Catfishing with a FlyRod

[CenTexAngler]

I'm just curious if anybody else has attempted to target catfish, while using their flyrods. So far, I have managed to catch a few small Channel Cats, while I was fishing for Bluegill and or Bass. To be honest, I don't remember what they hit though.

I have 2 rods, both in the 5/6 wt size, with one rigged with a DT6, and one rigged with a WF4. I'm using regular 8# mono as a leader on the DT6, and a tapered leader on the WF4, with a 7X tippet.

I normally use various sized and colored wooley buggers, while targeting the BG and Bass, and also use a couple of different poppers, and some flies I found that look like grasshoppers.

The Channel Cats in the lake I live on, are starting to move shallow now, and I was wondering if anybody else likes to try cattin on a flyrod, and what they use. What size rods, hooks, leaders, etc. Any particular patterns the Cats might like. That kind of thing. I catch em all the time, using spinning gear, with just about any and all baits channels favor, but I'd like to figure out how to target and catch them using a FlyRod and Flies.

I have been thinking of starting to learn to tie, and now maybe I'll have a good reason to learn.

Thanks for looking and helping with any ideas.

[Mark k]

I started targeting Cats last summer in the eddy's above and below the rip-rap dikes on the Mississippi river. Used a 9' 8wt, sink tip line, 6-8 ft of 20lb flurocarbon for a tippet and leader. Flies were big wolly boogers sz 4 to 2/0 in Black, Brown and Olive. Caught several Blues and Flathead in the 5 to 10 lb range, but broke off lots more than I caught.

[dpenrod]

i don't target catfish, but have caught several on the fly rod. woolly buggers, black leech patterns work well. biggest catfish was on a #10 red squirrel nymph. i have even caught a few on a popper when fishing for bass.

[dave potts]

Last summer I was fishing for bluegills in a farm pond I frequent using a 4 wt flyrod and a small nymph. I noticed a huge channel cat, must have run at least 10 pounds, up in the shallow arm I was fishing. He was just cruising in and back out so I tossed the fly about 5 feet in front of him. I could actually saw him swim up and take it. I set the hook and all He*% broke lose. After about 10 minutes I got him in and released him.

They put up quite a fight on a flyrod. I was just lucky there was no logs or brush for him to get into, so I just let him run.

Dave

[sagefisher]

Fly Fish TV has a DVD about fishing for catfish in the Red River up in Canada. The river was at a flood stage and the cats were close to shore. If memory serves me right they were using streamers and woolly buggers. They actually had very good success.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[flyfisherjoe]

I like targeting catfish with fly rod. Large wooly buggers and leech patterns are good. I've also caught them on deceivers and crayfish patterns. Sight fishing in clear waters can be productive. On bright sunny days I'll fish underwater shadow areas behind submerged logs or rocks.

This one took a purple and black articulated rabbit fur leech in size 2:

[Whitefish]

There was a good discussion in this forum few months earlier about flathead catfish on a fly....TIM

PS. Up here in Manitoba, we do have a fabulous fly-fishing opportunity for channel cats, just as Sagefisher pointed out. The Red River has 20# + fish that are eminently fishable with a fly. What you fish with is somewhat important but, like many other fishing situations, reading the river and presentation are more important.

[FishnDave]

I've caught catfish on dark woolly bugger patterns, mostly, and bass-sized topwater flies fished close to shore in the evenings or after dark are a close 2nd. I've also had them hit white Clouser deep minnows and crayfish patterns.

[CenTexAngler]

Thanks guys, for the replies and ideas. I just knew that somebody had to have tried to catch catfish with a fly rod !!

I'll do a search on the fly pages, to see what a leech should look like. I'd appreciate a pic of one, if it wouldn't be a problem to post one.

I've been thinking of getting an 8 wt rod to use for some of the Stripers that hang out below the dam spillway on my lake. Now I have another reason to get one, lol. A 9 ft 8wt with a sinking tip line, and that 20# fluro sounds close to the set up I've been thinking of. It should work just fine for both the Stripers and the Cats.

Mark K, what type of reel are you using on your set up ?? I've seen some reasonably priced adjustable drag reels locally. Would that be a reasonable purchase ??

Again, thanks so much for the replies and ideas.

[Mark k]

I'm using Cabela's Prestige Two, it's an older one, wide arbor, about 150 yds of backing, decent drag. Not a bad reel for the money.