Catfish mostly lives in streams, lakes or in rivers and commonly found worldwide. Besides different fishes, catfish is another interesting fish that you can catch on a fly rod. The process for catching catfish with a fly rod is not too difficult to adapt. In this article, you will learn how to catch catfish on a fly rod. What time of the day is more suitable and what lures work best to catch catfish on a fly fishing rod. Let’s start learning!
How to catch catfish on a fly rod?
You can catch catfish by presenting flies to them. For newbies, catching catfish on a fly rod is challenging. That is why this guide is going to help them a lot. Some of the things that make catching catfish easy are:
- Fly equipment
- Level of water
- Fly tackles
- Fly fishing technique
Fly equipment
The use of fly equipment is the primary method of catching catfish on a fly rod. The catfish has a lot of energy and it is not an easy target at all.
It is considered the most active, aggressive, and sturdy fish of all fish species. So high-quality fly casting equipment is necessary to catch catfish on a fly fishing rod. The equipment includes:
- Fly heavyweight rod
- Spooled reel with floating line
- The leader of almost 17 to 18 lb mono
- Sinkers or sinking lines
- Tiny split shots
- Basic flies, wooly buggers, olives, or any lures
This is the main equipment that an angler can use for accurate casting and to catch catfish with a fly rod. Also learn about the techniques to catch tilapia on a fly rod and effective strategies to catch steelhead.
Level of water
To catch a catfish, the most important step is to find where it lives. The fluctuations in the water level play a major role in the flooding of catfish. Low and high levels of water play different roles in their lives.
However, the catfish love to rest at the bottom of the water and invade the surface when it needs food. So take a note of the water level and wade when there is shallow water. Then there are more chances to catch them in shallow water.
And also, choose an appropriate time to catch them. The catfish are more active in the morning when the sun shines. It is easy to locate the catfish during the daytime just like pike and perch.
Fly tackles
The catfish have excellent perception and feeling sense as they can smell predators and love to eat live prey. Choosing the right fishing tackle and the right prey is crucial. Therefore, wooly buggers and wooly worms are effective in dealing with them.
The catfish attracts the moving food, so slowly tackle the food and give more opportunities to them. A selection of hooks and sinkers will give you the best chance of success in catching them. The spinning tackles are also very useful when casting on a fly rod.
Related: 5 Essential tips to Catch Bass with a Fly Rod.
Fly fishing technique
Fly fishing is the most adventurous method of catching catfish. Because they are strong and heavy fish, it is like a freight train striking the fly line and destroying the trap. Fly fishing technique has evolved quite significantly if we could see from where it begins.
But you must prepare for any strike and keep pulling the line more energetically just like we do when we are casting for bluegill on a fly rod.
When the catfish is deep down in the water, do not worry about tackling it, and take the line slowly. Slowly and calmly retrieve the line and pull it to the shallow water. When it reaches the surface, grab it from the tail and pull it out from the water.
Carefully handle the catfish and prevent it from any damage. The fish still fights to escape the hook, but you must manage the fight attentively.
Related: Quick tips for catching Trout on a Fly Rod.
How can you use flies to catch fish?
There are various kinds of flies that are used to catch fish. Fly fishing uses dry flies, wet flies, big ugly flies, and artificial and flashy flies to lure fish into the water and act as if they were natural food.
By representing the fish as food, the flies aid in predating the catfish and other fish species. They eat the food and are hooked into the trap.
Final Words
This article describes the complete knowledge and experience of catching catfish with a fly rod. This study belongs to our expeditious adventure to cast catfish.
However, it is difficult to wait for the various things that encourage catfish to predate the presenting flies. And the catfish also fights with the lines or tackles till the end. Cast the fly line carefully and attentively, and wait patiently for your catch.
After it has tired of fighting, you will have a chance to pull it out and snatch it off the hook. In addition to the solutions above, we hope our experience will help you catch catfish on a fly rod.