Hagg Lake species

[Shaun Solomon]

Well now. If that’s a bullhead, it’s the biggest damned bullhead I’ve ever seen or heard of. Are you a very small person? Are you saying that is a fifteen pound bullhead, or that you caught a fifteen pound bag? Either way, it’s a nice fish, but to me it says channel cat, blunt tail or no. Also the adipose fun is pretty small, they tend to be bigger on giant bullheads. There is something about the barbels too which is diagnostic but I don’t remember what.

If it is a bullhead, it must be a state record or even possibly a world record.

 

[Grant22]

I took the dog for a walk around Commonwealth Lk today, and stopped to read an info sign about fish in the lake. The park sign says that "trout, bass, panfish, and channel catfish" have been stocked in the lake at various times. They show clear pictures of trout, bass, and forked tail catfish.

I'm not sure what to make of it. I've seen trout, bass, sunfish, and carp pulled out of the lake, but it does imply that ODFW has in the past at least stocked channel cats in select lakes. Maybe they did stock some channel cats in Hagg Lake? But, why?

As far as commonwealth lake, I have seen a few of them and I know a few guys who have caught them in there but it’s pretty rare. I personally wouldn’t even consider eating anything out of that lake aside from a stocker trout and even then I would be a little hesitant.

 

[DOKF]

I agree. I don't like mud flavour. And the mud in that lake is a bit sketchy.

But what surprised me was that the sign stated channel cats had been planted ther purposefully by ODFW. By extension, channel cats planted in Hagg Lake would not be a stretch. Not that I would ingest any catfish caught in Hagg Lake or elsewhere.

Catfish to me just taste like mud. Just my opinion ...

 

[balzacccc]

Well now. If that’s a bullhead, it’s the biggest damned bullhead I’ve ever seen or heard of. Are you a very small person? Are you saying that is a fifteen pound bullhead, or that you caught a fifteen pound bag? Either way, it’s a nice fish, but to me it says channel cat, blunt tail or no. Also the adipose fun is pretty small, they tend to be bigger on giant bullheads. There is something about the barbels too which is diagnostic but I don’t remember what.

If it is a bullhead, it must be a state record or even possibly a world record.

The cat’s 15lbs and I am sure it’s a brown bullhead. You can catch tons of small brown bullhead right underneath the Fern Ridge dam and along the lower Long Tom river but the channel cat is very rare. And I think I lost a cat that may be over 30 lbs in September. The fight was around 10mins and I couldn’t even drag it to the water surface (20lbs main+15lbs leader).

 

[Shaun Solomon]

Well, you more than doubled the size of the world record for bullhead.

 

[Grant22]

Also I forgot to mention but there’s at least 1 sturgeon in Bethany pond, a guy caught it last year. I’ll see if I can find the picture

 

[Shaun Solomon]

Bethany pond ever subject to seasonal inundation, or did Johnny Bucketseed strike again?

 

[Mdiscom]

I think I have caught several Channel Cats in the upper Willamette (above the falls) this last year while fishing for Smallies. I'm attaching a couple of pictures for clarification - Aren't these channels? I started catching these more frequently this year - some fairly good ones around 2 lbs - on ned rigs.

 

[Shaun Solomon]

For sure those are channels, one hundred percent.

 

[Grant22]

Bethany pond ever subject to seasonal inundation, or did Johnny Bucketseed strike again?

I know there’s a creek that flows out of it with a few small Cutties in it, but I’d have to guess it was Johnny Bucketseed again.

 

[troutdude]

The original question, gang, was about cats at Hagg Lake. While much of the information above is useful, and even interesting, now the thread has gotten a tad OFF topic.

So can we swing 'er back around to the question of cats in Hagg for shiz n' giggles? What's the consensus I guess.

 

[Snopro]

So can we swing 'er back around to the question of cats in Hagg for shiz n' giggles?

Sure thing.
Hagg has Channels and other species of cats.

Now...I'd like to hear more about the world record brown bullhead fishery on the Longtom.