[ron P.]

Channel Catfish are one of my favorite fish to catch on the fly rod. I fly fish the tidal portion of the Schuylkill River in and around Philadelphia, and these four- and five-pound whiskerfish put an impressive "bridge arch" bend in my 5-weight.

I have found a wet-fly swing using a weighted Muddler Minnow or Olive Woolly Bugger to be a sure bet. Not far behind are large American Pheasant Tail and Stonefly nymph patterns fished with a high stick in low-tide riffles.

Does anyone else have any channel catfish strategies or stories to share?

[MIKE*A]

ronP.,
First off, welcome aboard! There have been some pretty good discussions on catfish on the fly on here, just haven't been any recently that i recall. I don't know if you were aware of it, but there is a feature on this website where you can click on a species name (for ex., go to your original post in this thread and click on the underlined catfish or for that matter, click on this one) and it will take you to suggested patterns for that species as well as archived threads/discussions over that species. There was a guy on here last year who flyfished exclusively for catfish and he had some great tips/techniques, unfortunately, i haven't seen him around in quite some time.

Looking forward to some of your contributions on the subject!

Miike A.

[SmallieHunter]

Welcome Ron,

Personally most of my catfish catches on the fly were more accident than trying to target them. I have found that the closer to the bottom my fly is the the more cats that I hook up with(obviously). In the streams I have found them in swift riffles as well as pools so they seem to reside in almost any water condition. I have no idea what I would if I specifically wanted to target them.

[mb82]

I would like to try for them. I see them all the time when I am fishing just never seem to have the correct fly on to catch one.

[SK Justin]

I've only caught one channel catfish on a fly so far, but it was taken on purpose, and with a black zonker. I will be targetting them more when I get a 9 wt. rod, because anything less than a 9wt is severely underpowered here. I know various nymphs work on smaller fish, as well as woolly buggers. I know of catfish even taking dry flies at the right time. The guys that target the big ones usually use clousers and similar streamers. Many say the pattern doesn't matter so much as getting it in the right location, but I do know from other experiences that they really do have forage preferences certain times of the year.

[luvinbluegills]

Hi Ron!

I have only caught a couple of small cats on the fly, but one of them was a 17 inch Flathead, and that got me thinking about how much fun it woul dbe to find a good Flathead spot (I know several) and night fish for the big guys.

[flyfisheranonymous]

Hi Guys: My first post on this site but I do recognize some names. We do fish Channel Cats up here all the time. More often than not the average size is from 32-40 inches. Honest. I am lucky enough to be living 20 minutes away from the number 1 location for record Channel Cats. Most flies that are used are Clouser Minnows but local patterns such as the DDH Leech and the Red river Dace have caught not only lots of fish but big fish as well. If you have any questions I'll try to answer them.

[luvinbluegills]

Welcome aboard ffa! I wanna come fish with you soon!

[WatersideWill]

FFA( my buddy Stu) is an ancient Cat on the Fly guru- he's ancient not the Cats:))). I was a meek and mild 4wt bamboo swinging creek trout fisher till I crossed path with him, so be carefull- he'll get to you. I,m now chasing Cats and Carp on a 10/11 wt Spey rod. There should be FFA rehab group set up )))

Will

[Ralph Jones]

This friend of mine, R.C., likes to go to catfish pay lakes to flyfish for LMBass and Bream (Bluegill & Shellcrackers) because no one else does, I guess. Here in Alabama it's illeagle to sell 'game fish', meaning the pay lake owners can't legally charge for anything caught from their lakes except catfish. The point: I tied up some #6 olive woolybuggers with grizzly hackle for the LMBass and when the next time he went to this paylake that rents jonboats he ended up having to pay $34. ($1.50 per pound) to get out of there. The Geezer who owns the lake watches with binoculars to make certain no one puts cats back. R.C. caught seven cats, nine Bass and a good mess of Bream. He cussed at me off & on for years, saying I tied him catfish flies on purpose. LOL. Ralph

[WatersideWill]

Hi from Manitoba in the fall:)- a few pics from this morning










the 10/11 Spey rod getting a workout:)










Will

[SK Justin]

Nice fish as usual!

[bentflyrod]

Nice looking cats Will!

BFR

[cornmuse]

Fabulous! Great shots of channels on a fly! Well done!

What pattern were you using? I see you're fishing during daylight - clearly these cats are active in what appears to be a tailwater situation. A lot of folks don't realize that channel cats and flatheads are monstrously effective sight predators which are, evolutionarily speaking, a more advanced species than bass or trout!

There is a spot on the Ohio R. near Cincinnati where I often tangle with white bass/striped bass hybrids during the fall and early winter. That spot has never failed to give up at least a couple fish in the 6 to 10 lb range and they are an absolute blast on an 8wt. I'm looking forward to the big cool-down just so that fishing can start in earnest.

I'm betting that you are using a serious sink-tip to get your flies deep. How are you fishing them - on the swing? Are you using anything to set up vibrations? I use an "Action Disc" designed for trolling for salmon and trout. This little plastic disc, about the size of a quarter in diameter, makes a fly swin like a crank bait - I slide one on the leader, use a bead, and then tie on a rabbit strip fly. Using a 300 grain Teeny I'll let that rig swing across current in a classic streamer swing - it usually works pretty well for the channels AND for drum.

Tight lines.

Joe C.

[WatersideWill]

Hi Joe

Those fish - a couple from 9 that morning- were taken on a modification of an Ally,s Shrimp( classic scottish salmon pattern). I fish with a Spey rod for cats and and other warmwater species- with from 6/7 wt setups to 10/11 wt setups. The Spey approach is nice for control/distance and flexibility. In spring I have been using basically a spey shooting head full sink- to get things out in heavy current and down fast. When things "fine" down a little I like a long belly line/ clear intermediate on a 15 ft Spey rod with from types 1 -type 6 tips@ 10- 15 ft long and short leaders- patterns are weighted and unweighted depending on the water i,m fishing. So my presentations are basicaly versions of classic salmom/steelhead approaches.
Yep- we are fishing tailwater/tailwater type situations .
My go too pattern is an Emerald Ally
Yep- Cats are remarkable predators with more taste receptors on their skin than almost another species and the ability to sense electrofields- much like a shark:)/sight and smell both highly evolved. Here they follow/target and predate on many organisms- baitfish/frogs in the fall/crayfish etc. ,I've even taken one (34"- 15 lbs ) on an emerger pattern during a Hex hatch.
Take a little peek around the site:) www.watersidemb.ca- theres some pics etc and a link to a new forum with some experienced warmwater folks on board- would love to hear about your experiences and approaches:))

Will