Cats/Launches

Where am I better off putting in to fish cats? I have seen some good looking areas on my maps on the Knaus Lake portion of the chain, but am unsure of the boat launching situation. I notice there is an access shown right off of 23 comming in to cold spring. I have driven over that bridge on 23 where it crosses the sauk, but can not remember seeing an access. Is the access on the river or on Lake Knaus? If it is the river is it ok to run into the lake portion? Or, would I be better off putting in at the access on 22 on Horseshoe lake and fishing somewhere around there? Will I be able to find cats about anywhere or are certain areas that hold more fish? Thanks in advance for the attention

The Launch on 22 is the best, all of the lakes have Cats but I have noticed larger size ones on Becker Lake in the weeds when I’m bass fishing, others have mentioned Hammer Point on Horseshoe as a good spot. Just find some fallen wood in the water and throw a big piece of sucker minnow with a bobber.

Thanks Skeeter,

How is the launch on 23? Is that a pretty shallow run into Knaus lake?

I wouldn’t use that launch, it’s a maze of really shallow water and rocks to get out into the main lakes (Only use it if you know where the deep areas are to navigate through, all of the good fishing lakes are near the 22 launch anyways

As skeeter said, if you are not familiar with the 23 landing, I would use the one off 71 or 22. The chain is not that big and you can get around pretty easy. The “river” portions of the chain are also very good. Koetter is the first place that comes to my mind when I think of cats.

Thanks for the info guys. I would like to concentrate on the narrower portion where there are some deeeper holes and the river channel runs through. I’ll be there tommorrow and let you know if I get anything going. I’ll be fishing in a 20ft nova jon boat

As I said, Koetter. That is exactly what you just described.

Yeah, by the shoreline with the orange colored retaining rock, right near the ceder island entrance

I’ll have to try that area. I fished almost all the deep holes I could find between the 22 access and the bridge where the river runs in/out of Knaus lake with nothing at all. Saturday wasn’t the best day conditions wise for cats (should have night fished) but didn’t get anything moving. I’m going to try again this weekend. It has become personal now..No, but I have always caught cats every other time of year I couldn’t believe I couldn’t bump in to any. How far into the cedar island entrance is the orange rock retaining wall? Is that an easy area to find? Thanks for the info so far

if deep holes are what your looking for then skip the spot I mentioned. It’s only a couple of feet deep there, but bigger cats (8+ lbs) are pulled all the time. It’s the narrow entrance between Koetter & Ceder Island on the left side if comming from Ceder Island, my cabin is right by it (we catch cats off our dock all of the time)

Locals call that area the honey hole. There are rocks by the slow no wake bouy. Great spot no matter what you are fishing. I would doubt you have to fish deep to get cats this time of year. I would work the shallow flats in Koetter, near those deep water areas.

I’ll give those areas a shot. I get so warped fishing flatheads on the river looking for deep holes. I think I know where you guys are talking about.Right in the channel that runs into Koetter? I fished that deep hole just past the the no wake zone there. I would imagine that some wind would have helped, but I am going to try shallower too next time.

I would focus more on the opposite side of that chanel,opposite the cabin on the point, there is more sunken wood over there. I’ve only caught small cats on the cabin point side..

Als the island near the house that looks like a castle, there is good wood on the back side of that island.

I’ll have to get out there and try those areas. So Skeeter you are saying that it is the oposite side as on the otherside of the lake from the channel or do I actually go in to the channel and fish on the oposite side from where the cabin sits. I.e. I enter the channel on my left hand side is the cabin(correct?) and on the oppsite side (the right hand side in the channel) is where the wood and the point sits. Does that sound right? I’ll quit killing this post and just wait to get out there to see if it makes sense. I don’t remember exactly how that was set up.

hehe, heading into Koetter from Ceder Island fish the left side by the overhanging trees by the shoreline, there is a white boathouse right after the trees, depth there should be 4-5 feet