, and I do mean minutes, later, I managed to get the big fish up to the surface. It rolled and then dove, leaving a “hole”  in the water about the size of a Shaq sized commode flushing. It was a huge channel catfish!  After a few more minutes, I managed to work it around to the side of the dock where the dip net hangs on a nail for just such occasions. After a few more minutes, and a really well functioning drag system on my reel,  I might add, I coaxed her into the net.

Whew!  After stretching her out across the top of the ice chest and seeing that she hung over both ends, I weighed her:  5 pounds, 14 ounces!  Since I was fishing with only 6 pound test line, that was about the MAXImum size CATfish I think I could have caught on my MINI cast.  Unless, of course, you want to make a big deal about having two ounces to spare…  Thus: Maxi Mini Cats!