does anyone flyfish for catfish ?

There is a water near me with catfish in it and was wondering if i could use my standard pike set up with a roach patteren .

The water maybe too coloured for the fly but if not what would be my best approach and setups to use any advice would be great.

Tony

hi i am new to fly fishing but i do fish for catfish with a ledger set up and i would say you would smash your rod if you managed to hook one they usually only feed at night on hot humid nights but have been known to be tempted at other times.how big are you talking for the catfish i managed one at 24lb.8oz and took a very long battle even with a 3lb test rod and braid when you get a run with one they just dont stop even when you get them to the side there off again

the water is only small so i think they would be on the smaller side but i will find out more about size. I currently have a 10wt fly rod which is designed for pike do you feel this would not be up top the job?

the thing with catfish that i have found is when they are small they tend to feed on small insects and tadpoles things like that and there becomes a point where they turn into a big preditor and explode weight wise and eat everything in sight when on a feed even a lower twenty lb fish will be alot bigger than a thirty pound pike. pike tend to smash and grab and usually tire very qickly especially if its warmer weather.a catfish does not tire it will just keep fighting and running i have found i gain a few metres of ground and then they will take it back with another thirty metres of line i still personally think a ten weight isnt strong enough also a catfish mouth is very soft and fleshy apart from the pad and you would need a trace as you would for pike but once the hook sets it will not come loose so you will be in for one hell of a battle all the best,wayne.

Ignoring your tackle requirements I think its unlikely you'll even hook one on the fly. Catfish are not sight predators, they feed mostly at night and in murky water using touch and vibration. I would say this pretty much makes fly fishing for them useless.

I have heard of a few guys from Germany hitting some big cats on the Ebro.

Have a look at this article

__________________
Jim

My only worry is that when I die,my wife sells my fishing gear, for what I said I paid for it :eek:

I know that there have been attempts at fly fishing for cats, with varying degrees of sucsess . You need to tie up flies that create a disturbance , add rattles etc, I,ll try and find more details of some of the attempts on the erbro. As for tackle your pike stuff should be ok. Rods only explode if they are mis used or are damaged in some way, If you can take permit and marlin on fly rods cats are no problem. jim

cheers for the advice people

if you do find any more details jim that would be great will have a search on google myself see if i can find out anymore about fly fishing for them.

hi tony here is a small 16lb one on the fly.
he looks cream crackered at the end out of a small pond .

Considering SWFFs (including several mates of mine) catch fish like sharks and and GTs on fly rods I wouldn't worry too much about getting smashed up by a Wells providing you don't go too light. A 9/10# or above would, in my opinion, be more than capable of dealing with most of the Wells in this country if you were lucky enough to hook one in the first place. I'd be more concerned about the hook/leader set up and a decent drag on the reel.