Humminbird has just launched an exclusive sonar accessory that will give anglers a unique detailed view their surrounding area. The Humminbird 360 imaging accessory.

This New technology is similar to the side imaging, in the way you read or interrupt it; only it provides a complete around-the-boat 360 degree, underwater image.

The 360 Imaging has the ability to cover a 300-foot diameter circle from around the boat.

You will have several options when viewing 360 Imaging; you can view the entire 360 circle or break it down in ¼ segments.

For example, you can select the front view segment and see what’s in front of you, or select just the rear or either sides.

Split screen viewing is also available so the image can be displayed with a chart or traditional SwitchFire™ Sonar.

The 360 Imaging accessory includes a (TDS) Transducer Deployment System that attaches to the boat transom.

The TDS lowers the transducer below the bottom of the boat and outboard, ensuring an unobstructed underwater view.

The 360 Imaging performs best when used while stationary or trolling up to 7 miles per hour.

This sonar accessory is exclusively compatible with current Humminbird Side Imaging-equipped models that are Ethernet-capable.

Here are some other key features of Humminbird’s 360 Imaging accessory:

The ability to mark GPS waypoints anywhere on the 360 Imaging screen
An audio alert is given when the boat nears a waypoint within casting distance.
Capable of recording video and screen captures
Four sonar speed settings
Zoom in feature on a Specific area.

360 imaging only works on the ethernet ready 798 SI, 898 SI, 998 SI AND 1198 SI units!

Just think of the advantages this is going to give a tournament angler.

being able to see what’s coming up in front of the boat and make course adjustments as we’re making a drift or when we’re anchored up stationary, allowing us to view what’s going on up to 150 ft from the back of the boat, receiving real time updated underwater images.
Watch in real time as bait balls or fish go swimming by.

The suggested retail price of Humminbird’s 360 imaging is $1,999. And availability is expected later this summer.

More about “New Humminbird 360 Imaging” at americanprocatters

John is a founding members of the South Texas Catfish Association, where he is currently President and Tournament Director. John is married to his high school sweet heart Audrey and has been since 1985. Together they have raised two Daughters, Kayla and Ashlee. John is an Army retiree and currently works for the Army as an instructor at Fort Sam Houston Texas. Due to his military lifestyle, he moved around a lot and had the opportunity to fish in many different areas.

.


.
Catfish Anglers on the internet are exposed to pictures and video of giant catfish on all the popular forums.

These monsters are something for most of us to dream about, especially if your local waters are not patrolled by these beasts. But, it’s all relative, if your local lake or river or pond is not home to 60+ pound catfish, then your not going to catch them there.

However, what is the biggest catfish found in your local fishing hole? This is what matters, because if you can hone your skills enough to catch cats that are at the top of the size chart for your fishing hole, then you are successful.

I live in San Antonio, Texas, and though we have some giant catfish in some of our Texas waterways, here in South Texas we are limited.

We have several area waters to fish that contain catfish, but most do not compare to the size of cats in North Texas waters. Lake Tawakoni is a North Texas Lake known as the Texas Catfish Capital, the lake record blue Catfish is 70+ pounds.

Lake Tawakoni is the only Texas Lake on the Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail schedule. You can regularly read of anglers catching 40-60 pound blue cats on this lake.

One of our local South Texas lakes is Calaveras Lake; Cally, as we call it, is a small 3624 acre power plant lake, meaning it is a cooling lake for the local power plant. It is not naturally fed by any river or stream, water is pumped into the lake from the San Antonio River.

The Blue Catfish record on Calaveras currently is 31 pounds. So, if Calaveras is your lake, then you are unlikely to catch that 40-60 pound beast you may catch on Lake Tawakoni, but catching a 15-25 pound blue cat on Calaveras is just as tough as catching a 40-60 pound cat on Tawakoni. It’s all relative.

So, no matter where you fish, don’t compare your angling success to those giants you see on the internet, but to the giants that come from your body of water. Think about those guys catching that 60+ pound cat on Santee Cooper Lake, they will not do that on your lake, but, if your lake is like Cally, a 25 pounder may equal that 60 pounder from Santee Cooper.

So, enjoy the giants posted on the internet, and there is nothing wrong with dreaming of the day you’ll fish one of those bodies of water and catch that monster yourself, but for the mean time, remember, it is all relative.

More about “APC Contributor, John Anderjeski: Size is relative!” at americanprocatters

The Hilljacks kicked off the 2012 tournament season on Saturday fishing out of Uchee Creek marina Fort Benning, GA/Fort Mitchell, AL. Despite adverse conditions we had a great turnout with 13 teams showing up to fish!

Conditions were extremely tough! The temperature dropped down to sub-freezing (not supposed to happen in Georgia!) and we enjoyed steady winds of 20 mph……………….with gust to exceed 40 mph!

