catfish help

If you want to discuss Catfish, Perch, Zander, Ferox Trout or Eels, this is the place for you
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suffolk si
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catfish help

Post by suffolk si »

So, i am gonna go try to snare a catfish this weekend, never caught one by design before(had a kitten once while carp fishing), the lake is only a couple of acres and holds fish to arounf 80lb with an average of 30lb ish, so i have been told.
Do poeple think i will be under gunned with pike rods(3 pound test) and either 15lb mono or 30lb braid(been told they are very hard fighting fish)? not sure if i need a leader or stronger braid hooklength? :scratch:
Also not sure what hook sizes to use with what baits, was thinking of taking big pellets(20mm) squid, maybe some small deads and luncheon meat.
Any Catfish tackle,bait or general tips welcome..
catfish 1
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Re: catfish help

Post by catfish 1 »

suffolksi wrote:
So, i am gonna go try to snare a catfish this weekend, never caught one by design before(had a kitten once while carp fishing), the lake is only a couple of acres and holds fish to arounf 80lb with an average of 30lb ish, so i have been told.
Do poeple think i will be under gunned with pike rods(3 pound test) and either 15lb mono or 30lb braid(been told they are very hard fighting fish)? not sure if i need a leader or stronger braid hooklength? :scratch:
Also not sure what hook sizes to use with what baits, was thinking of taking big pellets(20mm) squid, maybe some small deads and luncheon meat.
Any Catfish tackle,bait or general tips welcome..
Rods ok...30lb braid ok...No.4 single strong hook...U might even think about hair rig with 4/5 stringers on pellet...I would also try some fresh/frozen liver(plenty of blood) & a bunch of Lobs....A few free offerings..Dont forget the margins & Snaggy features...My English PB is 42lb...Take a look at Catfish Conservation Forum..Very helpful...Good luck... :thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs:
suffolk si
Zander
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Re: catfish help

Post by suffolk si »

cheers :thumbs:
hope to hook into one of the monsters, even a tewnty or thirty would do(would rather it was a thirty pound pike from a broad or river but beggars cant be choosers.)
look foward to seeing if they really are the hardest fighing fish in our waters.
with a your user name you must be the man to listen too :grin:
charliedog
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Re: catfish help

Post by charliedog »

suffolksi wrote:
So, i am gonna go try to snare a catfish this weekend, never caught one by design before(had a kitten once while carp fishing), the lake is only a couple of acres and holds fish to arounf 80lb with an average of 30lb ish, so i have been told.
Do poeple think i will be under gunned with pike rods(3 pound test) and either 15lb mono or 30lb braid(been told they are very hard fighting fish)? not sure if i need a leader or stronger braid hooklength? :scratch:
Also not sure what hook sizes to use with what baits, was thinking of taking big pellets(20mm) squid, maybe some small deads and luncheon meat.
Any Catfish tackle,bait or general tips welcome..
i think it depends if you need to bully them or not, if you can let them run around then breaking strain probably good enough, if you need to stop them reaching snags it will snap like cotton in my experience, mackerel a good bait also
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pikin
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Re: catfish help

Post by pikin »

Try to fish a bait off the bottom. I used to get maybe 10 fish from baits fished mid water to the surface for every one I took fished off the bottom.
Last edited by pikin on Thu May 21 2015 18:07, edited 1 time in total.
Paul Ikin
suffolk si
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Re: catfish help

Post by suffolk si »

thanks folks :thumbs:
Polyball
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Re: catfish help

Post by Polyball »

30lb braid - is a no no, breaks roughly half the BS claimed. I would be looking at whiplash pro 80lb. If a small lake and big fish they are going to fight and look for snags etc.

Hooks, a 2/0 Owner SSW 5111 pattern would be my choice of hook, or a 4 or 6/0 circle if live baiting for them.

