I was going after carp last week with a black wooly bugger I tied. It was one of the first flies I tied years ago and pretty ugly. The fly action in the water was great though. The carp wanted nothing to do with it and worked there way around the fly turning their noses up at it. The carp at my work pond get leery quick. After a few casts they know something is up and go to deeper water. You can tell where they are at times by bubbles that come up to the surface. Many times I will cast at the bubble and I've actually had a few hits doing this. It is really hard because you are doing everything blind. I can't tell which way the fish is facing or when they see my fly.
A carp came close and I watched it and tried to measure my cast. It started to move to the darker water with horrible visibility. I cast maybe three feet in front of the carp hoping the fly would sink and land in front of it. Once my fly hit the surface a catfish charged and engulfed the fly. I was surprised but ready. I set the hook and the fish made a nice sprint for deeper water. Then it did what all catfish do and headed right back towards me just as fast as it swam away. It kept doing this pattern and I thought maybe this was the same catfish I had lost at the bank earlier the week before. It fought the same, it would come within feet of shore then swim off peeling line into deeper water. Once I had it near the bank I saw my fly was barely in the corner of the fishes mouth. I tried to lift it up over the grass on the bank but I could feel the 10lb test line was at it's limit. The fish was no where near 10lbs but I could just tell by the tension and feel of the line that it was about to pop. I gave it one good yank and SNAP! The line broke right at the knot. I just stood there at first expecting to see the cat flip off the grass and go back in the water but it was spent. I tried to figure out a good way to grab it but the fish was almost too big to wrap my hand around. I eventually grabbed it by the wooly bugger in it's mouth. The fly had lodged in the rubbery corner of the cats mouth. I pulled it up the bank and the fish looked enormous.
I estimated the fish to be well over 30inces. I had my neoprene socks in my backpack and I used those to grab the fish and pick it up to test it's true weight. This fish was no where near as heavy as I thought it was. Maybe 4-5lbs.
I tossed it back in the water and it swam away as if nothing had happened. Catfish are brutes. When I got home I looked at the pictures and measured last night on the rod to see just how big the fish was. I grossly over estimated the fishes length. The length of my rod to the first eye is only 26inches this fish is a good distance from that. The fish was probably more like 21inches. Still my biggest cat yet, just interesting how much my eyes exaggerated the size when I had it there next to my rod.
Wow! That is one nice fish there --- exaggerated size or no!
ReplyDeleteNice! Those guys put up quite a fight. Even the smaller fish don't give up easily..
ReplyDeleteBig Cat, on the fly. Way to go Kev.
ReplyDeleteNice job Kev, great fish!
ReplyDeleteGreat fish Kev! A 21 inch fish is super fun.
ReplyDeleteKev
ReplyDeleteLanding a catfish on the fly is almost as much fun as that trout. When I think catfish I think drop lines and redworms. Thanks for sharing
The catfish have been a big surprise. They get really aggressive in August. All of the fish were caught on accident. I
ReplyDeleteWow that is a sweet fish. I gotta get out there and seek out some cat's.
ReplyDeleteGReat Pics too. Tight Lines.
Fun Stuff!
ReplyDeleteI've been trying for some Carp and still have not managed to land my first. I have learned how easy they are to spook.