To make these conditions even better, there was no plan to pump water on Saturday and the river was dropping steadily throughout the day.

Water temps dropped down to 54 degrees (was 60 on Tuesday) and current was non-existent. I did not expect things to turn out the way they would.

I would like to thank the following sponsors for supporting HillJack Catfishing and our tournament trail: Renegade Tackle company, Monster Rod Holders, Georgetown Marine, Brandon’s Weights and Tackle! At the end of the weigh in we would give away more than $150 in door prizes that included a Ming Yang CL60 bait casting reel (Renegade tackle) and $25 gift cards from Georgetown Marine and Brandon’s Weights/Tackle. Thank you all for your support!

1st Place would go to the Killer B’s (Jody Atkins/Bill Holmes) with a weight of 32.75 lbs! The Killer B’s had 5 great fish with a 12.8lb kicker fish! 1st Place would pay $195! Jody/Bill stated that these fish were all caught in 30 + feet of water and come early in the event! The bait of choice for the winning team would be fresh cut Gizzard Shad and Skipjack! Congrats, it looks like the Killer B’s will be the team to beat in 2012!
.
.
.

2nd Place would be taken by Team Ronald (still working on a clever name!) with a weight of 27.55 lbs! Team Ronald would secure Big Fish honors also with a Blue catfish weighing 24.05 lbs! This is a new team that I am sure will be back to fish with us again after earning $247 for their day of fishing!
.
.
.

3rd Place would go to Team Bait Bandit (Clay/Clayton Reeves)with 20.85lbs of fish! Team Bait Bandit would bring the runner up BF to the scales with a 17.65 lb Blue Catfish. This team run all the way south to Lake Eufaula headwaters and caught their fish in a “deep hole” using cut SkipJack! Turns out the travel time paid off as they brought home $80 for 3rd place.

Other teams competing: (in order of finish)
Team Onion Sack 19.5 lbs
Team Cat Busters 17.75 lbs
Team HillJack 12.55 lbs
Team Joe C Fuss 10.25 lbs
Team T&A 10.15 lbs
Team Catfish Junkies 2.65 lbs
Team No Fishing Polywog DNW
Team WAHA Reelers DNW
Team Raymond DNW

Special welcome goes out to Teams Ronald, Onion Sack, JoeCFuss, WAHA Reelers, and Raymond! This was the first qualifying HillJack Catfishing for these teams! I promise (at least mostly promise) that conditions will be better for our next event!

More about “Chattahoochee HillJack Catfishing: Season Opener” at americanprocatters

Quick Tip #1

This is the first in a series of quick tips that we will be sharing this year to help you become a better fisherman. Some are going to require you to do a little more thinking. This is by design, because if you just do as you are told you don’t really learn much. Take the tips, think about them, add your own personal touch and you will be well on your way to becoming a much better fisherman.

# 1: On each and every fishing trip, try something different.

Different bait, don’t get hung up on the same old standby bait, you never know when you might find something better.

Different location, and by this I mean, try to fish a new section of the river or lake that you would not normally fish. You will be surprised at how many fish you are missing by just fishing your best spots.

Different style of fishing, there are many styles and variations of bait presentation that you can try (anchoring, bottom bouncing, drifting, dragging, casting, suspending, walking, shallow water, deep water, etc.), and with your own personal twist you may even come up with a new and better style.

Different rigging, try snelling your hooks, try a new knot that you might think is a better knot, try different leader lengths, try circle hooks if you haven’t already. This one is wide open, use your imagination a little, you might come up with something that has never been tried and works better than anything else you have ever tried before.

This is how new and better methods come about. Think outside the box and you will come up with things that will make you a better fisherman. Not all the new ideas will be better or make a difference, but it’s that one out of a hundred idea that works and takes your fishing ability to the next level and makes all the time and effort worth it.

Daryl and Jason Masingale

Team Catfish, Tangling With Catfish, Monster Rod Holders, Shimano, American Pro Catters

More about “Catfishing Quick Tip: Provided by Team Masingale” at americanprocatters

The circle hook has become the popular choice among many catfish anglers. Circle hooks are designed to turn quickly and penetrate a cat’s meaty outer mouth as it pulls against the tension of the rod.

Because of the circle hooks design most cats will get hooked in the corner of the mouth and not deep in the gut. For this reason, cats are more likely to stay hooked during the battle and they can be released with little or no harm.

Let the rod and hook do the work for you. Do not jerk back to attempt to set the hook like one would do with a regular J style hook. Because of the turned back point of the hook it is less likely to find a connection and will just be pulled from the mouth.
.

More about “CIRCLE HOOKS FOR CATFISHING” at americanprocatters

FRANKFORT, Ky. – People have the opportunity to exchange ideas and engage in open conversation with staff from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources during a series of town hall meetings being held across the state.

