Silure (Catfish) tactics in France

[Nicepix]

Yesterday on route to one of the bigger towns on a shopping trip we came across an organised Silure Fish-In on the River Vienne. As is typically French they had a marquee, tressle tables and industrial cooking facilities as well as a bar and barbeque area. So I stopped off to have a nosey as you do and saw about thirty bank anglers with a few more afloat. All the bank anglers were fishing with rods that I would estimate to be around 10 feet long and about 4lb test curve. The rods were set upright as is the continental fashion and many had the peg bells on their tips. I see carp anglers in Cyprus with basically the same set up. Lines looked to be about 30lb.

 

I enquired with a couple of anglers and discovered that most were fishing with tench livebaits and a few with meat of various kinds;- chicken and lamb being mentioned. Unfortunately I did not get to see the and tackle, but from the bends in their rods I would reckon on weights of 8oz or more being used.

 

Today I popped back to see how they were getting on. Their total catch was displayed in a shallow pool they had cobbled together for the event. There was one Silure of about 20lb and another two around 3lb each along with a good barbel of around 8lb. Not a lot for thirty five anglers or more.

 

I have never deliberately fished for catfish except by chucking a big 25mm pellet out amongst a few free offerings. But, I had always thought that when ledgering it was important to reduce drag or resistance when they took the bait? These guys were tethering livebaits on big weights with little give on their rods and no baitrunners.

 

Just shows the difference in methods employed by fellow anglers.

[Dick Dastardly]

Clive they hit a livebait so hard it makes no difference at all!

[Nicepix]

Clive they hit a livebait so hard it makes no difference at all!

 

Some of them had meat baits on though Budgie, and the guys I see fishing the Cyprus dams were using bait too on their 12 foot beachcasters