Cat rig?

[Dick Dastardly]

Your about right there Newt.Ive not got round to trying circle hooks for Wells cats yet but have high hopes for them.You get quite a lot of hook ups in the outside of the cats "cheek" with hair rigs,especially with fish section or tail baits.Probabley due to the shape of the mouth.Used to hair rig eel sections in the early days due to them having such tough skin and tried it with both lives,leechs and worms.Totally unnesassary and gives you lots of problems with masked hook points with live baits such as worms.Cats aint that bright a fish so I havnt found any need to mess about with fancy rigs.Cats aint carp and although they do undoubtedly switch on to boillies and become scavangers in artificial enviroments, I have found treating them as a predator is far better.Problem is that a lot of carp anglers giving them ago feel more at home using tactics they are more familiar with. (Erm I put that nicely didnt I!)

[Dick Dastardly]

Sorry Common Ive just looked at the Whiteacres web site and it lists the rules there.No live baits or deadbaits is going to restrict you a bit if you want to target the cats intentionally! Also they have a maximum hook size of size 6.As I mentioned in the reply to Newt cats do switch on to boillies but with only 10 cats in the lake you are going to wade through a lot of carp to get to one! Although local knowledge is always helpfull I think you will find the same problem with using worms,also you will certainly have the problem you mentioned in your initial post ie not knowing if youve any bait left on the hook after a few minutes! Regardless of if you use a hair or not.Incidently the rig you are asking about may just be a variation of the carp anglers maggot "Medusa" rig,if so I can tell you how to tie that.

 

At the sort of water you are fishing here most people who get a cat arnt targetting them they just come along whilst they are carping.

 

If I wanted to fish such a water and intentionally target the cats I would be left with only one realistic option.That would be leechs.Cats are very attracted to the vibrations they give off and nothing else will touch them! Easy to use with the right rigs and last a long time.Only draw back is they are expensive.But considering how few you would need to use not as much as a weeks worth of boillies.

 

Dont know why waters like this stock cats then stop you using methods/baits to catch them.

[mpbdsnu]

Common 40:

being a carp angler now for 30 years with a pb of 39lb from bluebell lakes Peterborough (in search of Benson)  

I ain't being funny mate, but how many times you been to the Bluebell Complex? Cos it ain't in Peterborough!

 

Its just outside Tansor, near Oundle in Northamptonshire!

[Dick Dastardly]

In all fairness I can see what Common means mate-

 

[Common 40]

mpbdsnu:

 

mpbdsnu:

being a carp angler now for 30 years with a pb of 39lb from bluebell lakes Peterborough (in search of Benson)  

I ain't being funny mate, but how many times you been to the Bluebell Complex? Cos it ain't in Peterborough!

 

Its just outside Tansor, near Oundle in Northamptonshire!

yes it is but its not far from Peterborough I just used that as a quick reference. I have been to Bluebell prob 5 times all last season m8

[Common 40]

Thanks for the info there Budgie,

And yes I totally agree that this fishery needs to lift a few bans especially the method

[Newt]

BUDGIE:

Your about right there Newt.Ive not got round to trying circle hooks for Wells cats yet but have high hopes for them.

Your postal address in a PM and an idea of the size catfish (or baits) and I'll post a packet or two if my preferred pattern. If you do much with lives, let me know and I'll include a packet of Kahle hooks as well since they seem to do a little better with larger lives but give about the same sort of hook hold as circles do.

[Common 40]

Thanks very much Newt, you have pm

[mpbdsnu]

No offence meant mate, just that being a Northamptonian, we get a bit touchy! Peterborough used to be part of Northants until the County Boundaried were moved!

 

I fancy trying for a few cats too! It is for this reason i look with great interest at these threads.

[Common 40]

no probs Have you fished Castle Ashby lately? I have had some great days on there, when I used to stay at Billing aquadrome, a real carp baggin water.