flyfishfishnut
Active Member
40 years of Powell and by far the best cat I’ve ever seen come out of the pond. 31.5” and 12 pounds on the scale. Caught on a silver castmaster of all things off the back of the houseboat in Stanton Creek.
Big kitty
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birdsnest
Keeper of San Juan Secrets
Next thing ya know, we"ll have gooch.
Steve Moore
Well-Known Member
My kid caught one off the back of the houseboat in the Bullfrog slips last year that was 29 inches. Another fellow caught a 32 incher the same night
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Ryan Kocherhans
Active Member
Do you think there are larger cats in Powell people just dont fish for and catch, down deep? With so much other food, I'm amazed that the cats aren't bigger in Powell. Just wondering if anyone knows why the small average size with what seems like such a large habitat and food selection. I also dont know much about catfish....
Catfish are a unique variety of fish. They feed mostly on the bottom. Here is a summary found online. "The diet of catfish often changes as they age. Young channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) primarily feed on aquatic insects such as dragonfly larvae, water beetles and fly larvae. By the time they're adults, channel catfish consume small fish, seeds, aquatic plants, algae, crawfish and snails. In many bodies of water, once channel catfish exceed 18 inches in total length, fish serve as the most important component of their diet."
Lake Powell does not have a typical, round, flat, 80 foot deep, lake bottom. Most catfish never go any deeper than a 100 feet (Too cold) and the bottom is often 3-400 feet deep with no food. So catfish feed on what is available along the edges. They like crayfish and what ever else they can find. The competition for minnows is intense.
Recently we have seen the dreaded Quagga Mussels in some stomachs. If they continue to eat mussels, which are very abundant, they will likely get bigger in the coming years.
flyfishfishnut
Active Member
It happened
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Yes we have confirmed that bluegill and green sunfish eat quagga mussels. We are currently working with BYU to understand how significant that may be by performing "stable isotope' studies. We continue to collect sunfish this summer and will likely get the BYU report early next year.
HOLEINTHEWATERDAVE
Active Member
Been a few years ago, we were at the SJ and I hooked a big cat. Got it close to the toon and it said by. Had 20lb braid on one of my big bait casters and could not stop it. finally got tangled in something a broke off. Tom caught this one that night. 
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