Angling Tactics

Catfish are probably one of the easiest species to fish for, but at the same time, can be the hardest fish to catch. The U.K. and the European scenes can be compared, bait wise and rig wise but, the tackle and venues you will find to be very different.

Whilst on that note, the achievement of catching what I would call a "wild" English thirty, can be regarded as just as much of an achievement as catching a 100 pound plus fish from one of the continental big rivers. Just because an angler catches a 150 pound Catfish from say, the river Saone or Ebro, it does not make him a better angler than the man who managed a 30 pounder from the Grand Union Canal, River Ouse or one of England’s original catfish waters. Both anglers worked hard, and researched their fishing and got the results.

U.K. cat fishing has really boomed in the last 10 years with a lot of big commercial carp waters now stocking the iconic predator. There are a number of baits you can use to entice this creature into feeding such as big chunks of spam, smoked pork sausage, oily halibut pellets, dead bait's, roach, eel section, smelt or my personal favourite, a live bait works perfectly for pike and catfish also.

If you are thinking of tackling catfish and you're a total novice, I would suggest you visit your local tackle shop where you can purchase the required equipment and don't hesitate to ask the staff tactics and any questions you may have plus have a look online at some of the catfish pages, you will find some great advice from long time catfish anglers.

Remember I would love to see your catches so please send them in to the info@formbubble.com and I will pick some lucky fisherman to feature in my next article tight lines.

By Jeff Cavanagh

Impressive catfish caught by predator angler Jordan Ackers