Catfish in ponds on a flyrod

[McManus]

What suggestions do have? Do you know of any books?

[iaflyfisher]

Here is an article on Iowa catfishing by one of our club members. The article also has a very good pattern in it that works really good.

[iaflyfisher]

Sorry about the photo quality. I couldn't make the .pdf file small enough.

Anyway here is the recipe and pix of the fly.

[McManus]

I should apologize. I went to FAOL search "catfish" and found 214 entries. I'll be reading until ice out.

However, if ya have a really good idea. I'd like to hear it.

Thanks

[FishnDave]

I've done well during the daytime with unweighted woolly buggers, woolly worms, and boa yarn leeches for catfish in local ponds. I'm sure weighted versions would do well too, I just haven't used them as much. I've also had takes on crayfish patterns and Clouser Deep Minnows.

At nighttime, the boa yarn leeches and even bass-sized foam poppers have done well for me, fished along the shorelines and weed edges.

[Big Bad Wulff]

I've caught quite a few on a chartruse wooley bugger and even bead head nymphs.

Fish low and v e r y s l o w.

The hit will be scary and ferocious!


Here's one:

[rrhyne56]

Emulating a crawdad will bring some success. They love them some high protein snacks like the crawdads.

Also, get out there at night and fish poppers. Dusk, dark, wee hours, they are on the prowl in the shallows looking for prey. I've caught a few really nice sized cats on poppers at night and at dawn.

[SteveGibson]

What suggestions do have? Do you know of any books?

I catch them in Lake Manatee, which is located in Florida about 25 miles from my house. I don't target them, per se, but I catch them just the same. I've caught them on nymphs, my FLY Nymph and Wooly Buggers.

[darrell]

not sure about pond cats - we have channel cats in the rivers here and chase them like anything else. 36 inch cats are common, with monsters topping 40 inch plus some times force putting a 9wt in your hands.

3 favorites here :
1) marabou muddlers
2) streamer (2-3 inch yellow saddle tail, purple cactus chenille body, bead chain eyes)
3) and a local favorite - the DDH leech (brown marabou tail, brown/rust diamond dubbed body, and silver bead chain eyes)

There's lots of patterns that work, but these 3 top the boxes.


darrell,

[white43]

IAfisher, et.al":
A very similar tie is a Gill Buster, which is basically slapping down a zonker strip on a clouser styled hook. Lots of life. Good and easy tie. JGW