The nine town hall meetings begin Feb. 13 in Lexington and conclude with the final session April 2 in Morehead. Individual meetings are subject to rescheduling due to bad weather.

The meetings encompass Kentucky Fish and Wildlife’s goal of striving toward a more informed and involved public. Commissioner Jon Gassett and managers of the department’s various programs will be on hand to answer questions, provide updates and discuss issues of interest to hunters, anglers, trappers, boaters and other wildlife/outdoor enthusiasts. The commission member representing the district will also attend the meeting.

All meetings will begin at 7 p.m. local time. Meetings, dates, locations and counties in each district include:

* Lexington, 6th Wildlife District, Monday, Feb. 13. Meeting to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park, North Exhibit Hall, Iron Works Road. Use the main entrance. This district includes Anderson, Boyle, Casey, Clark, Estill, Fayette, Franklin, Garrard, Jessamine, Lee, Lincoln, Madison, Mercer, Powell, Rockcastle, Scott and Woodford counties.

* Louisville, 3rd Wildlife District, Wednesday, Feb. 15. Meeting to be held at the E.P. “Tom” Sawyer Park Community Center, 2201 Lakeland Road. This district includes Breckinridge, Bullitt, Jefferson, Meade, Oldham, Shelby and Spencer counties.

* Burlington, 5th Wildlife District, Thursday, Feb. 16. Meeting to be held in Britt Hall, Immaculate Heart of Mary, 5876 Veterans Way. This district includes Boone, Bracken, Campbell, Carroll, Gallatin, Grant, Harrison, Henry, Kenton, Owen, Pendleton, Robertson and Trimble counties.

* LeBurn, 7th Wildlife District, Wednesday, March 21. Meeting to be held at Knott County Sportsplex, 450 Kenny Champion Loop. This district includes Breathitt, Floyd, Johnson, Harlan, Knott, Lawrence, Leslie, Letcher, Magoffin, Martin, Owsley, Perry and Pike counties.

* Somerset, 9th Wildlife District, Thursday, March 22. Meeting to be held at The Center for Rural Development, 2292 South U.S. 27. This district includes Bell, Clay, Clinton, Jackson, Knox, Laurel, McCreary, Pulaski, Russell, Wayne and Whitley counties.

* Gilbertsville, 1st Wildlife District, Monday, March 26. Meeting to be held at the Kentucky Dam Village Convention Center, 113 Administration Drive. This district includes Ballard, Caldwell, Calloway, Carlisle, Christian, Crittenden, Fulton, Graves, Hickman, Livingston, Lyon, McCracken, Marshall and Trigg counties.

* Powderly, 2nd Wildlife District, Tuesday, March 27. Meeting to be held at the Merle Travis Music Center, 750 Cleaton Road. This district includes Allen, Butler, Daviess, Hancock, Henderson, Hopkins, Logan, McLean, Muhlenberg, Ohio, Simpson, Todd, Union, Warren and Webster counties.

* Campbellsville, 4th Wildlife District, Wednesday, March 28. Meeting to be held at the Banquet Hall in the Badgett Academic Support Center, Campbellsville University, 110 University Drive. This district includes Adair, Barren, Cumberland, Edmonson, Grayson, Green, Hardin, Hart, Larue, Marion, Metcalfe, Monroe, Nelson, Taylor and Washington counties.

* Morehead, 8th Wildlife District, Monday, April 2. Meeting to be held at the Perkins Center, KY 32, 1/2 mile south of I-64 on the right. This district includes Bath, Bourbon, Boyd, Carter, Elliott, Fleming, Greenup, Lewis, Mason, Menifee, Montgomery, Morgan, Nicholas, Rowan and Wolfe counties.

For more information about the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, visit online at Kentucky Fish And Wildlife

More about “KDFWR to Host Town Hall Meetings” at americanprocatters

Today Cabelas King Kat Tournament trial announced the 2012 Classic dates and location. Sept. 27,28,29 @ Selma, AL (Alabama River).
King Kat Tournament official Tanner Tabor told the APC that he was excited about this location as it will new water for most. The fish are here. “says Tabor”. Blues, Flathead’s and channel cats.
“we have had our most recent classics in channel cat waters for the last two seasons, which have been fun but we thought it was time for a change and bring it back to some Bluecat water”.

When Tanner told me where it was at, I was immediately intrigued, says Steve Douglas Managing Editor of American ProCatters. “I love new water and I’m excited about the location so I started calling around to get some intel on the Alabama River. I contacted Josh Blankenship owner of the Grizzly Catfish Trail in central Bama and he told me its a smaller type river but it produces some great solid flatheads and blues. The Alabama River has some good fish in it, the Alabama state record came from that stretch of river. Says Blankenship, He told me he makes the three hour trip a few times a year just to fish this piece of water.

