Katnip,Jfo,Bottomline....

[NightTrain]

The blues have moved from their usual summer haunts,down here....the humps,old river bluffs,old riverside lowgrounds,etc....to deeper places,I suppose.I marked schools of fish Monday night on the bottom(in the old river channel)in 40-45' of water.Don't knowwhether they were stripers or blues...usually don't fish much in the winter,but, these guys got me thinkin' otherwise.Any suggestions,other than"go deep"??

[Katnip]

Use your usual set-up and go deep. Make sure you have a "burper" with you because the air in the swim bladder will expand greatly when the fish is brought up from deep, cold water and that can kill them if you release them prior to burping. However, I don't recommend dropping a jug line 60 feet! I'm not a big fan of juggn' anyway, but its a free country.

Tight Lines!

[Bottomline]

The blues should definitely be a little deeper now. They probally were blue cats that you were marking. Try the old river channels where it drops off quick rather than gradually or near a sharp bend with cut or live shad. It won't take you long to find out what they are. Are you marking these fish close to the dam, or are you up the lake near the old railroad? They should be towards the dam this time of year on Gaston.

[MUDHOLE KID]

Hey Train,one Of Those Big Monsters I Was Talking About In The Other Thread Was A Blue ,had To Be,i Marked Those Fish In 50' Of Water Off The Edge Of A 34' Road Bed That Crossed The Old Creek Run.made A Fool Out Of Me Man.i'll Get'em!

[NightTrain]

OK...Katnip:I remember the "burping thingy"from a previous discussion on the Kerr Lake site...thanks.To explain the juggin' thing...Well,that just kinda happened!!I have fished R&R for trophy catfish for quite a few years and have caught my share...to be very honest,I used to scoff at the idea of jug fishing when it was brought up.Back in the late Spring of this year,I was listenin' to some old timers reminiscin' about juggin' back in the day...At about the same time,I was able to get my hands on 15 2.5 gallon jugs and went out at night.This was done very responsibly,as the jugs are constantly monitored,and only fished 15 at a time.Strong mason string,8/0 Gamakatsu circles and the fish are fought to the boat as soon as the jug is ready to be caught.
I don't plan on gettin' rid of the cat sticks anytime soon!Just started having way too much fun this summer,chasin' them badboys around and wrestlin' many 30-50 lb. fish to the net!Also can claim that ,as of now,11 people caught their biggest fish ever out of my rig,this summer!Ain't defending it...just tryin' to explain my departure from the "normal" form of hawgin'!!!BTW,the jugs were officially retired for the winter,as of this week!

Bottomline:I generally fish the area between the train tressel and Eaton's Ferry Bridge...and yeah,I target the steep dropoffs of the midriver humps and ridges(drops from 5-10' to 40-45').

Mudhole Kid:JfO says that the flatheads are bitin' "lightly"...mouthing it(up here).He'd be a good one to ask about your hookup problem....Hope you put it on 'em this weekend,bro!

[Katnip]

PLEASE tell me that this comment. "However, I don't recommend dropping a jug line 60 feet! I'm not a big fan of juggn' anyway, but its a free country." is causing you to resign from this board NightTrain?

Come on, man! That's like me saying I hate cheese in my grits, but since you love cheese in your grits you think I am bashing you! I don't personally jug, but I might give it a try one day. Folks can fish however they want and other folks can say whatever they want about it. That's America and you gotta be ready for that ***** on internet forums. I have been called everything, let em' continue. I don't care, and I'm not going away! I have heard straight from the horses mouth from someone who has jugged with you and that you are a responsible jugger, and a **** good one at that! To each their own! And the 60 ft comment was meant as a joke! So, if I offended you, I formally apologize and ask you to stick around.

Tight Lines and Hang-A-Hawg!

[jfo]

Train,
With regard to deep and cold tactics prior to catching, I would add to Katnips "deep" comment that bigger baits (possibly much bigger) are better now as well. I do use the circles in this fishing style and use a lot of patience to really let-em load up the rod before I touch it. Also, to Bottomline's question, don't forget to look for changes in the bottom that are "in-line" with the current flow. A fall-off, a edge just before a flat, a hole behind a structural element but further downstream from it...
My view is that you do need to have a burper onboard if you plan to pull them off the bottom in the winter. My burper is a 2ft piece of soft and flexible 5/8 hose with the ends cut carefully so as to not have any sharp edges. When you release the fish you caught from deep, hold them in the net over the side for a minute and pay close attention. They symptom of air-bladder stress is a fish that will turn upside down in the net as you hold them OR they will swim away (using pure muscle) for a short bit and then "bob" back (upside down) to the surfarce. If you see this, the fish is pretty much dead unless you burp him...in which case he'll be fine. Run the fish down and get him back into the boat. Very gently push your tube down the gullet being careful to not push too hard or too far. Generally when the tube is in 12-18 inches, one end will enter the gut and the compressed air will "shoosh" out. This whoosh most times is easily heard and many times stomach contents come thru the tube as well. Now put your biggun gently back and all should be ok. ...see you on the water...jfo