Home Forums Fishing Freshwater Owyhee River canyon channel cats

Five of us drove ATV's into the Owyhee canyon well above Leslie Gulch and spent a few days exploring and fishing for cats and smallies.

I waded up to my favorite catfish hole and worked it with a Panther Martin spinner - my favorite lure for that stream. I hooked a big cat and almost had it to the bank when it tossed the hook - I was heart broken!! I went back the next day and tossed the same spinner into the same run and it got crushed hard!


This is on my light smallmouth spinning gear, so it took a while to get him in. I don't know of course if it's the same fish as the day before, but it was the same exact spot and presentation as the day before, so...maybe.



30.5" long and 16" girth - calculator says it should be about 11# for catfish.




The best bait for still fishing for cats seemed to be a fillet chunk off a smallmouth bass.