Landing Catfish

[Hereford_angler]

I have seen so many pics of people holding these massive catfish and i wonder how they are landed?? There cant be a landing net that big can there?? I thought my fox carp landing net was big! :confused:

[Andy Macfarlane]

They coax the Catfish onto the bank with tasty tit-bits,like children and dogs.If you use a live duck as bait,I hear you can make the Catfish follow it right up onto the bank.Guns are almost always nescessary.A baseball bat at least should stun it a bit.Pick-up trucks with a winch and a "Cat-friendly" gaff are found on the more accessable banks.You could just cut the line if it threatens you.

[scoobs11]

or just ask trogg to help

 

only kidding matey

[Alan Fawcett]

Please ignore my northern ingnoramous of a cousin.

 

There are nets out there for the landing of Siluris Glanis but whether your back would take the strain is a different matter most of the larger ones are just "beached".

 

Another (& i suppose easier way) would be to "chin" it like some pike anglers do with the larger members of the Esox family.

[Richard Harvey]

Hi Guys, as Alan has said they do use big landing nets but the arms of the fox net you use are probably 40-42 inches where as the ones they use for catfish have arms of 60-72+ inches .

And you don't lift the Catfish out of the water with it it's just to contain it so you ( and 2-3 mates ) can get under it and carry it a shore to a unhooking matt like a kingsize bed Then they get back into the water to support the fish until it recovers enough to swin away.

I guess some of the big ones in Spain etc are unhooked in the water but you still got to get to grips with the slippery snaking things.

Any C.C.G. members on here?

[phil dean]

I always thought that you needed a tree to bank it against and a boat to get out to the tree, unless you weigh 18 Stone and think you can walk like a blinking fairy out on the branches of the tree (IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT) whilst those around you P*ss themselves laughing..........

 

now now trogg, calm down, we know you're only a soft little bloke without an angry bone in yer body.

 

For those who didn't understand any of that...you shouldhave been at the northern fishin, and if you weren't you better go to the next one so trogg can have a fresh audience for his acrobatics

[HOPPY4]

Hereford_angler,

I to say that there are nets large enough for the smaller fish, but the larger ones require the "Hand in Mouth exercise". I have heard it called wrestling by our guide, but I call it Man Handeling the fish. To remove the Hook, Weigh and then take the Photos of this beautiful animal before releasing is the work of the guides. When you are by yourself, it then requires a Net or you take the gamble loosing the fish with the hook still in. Larger fish require 2 people as a Minimum if you want to land it :cool: .

[phonebush]

In the US most over 10 lbs are landed by hand(s) in mouth using as many finger,up to ten, as will fit. I got the scars to show for it.

Phone

[chesters1]

dont fancy the hand in mouth bit my hair rig was very frayed ,wont forget my sons face when he netted it in a 36" net (i wasnt cat fishing) and tried to lift it out holding the net at the bit where it screws into the handle ,he lifted, arms of net went down when he realised how big it was he lifted using the mesh ,sent for larger net next day and new bulb for torch (not much use for curved net )

[poledark]

I seem to remember Budgie (where is he?) used a stretcher to carry the big cats ashore.

 

Den