It’s little deep in Bama say’s Douglas and puts me about 9 hours between my house and the event location but I’m defiantly looking forward to fishing it and will be there”.

We talked to APC Staff member Joe Lutke (Team Tracker) and asked him what he thought about the location. I think its awesome, i have never fished this water before but i like new water so we are excited says Lutke.

Most everyone we talked with today had the same reaction, Not sure of the location but excited its in bluecat waters, some referring to it as a level playin field for all.

More about “King Kat Classic Location 2012″ at americanprocatters

On February 18^th, Potomac River Monster Cats had our second tournament and witnessed one of the biggest 2 fish weigh in – Lee, Dave and Dallas weighed a huge 69.88 lb bluecat

with a 61.82 lb kicker for a total weight of 131.7 pounds!

………………………………………………………………..
11 year old Dallas even got into the act with a 55 pound fish
that was culled before noon to make way for the bigger fish!

As you can see by the results, video and pictures, the Potomac River is growing some huge fish and we have some darn fine fishermen finding them on a consistent basis!

More about “Potomac River Monster Cats Tournament Results: 2/11/2012″ at americanprocatters

It was a very cold and windy day on Lake Bastrop with gust well over 20 mph. Never the less, 11 teams braved the weather to compete in the tournament. Lake Bastrop is a small Channel Catfish Lake. It turned out to be a day of feast or famine as 7 of the 11 teams brought in no fish. However, three fish were weighed in that crushed the old channel catfish lake record if 10.54 pounds!
The results:

1st – Team Brothers, Marcus Cherry and Joel Willis, these two anglers brought in their stringer limit of 3 channel cats for a total weight of 31.26 pounds, with two fish that beat the old record, an 11.20 pounder and Marcus’ pending new water body record, at 12.08 pounds! Team Brothers were drift fishing with cut bait near the discharge area in 8-20 foot of water. The guys did miss out on the Big Fish money since they did not enter. 1st place won them $154.00

2nd – The new father and son team of Dennis and Trent Lake brought in their 3 fish stringer of Channel cats with a total weight of 26.24 pounds. With a 11.24 pound Channel Catfish, Trent held the lake record for about 10 minutes until Marcus weighed in his 12+ pounder. The father son team where fishing on anchor in the discharge area using liver in 8 foot of water. 2nd place netted them $92 plus they entered the Big Fish pot and took home an additional $90.

3rd – Team Reel’em In, Oscar Pardo brought 2 fish to the weigh-in for a total weight of 7.45 pounds, winning $62. Oscar was anchored on a windblown point in 20 foot of water using shad as bait.

4th – Team Jolly Green, Lonnie Haffelder. Lonnie brought in 1 fish for a weight of 3.48 pounds. Lonnie took home a bag of no-roll weights, courtesy of Cliff Hill, Guide for Hill Country Fishin’ Guide Services.

South Texas Catfish Association

Thanks to our sponsors, Hill Country Fishin’ Guide Service and The Boat Shop

More about “Tournament Results 2-11-2012: South Texas Catfish Association, Lake Bastrop, Texas” at americanprocatters

Making Every Anchor Count

I know boat position has been touched on and Joe Ludtke did a great job touching on using electronics, but I wanted to touch a little more on precision anchoring. If you haven’t already got a GPS and Mapping Software built it to your fishfinder unit, I would suggest purchasing the Navionics Hotmaps Premium or something similar, this will not only help in finding more productive water such as deep holes, humps, ledges,etc. It will also give you a lot better shot at getting your bait where it needs to be.

You will be able to mark your spot and visually see that waypoint and where your boat is positioned as opposed to the waypoint you just marked.

Here’s a picture I took you can see the small hole on the sonar image to the right. Notice the map on the left you can see the camera waypoint where this hole is located, also notice my position the boat emblem.

Also notice I’m zoomed in tight and you can see the 50ft scale on the left hand side.

Use the Contour lines on the map to help get you lined up horizontally.
As a general rule I like to position my boat 80-100ft above my waypoint to fish directly up river of the spot I have located.

Hopefully they will come out of the house to play, but if that fails let out some more rope and put a big fresh slab of skipjack right in the middle of that hole on the kitchen table.

Certainly you must use the wind and current flow to get that boat just right, don’t be afraid to re-position until you get it right.

Always remember to have a high quality anchor (Richter Anchor) that has enough weight to hold your boat in the conditions you fish in.

You need to have plenty of anchor rope as well, you can make boat position changes easily by adjusting the amount of rope you have out or sometimes simply by changing the rope to a different cleat.

I like to use a shock absorber on my anchor rope made by Drop-N-Stay, this will enable you to use less rope and the wind and waves will not break your anchor free.
Thanks,

Mike Mitchell
cprbigcats@yahoo.com

More about “APC Pro Staff Tip:Mike Mitchell, Making Every Anchor Count” at americanprocatters