I own that Knife great filet knife

This time of year you should be fine. It is awful from May to September on weekends

I fish the Il Chain of lakes The channel between Bluff and Petite Lake is good for Crappie and Bluegills. Lake Marie is suppose to be the best fishing lake but I have also done well on Bluff and Petite. Just to let you know the boat traffic is awful during the summer and many boaters dont have a clue of what they are doing.

I didnt like my old filet knife so I purchased a Rapala Fish and Filet knife with Sheath, I absolutely love it. They are sold on Amazon.

I believe some people are allergic to catfish stings like some are to bee stings. I have been stung so often by catfish I see it as a price to fishing. It is just like getting stung by panfish

I really like that you let the fish go. I also let large fish go for the same reason.

He swam off no problem. Catfish are tough fish

I caught this 24 inch 5.16 pound channel catfish on the Fox River in Northern Illinois. It was quite the battle but I finally got him in, I also got another 1 that was 21 inches and lost 2 including one that tangled himself in my anchor. It was a fun day fishing and I let both fish go. I usually dont keep fish that big.