Well I caught two big cats last night. One at 24in, 5lbs and the next at 27in 7lbs. The 7lb boy had my hook in from the turtle line. Made 3 bags of fillets for the freezer!
When they get to that size, they become a problem. I try not to let mine get above 24 inches. I'm not always successful. Worst of all, the bigger they get, the harder they are to catch.
I'm fortunate to have a cold water creek nearby, where I can get lots of creek chubs (3-5 inches). I find that putting creek chubs on very sharp #4 circle hooks, after dark, is pretty effective for getting the big ones. Creek chubs are pretty hardy and they seem to be an irresistible meal for big catfish. I don't use any weights or bobbers. Just the hook and minnow at the end of a line, on a rod stuck in a 1-1/2 inch PVC home-made rod holder pounded into the shoreline.
I'm trying to remove all the catfish from my larger pond. I have a smaller pond that is just catfish and hybrid bluegill.
