- Joined
- Mar 11, 2001
- Messages
- 70,011
- Reaction score
- 1,003
June 19, 2003
Tuttle Creek the place for big catfish
By BRENT FRAZEE, The Kansas City Star
MANHATTAN, Kan. - When Clinton Boldridge talks about Manhattan's wild cats, he isn't referring to the Kansas State University football team.
He's talking about the kind of cat that swims -- and can almost pull a fisherman into the water.
There are some huge catfish roaming the swirling waters below Tuttle Creek Lake, he'll tell you. And he's caught the proof.
"I caught a 54-pound flathead on rod and reel last August," said Boldridge, who lives in Riley, Kan. "That one gave me a good fight.
"Most of the times, those big ones will just go to the bottom and sit when they're hooked. They're just dead weight.
"But that one got in that current and made a run. He took quite a bit of my line before I could turn him."
The fish of a lifetime? Nah. Boldridge knows there are bigger ones out there. And he dedicates much of his spare time to catching a fish like that.
"In a place like this, you never know what you're going to catch when you throw your line out there," he said. "There are some monsters in here -- 60, 70-pound fish, maybe bigger than that.
"You just have to be patient and put in the time. That's the only secret to catfishing.
"You have to put in the time and be there when those fish move up to feed."
Boldridge was putting in his time on a recent week night. As murky water rushed into the spillway and then into the Big Blue River below Tuttle Creek Lake, he leaned on a railing and watched his bobbers bounce in the current far below.
Conditions were right to catch a big one, he said. After a period of rain, the Corps of Engineers was releasing water from Tuttle Creek Lake. And that created current in the river below.
Now Boldridge was waiting for that current to create good fishing.
"These are the conditions we like," he said. "When they're releasing water, the baitfish will start stirring. And usually, it isn't long before the catfish will move in to start feeding on them."
Boldridge already had caught three of those catfish -- one decent-sized flathead and two smaller channels. But he was waiting for something far bigger.
"We catch them in through here," he said. "Not every night. But we catch them."
Boldridge usually starts by using a throw net to catch his own bait -- the shad that the catfish feed on. Then he uses a surf rod, heavy line and a slip bobber to dangle those baitfish in the heart of the current.
When things go right, he said, "it's no problem catching your limit of 10 catfish here."
And when things go really well, at least one of those fish will be a big one.
"We catch quite a few 5- to 20-pound catfish out of here," he said. "Those fish are fairly common."
Chuck Bever, a fisheries biologist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, won't argue. He knows that Tuttle Creek offers one of the best tailwater fisheries in the state for catfish.
"Tuttle Creek has always been known for its tailwater catfishing," he said. "No one gets too excited when someone brings in a 30-pounder. That's kind of ho-hum.
"It takes a fish bigger than that to get some attention around here."
Part of the fishing success has to do with the ample access fishermen have. If they don't want to work the spillway area, they can toss their line into the current at the River Pond, a backwater pool off the river. And if the fish aren't biting there, they can go to the Rocky Ford area farther downstream.
"All three areas produce a lot of catfish," Bever said. "Some of the fish live in the River Pond and move upstream to feed when there is current. Others are flushed through the dam from Tuttle Creek when there are heavy releases.
"Whatever the case, they become fairly current-conscious. They can sense when the water is moving, and that's when the fishing is usually the best."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To reach Brent Frazee, outdoors editor for The Star, call (816) 234-4319, or send e-mail to bfrazee@kcstar.com
Tuttle Creek the place for big catfish
By BRENT FRAZEE, The Kansas City Star
MANHATTAN, Kan. - When Clinton Boldridge talks about Manhattan's wild cats, he isn't referring to the Kansas State University football team.
He's talking about the kind of cat that swims -- and can almost pull a fisherman into the water.
There are some huge catfish roaming the swirling waters below Tuttle Creek Lake, he'll tell you. And he's caught the proof.
"I caught a 54-pound flathead on rod and reel last August," said Boldridge, who lives in Riley, Kan. "That one gave me a good fight.
"Most of the times, those big ones will just go to the bottom and sit when they're hooked. They're just dead weight.
"But that one got in that current and made a run. He took quite a bit of my line before I could turn him."
The fish of a lifetime? Nah. Boldridge knows there are bigger ones out there. And he dedicates much of his spare time to catching a fish like that.
"In a place like this, you never know what you're going to catch when you throw your line out there," he said. "There are some monsters in here -- 60, 70-pound fish, maybe bigger than that.
"You just have to be patient and put in the time. That's the only secret to catfishing.
"You have to put in the time and be there when those fish move up to feed."
Boldridge was putting in his time on a recent week night. As murky water rushed into the spillway and then into the Big Blue River below Tuttle Creek Lake, he leaned on a railing and watched his bobbers bounce in the current far below.
Conditions were right to catch a big one, he said. After a period of rain, the Corps of Engineers was releasing water from Tuttle Creek Lake. And that created current in the river below.
Now Boldridge was waiting for that current to create good fishing.
"These are the conditions we like," he said. "When they're releasing water, the baitfish will start stirring. And usually, it isn't long before the catfish will move in to start feeding on them."
Boldridge already had caught three of those catfish -- one decent-sized flathead and two smaller channels. But he was waiting for something far bigger.
"We catch them in through here," he said. "Not every night. But we catch them."
Boldridge usually starts by using a throw net to catch his own bait -- the shad that the catfish feed on. Then he uses a surf rod, heavy line and a slip bobber to dangle those baitfish in the heart of the current.
When things go right, he said, "it's no problem catching your limit of 10 catfish here."
And when things go really well, at least one of those fish will be a big one.
"We catch quite a few 5- to 20-pound catfish out of here," he said. "Those fish are fairly common."
Chuck Bever, a fisheries biologist for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, won't argue. He knows that Tuttle Creek offers one of the best tailwater fisheries in the state for catfish.
"Tuttle Creek has always been known for its tailwater catfishing," he said. "No one gets too excited when someone brings in a 30-pounder. That's kind of ho-hum.
"It takes a fish bigger than that to get some attention around here."
Part of the fishing success has to do with the ample access fishermen have. If they don't want to work the spillway area, they can toss their line into the current at the River Pond, a backwater pool off the river. And if the fish aren't biting there, they can go to the Rocky Ford area farther downstream.
"All three areas produce a lot of catfish," Bever said. "Some of the fish live in the River Pond and move upstream to feed when there is current. Others are flushed through the dam from Tuttle Creek when there are heavy releases.
"Whatever the case, they become fairly current-conscious. They can sense when the water is moving, and that's when the fishing is usually the best."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To reach Brent Frazee, outdoors editor for The Star, call (816) 234-4319, or send e-mail to bfrazee@kcstar.com
