Catfish Fishing

Feeding Habits

Catfish will feed on any live or meat bait it finds. It will readily take snails, frogs, grasshoppers, fish both live and dead, birds and soap. Catfish also eat their own spawn as well as any other type of spawn they can find. It will also take rotten meat and animal entrails: the more decayed the meat is, the better the catfish likes it. Do not remove the feathers when you use a bird for bait. Catfish are by no means shy in their feeding habits and if they find a bait, whether large or small, they will immediately take it. Catfish will also take a paste bait. They are great destroyers of other fish.

Breeding Habits

Catfish spawn in spring but, unlike other fish, continue to feed whilst they are spawning. The female lays from 30 000 to 50 000 eggs and the fry, which hatch after five or ten days, grow rapidly. Catfish are found in practically all waters as the very hardy spawn survives when it is carried into other waters, usually by certain types of water birds. Their natural enemy is the crocodile.

Suitable Spots

An inlet to a dam or river, where food is brought in, is the best sport to choose. Catfish are particular hardy and will survive when other fish cannot. During a drought when water dries up they will bury themselves in the mud and remain alive for considerable periods.

Line

A heavier line should be used, as catfish become large and are powerful fighters. A line with breaking strain of 4,5kg should be adequate for most waters.

Hook

A fairly large hook should be used, preferably a no. 1 0r 2. If you use a large bait, such as a dead bird push two hooks through it, one near the neck and the other at the end so that the fish will be hooked no matter which part of the bait it takes.

Sinker

A fairly heavy sinker should be used to keep the line stationary. A sinker of 40 to 55gm is useful weight.

Trace

Two traces may be used. The trace should be made long so that the bait may be moved around by the current. Ensure that the bait does not lie on the ground but is suspended so that it may dangle. Catfish and yellow-fish watch for any movement and will take moving bait immediately. The same principle applies when you use a lure of the insect type and a sinker in a river.

How to Strike

There is usually no need to strike a catfish as it grabs the bait and swim with it. When the fish runs with the bait, lift up the rod and by holding the reel keep a little tension on the line for a second or two so that the hook sets in the fish's mouth; then let it run.

A catfish of 9 to 18kg can be landed on a 5,5kg line but if there are obstructions in the water the fish may easily be lost. If the fish swims into weeds the only chance you have of landing it is to give it little slack as the fish may swim out of the weeds and pull the weeds and the line free with it.

Similarly, if when you are playing a fish the line becomes stuck, give a little slack which may enable the fish to free the line as it swims around. In suitable conditions catfish can grow up to 40kg in weight.

Silver Catfish

This fish only grows to the weight of between 0,5 and 1 kg but, unlike the other members of the catfish family, is a good table fish. The dorsal fin also has a sharp poisonous spike. A good antidote to the poison is permanganate of potash.

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