Day Ticket Catfish

Catfish are more accessible than most anglers ever imagine. And you don’t need a bivvy, bedchair or deep pockets, as Tom Legge discovered on a trip to Berkshire’s Pondwood Fisheries…

Mention catfish and most readers will conjure up visions of wet, slimy but happy anglers displaying huge 100lb-plus specimens with help from holiday pals and guides beside the Rio Ebro in sun-drenched Spain.

But narrow the parameters to English cats and your mind’s eye will probably retract to a less appealing picture of dark nights beside big bucks lakes with mega-powerful tackle…waiting and waiting for something that might never happen.

When I mentioned that I’d like to try my luck for catfish to Gary Barnett, captor of UK wels to a whopping 55lb 9oz, I must admit that this was my own perspective. But the genial gent from Langley, Berkshire, made it his mission to make my wish come true – and furthermore he assured me that he’d heard of a day ticket venue where we were guaranteed to catch in daylight!

My nagging doubts were instantly erased when I pulled into Pondwood Fisheries’ car park at 8am on a mild April morning, to be greeted by the sight of Gary locked in combat with a powerful foe on the Island Pool’s peninsula point swim!

Attaching my big zoom lens, straining sinews in his forearms plus a look of grim determination were clearly visible on his face. A daylight day ticket catfish was on the hook!

Follow That!

Gary’s steady pressure eventually guided the culprit into his giant landing net – and what a sight it was! “A definite 30-plusser,” was his verdict, as we attempted a handshake amid me fumbling for the camera and him guiding the enmeshed creature to the already wet unhooking mat. Already wet because Gary, who’d arrived at first light, had already landed two cats around 8lb plus one at 13lb 6oz!

Releasing his barbless size 2 hook from the cavernous jaw, with its Velcro-like rows of tiny gripping teeth, Gary took a grip round its pectoral fin and extended the elbow of his other arm to support the tail as best he could.

“Most of the weight is at the front end, so holding big cats for photos is never easy,” he said, with a cross between a grin and a grimace, as I fired off a few shots.

Next, the marbelled giant was slipped into a weigh sling and hoisted aloft for the ‘tail of the scales’. Gary’s zeroed Reubens spun round to 37lb 12oz. Something of a result, to put it mildly!

Tackle And Baits

Gary assured me that standard pike or carp kit was fine for most UK catfish situations, provided the right gear was used at the business end. Here’s the lowdown…

Abrasion resistant traces are a must with cats due to those rows of small teeth which can chafe through conventional monos in no time. Kryston’s Quiksilver in 25 or 35lb is most popular, but for really big cats Gary steps up to 40lb Catlink from Catfish Pro. With a barbless rule here at Pondwood, size 2 Drennan Specimens were his choice.

Here’s a bait you don’t encounter very often – leeches! Used for medicinal purposes, Gary orders these wrigglers online from www.biopharm-leeches.com. They certainly aren’t cheap at £30 for six, but you can reuse them several times if saved in the gel-filled tubs they come in. A small section of elastic band helps keep them on a barbless hook.

Bait Tips

Gary attaches a buoyant bait popper tied to 14 inches of nylon for a sub-surface pop-up presentation. In really shallow swims, the popper will surface and it’s like watching a float!

Another bait popper placed at the top of a leger stem with a large run ring at the top ensures the line is as free running as possible. Catfish are notorious for dropping baits if they feel undue resistance.

A flying backlead is placed on the main line above the swivel, and Gary often clips on another one at the rod end to ensure the line is pinned down to the lake bed to avoid spooking fish.

Lobworms and livebaits (where allowed) are excellent catfish baits, and a good deal cheaper than leeches. So too is plain old luncheon meat, which Gary also likes to pop up with a sliver of buoyant rig foam. ‘On waters containing lots of small to medium sized carp, like Pondwood, make it a really large mouthful to avoud there attentions!’ Gary advised.

They Don’t Half Pull

“Your turn next,” said Gary, as he slipped the 37-12 monster back into Pondwood’s reed-fringed margins.

I suddenly remembered the pike gear I’d thrown into the car early that morning. The thing is, I’m always happy to accept advice (and end tackle!) from experts when I join them for a fishing session – but I still like to use my own gear as much as possible.

So after another dash back to the car, I returned bearing a 3lb test curve rod and free spool reel loaded with 40lb braid. Gary passed me his lead boom which I slid up the braid, adding a buffer bead and swivel then attaching the self-same hook length that he’d just banked the biggie on.

“Cast as near the middle as possible. In my experience cats usually prefer to stay well away from bankside disturbance,” advised Gary. Nodding his approval at my cast’s splashdown, he continued:“Now feed out line until the bait popper surfaces, set your free spool to minimum resistance and stick it on the alarm. I doubt you’ll have to wait long.”

Don’t you love it when a plan comes together? Sure enough, my reel went into meltdown 15 minutes later and my first catfish was on. Although a mere ‘kitten’ at 10lb exactly, their reputation for hard fighting is fully justified as no pike or carp of equivalent size has ever put up such resistance.

I think Gary was a bit surprised at my decision to play it like a chub, giving no quarter. But I’ve got full faith in my rod and reel, but not much in big barbless hooks!

That fish was the last of the morning for us, although I watched two other anglers nearby land cats in the 6-8lb class on standard leger gear with luncheon meat.

I fluffed a screaming run around 2.30pm due to fannying around for carp on floaters on a second rod, and reluctantly said my farewells around 4.15pm. Before I’d reached the M25 on my homeward journey I glanced at a text message. It was from Gary – announcing the capture of another cat, this one 32lb 6oz. What a venue! .

UK Wels – A Controversial Species

Catfish are one of the largest families of fish, with more than 2,000 variations worldwide – but here in the UK the name invariably means the Danubian wels (Silurus Glanis).

Europe’s largest and most common cat was first introduced to Britain in the late 1800s. And while the Southern region has the lion’s share of waters containing them, they are still relatively few and far between. Furthermore, the Environment Agency’s current stance on ‘alien’ species means this situation is unlikely to change a great deal in the foreseeable future.

In a nutshell, the EA doesn’t want more catfish introductions due to the risk of them entering our river systems and upsetting the natural balance of indigenous species. Although this has already happened to a minor extent, it’s an understandable viewpoint in my opinion.

Due to some seriously naughty illegal imports of wels far larger than home-grown versions of prior decades, the British Record Fish Committee ceased to recognise the species in the late 1990s. At the time the record was 62lb, but larger specimens – including some genuine UK fish – have subsequently been landed.

I fear that a certain veneer of ‘dodginess’ will always surround catfish in the UK. But the fact remains that this fascinating species is here to stay and a significant number of anglers have become major fans.
To the best of my knowledge, consent to stock cats into stillwaters can still be granted provided proof of UK origin, and if the venue has no possible escape route into a river system (i.e. an outflow stream or close proximity to the main river’s flood plain).

I’m prepared to stand corrected on that point, but neither the EA nor the CCG (Catfish Conservation Group) websites could enlighten me further.

Fancy Fishing Pondwood?

Rules include no groundbait nor loose feed of any kind, no barbed hooks, no keepnets, minimum 6lb line and two rods maximum. There is no night fishing and day tickets are £10.

Tel: Mick Holdaway on 01189 345299 or visit www.pondwoodfisheries.co.uk

Catfish Contacts

www.catfishconservationgroup.co.uk

www.thecatfishsociety.co.uk

Click below for additonal pictures……