Catfish
Catfish were first introduced into the UK over 100 years ago, but they never grew particularly big, and interest in them was minimal. Then, in the nineties, they were imported in large numbers, some officially, some unofficially, until we arrive at the situation we have today where they are in at least 500 waters. This makes catfishing now accessible to so many anglers, and there is great demand to fish waters with them. What’s more, the new strains of fish are real growers, and thriving in our waters. A few years ago, a forty pounder was our target, before long we were catching ‘sixties’, and now hundred pounders are not at all unusual. In most waters, they don’t seem to have reached their potential, so who knows where it will all end?
Catfishing is now highly developed on the continent too, and British anglers are joining in the chase for monsters in excess of two hundred pounds. Not surprisingly, tackle and bait have also developed. The tackle might seem very heavy and ‘over the top’, but when you hook into an unstoppable force in the middle of the night, you will realise why. The fights are simply brutal, and test an angler’s strength, as well as his skill.
To some extent it is unfortunate that many of the biggest UK cats live in quite small pools. This makes the landing of them fairly predictable as you can’t run out of line. By contrast, hooking a big cat on a larger water is a real test of skill as it’s possible to run out of line before you stop them running. Tackling up accordingly becomes essential.
Baits and methods are endless. Mick favours a small livebait popped up from the bottom. The catfish has a highly developed system that helps it to amplify and detect movement. He has also had great success with eel sections on a kebab style rig, and more common baits like large halibut pellets and big cubes of luncheon meat.
On some waters they mainly feed after dark, but where bait is thrown in in great quantities by carp anglers, expect a run from a catfish at any time. Although the catfish is a real scavenger, mopping up all the bait in sight, it is also a very skilled attack fish, and its large whiskers act as a kind of radar to pinpoint any live prey.
Handling them increases in difficulty with their size.Mauling these beasts about can be back breaking and requires a well prepared plan to unhook, weigh and photograph them. If not you will have the fish on the bank for too long and cause it distress. Fishing with a mate is a definite help. Pioneering catfish anglers made their own gear such as large nets and weigh slings. Nowadays you can buy it off the shelf.
Above all, catfishing is great fun. They are ridiculously strong fish and will put up a fight to be remembered. Just get the right gear, hook into one, hold on, and enjoy it!
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