Catfish remain one of the perennial favorites of sport fishermen inland and for good reason: Catfish are delicious pan fish and they can be exciting battle foes at the other end of a fishing line. As bottom dwellers and bottom feeders, catfish lurk around the depths of ponds, streams, rivers and lakes. But because of their peculiar habits, and often monstrous sizes, fishing for catfish requires some strategy in rod and reel selection.
Go for Long and Limber
You can stalk catfish in two ways: Repeatedly casting or fishing in a “sit and wait” fashion. Either way, the trick in catching catfish is knowing precisely when the catfish has taken the bait and when to set the hook and start reeling. Catfish don’t normally strike the line with a bang and then run. In most cases, they calmly suck up the bait and then slowly wander on. A long pole, at least 7 feet in length, is needed so even the slightest “tap” of a sniffing catfish will be telegraphed clearly, visually. The tip of a long, limber rod will quiver and then bend at the tip as the catfish starts to mosey away. That’s the signal to jump up, jerk the rod and set the hook.
Graphite Rods
Graphite rods are very strong and yet very sensitive, compared to fiberglass fishing poles. A rod made of graphite will be strong enough to endure the weight of a fighting 85 lb. catfish, and yet sensitive enough to indicate the brush of a catfish’s whiskers against the bait. Graphite rods in general are more durable than cheaper fiberglass models. They endure abuse and accidents and are less likely to snap in half at the wrong moment.
Bamboo
Sometimes “simpler” is better and this is true in catfish sporting. Traditional bamboo fishing poles feature no reels at all, but as Americans have known for over 200 years, fancy rods and reels aren’t required to catch catfish. Bamboo poles can be very effective in tight circumstances such as on the wooded banks of a river or stream, where overhead casting is impossible. Bamboo poles come in lengths of up to 10 feet or more which makes reaching a good catfish hole surprisingly easy, even for children.
Cranker over Spinner
When a catfish larger than your bath tub is on your line and his ire is up, he can suddenly become a fleeing demon and start pulling line out of your reel at an alarming rate. In this situation, a bait-casting reel and rod combination may be better than an open spin-casting reel and rod rig. You’ll have less chance of the line becoming fouled–and of losing the next American record catfish--with a covered bait casting rig.
References
- Game and Fishing Magazine: Keep It Simple To Catch More Catfish
- "Fishing for Catfish"; Keith Sutton; 1999
- "Use The Secrets Of the Pros to Catch Catfish"; Keith Sutton; 2008
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