Over 5 years ago, I published a post about fly fishing for catfish. To be honest, I had kind of forgot that I wrote it. Well imagine my surprise when I went back to look at the old post and found out that it has been read 1,225 times! After that shocking realization as well as the fact that I recently caught a nice channel cat, it seems that it might be time to revisit this issue.
This is the perfect time of year to catch a catfish on a fly! A fisheries biologist (Jake Allman from the Missouri Department of Conservation) recently posted in a Facebook group that cats are on the move and on the hunt to fatten up for the winter. They know what is coming and they know what they need to make it through the coming months. And while this is a great time to catch catfish, you never know when you are going to hook one with a fly.
The catfish that my friends and I most recently caught came from a farm pond. We were catching crappie and bluegill on small jigs under indicators when my buddy Mark hooked into something much larger and much meaner. After fighting the beast for about 5 minutes and having to pull it off the bottom, it ended up being about 2 and 1/2 pounds. Not to be outdone, I hooked into one with my 4 weight about 10 minutes later and it went 3 pounds and 11 ounces. Were we targeting them? Heck no! We were just in the right place at the right time with some fish that were on the feed. So what can you do to target them?
To be honest, I don't know. I've caught them on streamers, jigs, and flies that look like floating food pellets. What I do know is that you have a better chance hooking one at specific times. In the fall and spring, you can catch one at just about any time of the day but you don't know when that special time is going to be. In the summer, you have a better chance of catching cats around dawn and dusk because they have adopted nocturnal patterns and are just starting to wake up or head to bed.
In other words, you can't really target them without some very specific elements. Time of year is obviously one because you need to fish for them when they are actively feeding. You also need to target locations with large populations. If you have every fished at a trout park you know that you need to find the large schools of fish to catch a gaudy number for the day. If you have a body of water with a lot of cats, your odds just increased. When it comes to flies, I prefer a jig under an indicator. It is a slow method that catfish require and is very nonthreatening. Catfish aren't looking to run down a meal very often so this technique has produced more catfish than any other method.
Luck also has to play a factor. Sometimes you just happen to be in the right place at the right time with the right fly. You might not have a deep understanding of why these factors have put you in a position for success, but here you are.
On a completely unrelated note that will completely destroy the flow of this post, I have a few side notes that I want to mention from the fishing that I was able to do over the weekend. First, thank you Mark for getting us access to such an amazing fishing spot. You're a generous person to include all of us in your fishing wealth. Sharon, it was a blast to share a boat with you. Your charm and humor always keep things light and breezy. Alan, I have never in my life seen somebody catch so many catfish on a fly. You had to catch at least 15! Jake, you're an amazing young man with your positive attitude and curiosity about everything. I'm also sorry I accidentally called you "babe" at one point. That was awkward. Jason, you're a heck of an angler and I respect your knowledge more than I can describe. You also did a heck of a job fishing out of a kayak which isn't always easy. Wendy, congratulations on your first catfish. I love every moment that we get to spend on the water together and the memories that we get to create as a result.