Hooklink - either quicksilver gold in 45lb (bottom baits) or seaguar 44lb for livie use
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Mark Phillips
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Re: catfish help

Post by Mark Phillips »

suffolksi wrote:
So, i am gonna go try to snare a catfish this weekend, never caught one by design before(had a kitten once while carp fishing), the lake is only a couple of acres and holds fish to arounf 80lb with an average of 30lb ish, so i have been told.
Do poeple think i will be under gunned with pike rods(3 pound test) and either 15lb mono or 30lb braid(been told they are very hard fighting fish)? not sure if i need a leader or stronger braid hooklength? :scratch:
Also not sure what hook sizes to use with what baits, was thinking of taking big pellets(20mm) squid, maybe some small deads and luncheon meat.
Any Catfish tackle,bait or general tips welcome..
Rods will be OK, but if you start to fish regularly for cats, I'd recommend going up to a 10 or 11' cat rod around 4lb tc. To be honest, reels are probably more important as they need to be tough and have a good clutch. Baitrunner B series are what most people use, me included. Fancy carp reels are not up to the job at all. Braid, as someone has correctly stated, needs to be at least 50lb. I use 65lb powerpro. Mono, I use 20lb korda subline. I wouldn't go below 20lb unless you're fishing in totally open water. Really, with cats, there's no need to compromise on gear as they're not overtly sensitive to heavy lines and such like.

You won't need a leader, but hook link wise, quicksilver in 45lb is just fine and for lives, 50 to 60 lb clear mono does the job.

Bait wise, if you can use lives, use lives! Otherwise, pellet is fine if you're planning to be on the water for a few days - you often need to dump a lot out there and then sit on it for a while. Of course when they get on it, you'll fill your boots. Squid works well this time of year and OK, luncheon meat - I usually use half a tin as hookbait, shaped by pushing it through a tube. The hookbait is then cylindrical in shape. Worms fished high in the water are excellent for cats, but only viable if you don't have many nuisance fish present. Leeches work well, but can be a bit hit and miss on some waters. I prefer to use them in very warm weather. Deads - mackerel is my favourite, a small tail section of a mid section chunk. Hooks, dependant on bait size 1/0 up to 6/0. I use eagle waves or owners. I'm not a fan of circle hooks and on water I fish they've banned them anyway.

Landing net? 50" minimum. I use 58" and 72" nets for cats. Weigh sling needs to be a half moon capable of taking the size of cat in your water. A large pike sling or a big carp cradle is not sufficient. Same goes for unhooking mats. Pisses me off no end when I see people fighting a cat that's leveraging itself out of a cradle, then trying to fold the poor thing in half to weigh it. Scales should be 120lb and a tripod can help weighing, especially if you're on your own. Unhooking, a good pair of pliers and something like a Lindy glove is quite handy to avoid getting grazes and cuts on your hands. Although I only use the glove to get a good grip when unhooking. I think you look a twerp holding a cat for he camera wearing a glove :scratch: :laughs: Finally, make sure you take a 'slime jacket'. Nothing worse than getting covered in catfish slime fives times over and then climbing back into the sleeping bag smelling like an old fish wife :laughs:

Hope that helps.
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suffolk si
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Re: catfish help

Post by suffolk si »

cheers folks,i blanked anyway! although fishing partner had a forty.
Gonna do a weekend and try to catch some lives to use. Was very impressed with the fish I did see and it scrapped like nothing I have ever seen in fresh water ,I did feel pretty undergunned to be honest. Got some heavier line as I think if I hooked into one of the monsters I would be playing them for a long time even the forty was pulling back for 10 mins .
Fingers crossed for next time:)
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Mark Phillips
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Re: catfish help

Post by Mark Phillips »

I've seen people play cats for up to an hour on carp gear. You always expect a big fish, but it's usually just a low 30 or even just a 20. IMO Barbel fight harder than cats, size for size. On the right gear you'll land cats of 40lb in under 5 minutes and just like carp (well, most species) you can get bigger fish that don't fight as hard as the smaller ones. I've landed 50lb + cats in a couple of minutes, then again, I've had mid 30's pull my arm off. The worst offenders are fish that stay deep in the margin and use their bulk against the water pressure. When that happens, you know you've got a proper lump on the end of the line. I had a 61 that did that to me last season and I honestly thought it had snagged me to start with! Good luck next time :thumbs:
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