[Erie]

I'd say the main course for our cats is Shad ~ but to satisfy their Sweet Tooth from midnite to a lil' after dawn they'll be munchin' Craws on the rocks high & tight to the shore .. I've caught many over the years on cranks at dawn & you can see them when creepin' along with the ETM .. some are very large & nearly out of the water .. Pew rock pier & South is where I've seen the largest no#s. As you cruise the main lake in the **daytime** across the mostly 6-7' area you'll past many stumps stickin' up from the bottom 2-3', more in some areas than others, when I work these stumps for sUMo eyes I catch probably more sUMo cats (8-15lbs) on both Cranks & Traps trollin'. Also I've mentioned before that we get into some sUMo cats around the breakline of Tri that lay in wait of a easy Shad meal on the downwind side

I don't really target .. the above is just from bein' on IL fishin' for many years & you can call me all wet if you want. Also I only fish about 20-30% of IL's total surface area hard & was forced due to low water to learn another area this year .. it wasn't the main & that's my 99% home base though the trollin' season & the 1% would be a side trip to A-Hole breakline

 

[flathunter]

Erie, are you saying these patterns will work during the winter monthes, or in the more traditional cattin monthes of spring thru fall

 

[Erie]

Jack ...

the above observation time frame was from apprx mid-may to mid-Sept .. post spawn L-bass that have worked their way out to the main lake rocks/I-trollin' season .. June/July has seemed to be the peak time of the large cats I've gotten into/seen.

PS .. I don't cast the rocks often after dark anymore, but I do troll alot after dark in July & Aug & rarely catch a cat after dark .. those hazy or overcast days for the open lake breaklines or dawn on the rocks castin' .. I did work the rocks castin' one night last may & was into sUMo C & Is fishin' windy rocks .. that's one thing I didn't mention ~ I think the Crabs get shook loose out of the rocks by the waves & are a easy meal, but even with calm water I've seen them cruisin' the shoreline

 

[Erie]

Stop over sometime Jack ...

 

[Doctor]

Ray

Your not all wet that's some good information that you gave out, thanks now ifin I can figure out where Pew rock pier & South is I'll be doing great, I'm still coming up there in the spring and "kidnap" you for a day on the lake so you can show me places there, I'll wait till we get some good rain and the lake is high..........Doc

 

[rrbski]

When's that big cat tourney in the spring normally scheduled? Checked the IL page and it showed only a summer one.