Catfish

[Sportsman]

I am finally getting a days fishing at the weekend. I have been laid up with a disc / trapped nerve in my neck so this is a try out.

A friend has a smallish (about 1 acre) pond with some decent fish in it, carp, roach and tench. He also has half a dozen catfish that have sort of grown since he put them in a few years ago and he feels they have outgrown their accomodation, so he would like me to catch them and remove them to a much larger lake nearby. By all acccounts they weigh up to 20lbs. each.

I have never fished for cats so would appreciate advice on rigs baits etc.

I have a couple of kilos of large halibut pellets so was thinking of hair rigging a couple of them and chucking in a few free offerings on one rod and fishing a fish based bait on another.

Do seabaits work?

Would it help to add tuna or sardine oil to groundbait ( I just happen to have some)

The pond is free of snags so I would be using 2lbTC rods, baitrunners and 15lb mainline. Is that going to be up to it?

Have to say I am rather looking forward to it.

 

I

[JV44]

One for Budgie to answer methinks................

[davedave]

Never fished for catfish in my life, probably never will, but from what ive read and seen on telly they feed a lot by smell and sound, in france they use something called a clonk (i think thats right) to attract the fish to the bait. They are often caught on baits such as large hooks crammed with 4 or 5 lobworms, large chunks of luncheon meat, and carp baits such as crab boilies. I would imagine anything with a bit of smell would probably do it and halibut pellets might work.

 

As for rigs i would use similar rigs to how you fish for carp, maybe even just a free running ledger. You might need to bulk up the line strength of the mainline and hooklength though.

 

You probably know all this but if not hope it helps, let us know how you get on

[dean in devon]

I am finally getting a days fishing at the weekend. I have been laid up with a disc / trapped nerve in my neck so this is a try out.

A friend has a smallish (about 1 acre) pond with some decent fish in it, carp, roach and tench. He also has half a dozen catfish that have sort of grown since he put them in a few years ago and he feels they have outgrown their accomodation, so he would like me to catch them and remove them to a much larger lake nearby. By all acccounts they weigh up to 20lbs. each.

I have never fished for cats so would appreciate advice on rigs baits etc.

I have a couple of kilos of large halibut pellets so was thinking of hair rigging a couple of them and chucking in a few free offerings on one rod and fishing a fish based bait on another.

Do seabaits work?

Would it help to add tuna or sardine oil to groundbait ( I just happen to have some)

The pond is free of snags so I would be using 2lbTC rods, baitrunners and 15lb mainline. Is that going to be up to it?

Have to say I am rather looking forward to it.

 

I

peparmi works a top notch ive caught all my cats on peparmi, remember catfish are scavengers, luncheon meat works too and sausage i use spicey meat as this for me works better on cats and carp also try to do night fishing as they prefure night feeding but i have caught some in the morning as late as 8am

also dont use hemp they dont like hemp.

Edited March 17, 2011 by dean in devon

[Roobz]

Chicken livers work great for cats

[dean in devon]

Chicken livers work great for cats

haha yeah a french guy taught me that at a foreign market olive counter, i never tried though, he said to leave it in the sun for a few days to cook up a smell

[Sportsman]

Chicken livers work great for cats

 

Now that sounds like a winner. I can get hold of them as well.

BTW how did you get on with the wand? Did it do what you wanted?

[Roobz]

Now that sounds like a winner. I can get hold of them as well.

BTW how did you get on with the wand? Did it do what you wanted?

 

Yeah chicken livers work great for catfish. i was fishing a friends pond in the US trying to get rid of a snapping turtle for them. instead i caught plenty of small cats!. got the turtle in the end tho!. the strangest and uglyist thing i have ever caught in my life.

As for the wand, without doubt the best peice of gear i have ever brought. i have yet to blank since using it. its just perfect for the fishing i do. thanks for pointing it out to me. i think i would of ended up spending alot more than i needed too if it wasnt for the great people on these forums!

[Sportsman]

Yeah chicken livers work great for catfish. i was fishing a friends pond in the US trying to get rid of a snapping turtle for them. instead i caught plenty of small cats!. got the turtle in the end tho!. the strangest and uglyist thing i have ever caught in my life.

As for the wand, without doubt the best peice of gear i have ever brought. i have yet to blank since using it. its just perfect for the fishing i do. thanks for pointing it out to me. i think i would of ended up spending alot more than i needed too if it wasnt for the great people on these forums!

 

Glad it worked out, you are always a bit nervous about recommending tackle just based on the fact that you like it.

I wouldn't be without my old one.

[pearbo]

look up the catfish polyball rig and fish livies a foot under the surface