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CATFISH TIME! IF YOU HAVE EVER WANTED TO LAND A WELS CATFISH THEN THIS IS THE BEST TIME TO ACCOMPLISH YOUR DREAM By Clive Kenyon
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atfish probably more than any other species are most active at this time of year and also at their most aggressive. Lure fishing for catfish is becoming more popular and provides an exciting way to break your catfish duck. Catfish spend much of the daylight hours lurking close to the bank under the shade of trees or in the deeper parts of the lakes and rivers that they inhabit. They are not purely nocturnal, but do become more active at night. That is not to say that you cannot enjoy success in daylight hours as catfish tend to be more aggressive at this time of year and will readily take lures and other baits. When spinning for catfish it is advisable to use a lure that makes some sort of noise or vibration. A large bladed spinner such as an Ondex or Voblex or a large plug containing beads will do nicely as they send vibrations and sound out through the water that attract any nearby catfish. I am not a fan of latex jig head lures as they do not create as much disturbance as bladed spinners, but you can enhance your chances of success by adding a small rattle above your leader and working the lure and rattle with sharp tugs during the retrieve. Bait fishing is another reliable way of catching catfish and baits can include sea fish, squid, large halibut pellets and Frolicks dog biscuits. The latter are used successfully by anglers fishing the Seine in Paris to lure catfish up to 40kg from the river. Incredibly they use carp poles and up-rated elastic to land these monsters. It helps to take two rods and spin near to your bait to wake up any nearby catfish and attract them into the area that you have baited. Hooks must be strong and very sharp. Their mouths are very tough and many catfish are lost during the fight due to the hook coming loose. If you do lose a catfish whilst playing it my advice is to check your hook and re-cast to the same spot as quickly as possible. I have had several catfish immediately take a bait twice or more after having come unstuck. Catfish have thousands of small teeth rather like Velcro that will wear away your leader if it is not suitably tough. You can purchase Kevlar on spools to make up your own leaders or traces, or utilise strong mono’ of at least 40lb breaking strain. Your normal heavy carp or pike tackle should be adequate as long as there are no
nearby snags. Landing nets should be as large as possible although I have had a few catfish of up to 25lb safely landed in my folding reservoir trout net when spinning for pike and zander. They can be landed by hand simply by grabbing the lower jaw with your non rod hand and dragging them into shallow water. It is advisable to wear a glove when doing this, but the worst injury you could expect to receive if not using a glove is lightly grazed pads on your fingers.
air their requirements rise along with their metabolism in higher temperatures. Oxygen depravation causes high levels of stress in some species and some weak or old fish succumb as a result of a long lasting heat wave.
Oxygen is absorbed by water is several ways including the effects of weeds, waterfalls, wind and rain. Weeds create oxygen in daylight and can provide a The Sound of Silence welcome oasis for any fish that inhabit the There is a common misconception weed bed or are downstream of it. amongst non-anglers that fishing is a Waterfalls, wind, and rain break the peaceful occupation. This was brought surface tension allowing oxygen to be home to me recently while attempting to more easily absorbed and wind can also catch carp from one of the large lakes of affect where the oxygen is concentrated. A the Haute-Charente. The birdsong by moderate to strong wind will push early summer had subsided from the oxygenated water downwind where, on deafening spring chorus of nightingales, reaching the lee shore will create an area orioles, cuckoos and frogs. It wasn’t them where the dissolved oxygen is higher than to blame for the disturbance. Just a few on the opposite bank. If the wind is chaffinches and pigeons could be heard. blowing towards shallow water in a bay There is a saying that in London you are then that whole area could be full of never more than three feeding fish. yards from a rat. In Similarly, just France, even in the downstream of Catfish have thousands of deepest countryside, weirs and weed beds we are never more small teeth rather like can be productive in than fifty metres from Velcro that will wear away high summer. a chainsaw or other your leader if it is not Obviously we power tool, or so it suitably tough should not be seems. Forestry is big targeting fish that business in France are distressed by and by definition, oxygen starvation and the signs of that takes place in the countryside, not the can often be seen when carp and chub lurk cities. As does the hedge trimming, just below the surface with their mouths rotovating, harrowing and harvesting. gaping open. And extra care should be Normally these sorts of activities cease taken when unhooking and returning any between the hours of repas - midday to fish caught in hot temperatures. You often 2pm - but the French Air Force do not see carp anglers with suspended cradles abide by those rules and their aerobatics containing water that are used to unhook and dog-fight training drone on for hours. fish instead of an unhooking mat. I have To make matters worse a gas gun pigeon come across these where the water has scarer was operating just across the water been left in the cradle so long that it is from me. The noise was incessant! There over 30C, much too warm for the welfare must be quieter ways to spend an of the carp. For me, the best way to afternoon – watching motor unhook a fish is whilst it is on the landing racing perhaps? net and still in the water. If an unhooking Warm Water Fishing mat or cradle needs to be used then it should first be wetted and cooled using At this time of year water temperatures water from the lake or river. It is always are at their highest and that can affect the better to return fish as soon as possible behaviour and welfare of fish. As the water and even more so at this time of year and temperature rises the amount of dissolved sometimes they might need a little oxygen that the water can absorb is support in the landing net before being reduced. Whilst fish can get by with a fraction of the oxygen that is contained in allowed to swim away.
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