I found a post on the blog Currents about tailing catfish. It inspired me to go after cats again last night. I hit a spillway close to my house. It is gross and has tons of snags at the bottom but it is perfect for catfish. The recent rains have allowed water to slowly run down the spillway. There were shad schooling right at the edge. Some even tried to run up the trickle that had to be no more than a quarter of an inch of water. The bigger sunfish and catfish seemed to be taking their passes through the shad. I threw out a brown DDH Leech and in a few casts hooked this guy. I think it is a bullhead although I have never seen one colored this way.
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| From Summer2011 |
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| From Summer2011 |
It confirms what I've read and experienced. The hotter the weather the better the catfishing. I read an article that said catfish feed heavily in 85 degree water. It has been in the high 90's for almost a month. It is unusual for me to catch catfish in back to back days. Especially at different locations. I might go out again today at lunch and see if I can continue the streak.
Nice catch Kev!
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I've never caught a cat...nice work! Hope your luck holds out for you today!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comments. I feel a little confused because I'm not doing anything special to catch them. I just cast and do nothing. Yeah that's right nothing. No twitches, special retrieves or any cool tricks. Just let the fly fall and wait. If a fish doesn't hit with in 10seconds, it's not hitting. Reel in and repeat. that's all I do. If you see a fish swirling near the shallows and you can drop your fly on top of it that is the ticket. I almost pegged a couple cats and they hit the fly instantly. It's the opposite of carp fishing.
ReplyDeleteNicely done. I too have never caught a cat before. I wish the trout would go after the flies like that :) Look forward to seeing some more whiskery fish. Do they put up a pretty good fight? Tight Lines.
ReplyDeleteI've caught two cats ont he fly, random. Now, after reading your posts,I think you have the pattern for fly fishing cats. There were similarities between your ctches and mine: mid-late summer, hot, warm water rivers and streamers fished tight and under cover (large downed trees)ususally in the pools before the tree. Great post. With the heat expected later in the week..... I may have to give it a try.
ReplyDeleteTrout, yes! They fight as hard as a carp. More short powerful sprints instead of long punishing runs like a carp.
ReplyDeleteKev
ReplyDeleteJust found your blog and I have joined up with your goup, the catfish post and a variety of some of your other post showed me that I am missing a good blog here. Thanks for being out there.
Bill, thank you for the kind compliment. Glad you enjoy the blog.
ReplyDeleteHi Kevin,
ReplyDeleteJust had a chance to read some of your blogs. I am enjoying them and learning too (which is a good combination in my book). Thanks for letting us share in your experiences. Looking forward to future stories!
That is a white catfish, a member of the bullhead family
ReplyDeleteThanks Nolan, I would have never known that.
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