There are many legends and myths associated with catfish. And this is not surprising, the size of this giant and lifestyle, gives rise to modern stories.

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Wels Catfish Fishing

Overview of wels catfish

Heat-loving fish in the southern regions grows very quickly. Dimensions can reach 5m in length and weigh about 300 kg. There are no subspecies, but there is a closely related species: Amur catfish, which has a more modest size.

Reproduction habit of wels catfish

A sexually mature fish becomes 3-5 years old. The spawning period, depending on the region, can stretch from March to early August. Males arrange nests bordered by aquatic vegetation at a depth of 30 – 70cm. Spawn, most often, portioned. In the northern regions, females can leave part of the eggs in the gonads, for spawning the next year.

Wels catfish fishing techniques

Catfish actively reacts to natural and artificial baits. Fish adheres to places with great depths. Although small catfish is also found in small, shallow reservoirs. Because of this feature, fishing methods have also formed. The original method of fishing is considered to be “quack”, more precisely, it is a way of luring fish to the nozzle.

Trophy fish are caught, for the most part, on natural baits of animal origin, but fishing on spinning lures is also very popular and allows you to catch fish of any size. Actively enough catfish are caught for trolling. There are quite a few cases of catching catfish for fly fishing. Most often this is by-catch when fishing for other predators. However, on the Internet you can find special fly fishing lures for catching catfish.

Spinning for wels catfish

In various sources you can find a description and videos where captured catfish are caught on various gears. Cases of the capture of huge fish on ultralight spinning gear are known. But do not reassure yourself, especially in the case of a little experience in catching trophy specimens.

Spinning-for-wels-catfish

Wels catfish is a real fighter and in the case of targeted fishing of large fish, it is necessary to take the appropriate gear. The main requirements for the rod should be allocated sufficient power, but the system is recommended medium-fast or closer to parabolic. For fishing on catfish, tackle equipped with both multiplier and inertialess coils is suitable. The main thing is that they are reliable and can accommodate a large amount of fishing line.

The cord or fishing line must be strong enough to deal with a serious opponent. On large rivers where catfish live, there is a rather complicated bottom topography with a swamp, a shell rock, which complicates fishing. It is necessary to approach the choice of accessories with special care, there can be no compromise when choosing, the fight against large fish requires careful attention to all details. During fishing, you must have a stock of lures, clockwork rings and other things. You should not save on trifles when catching such a coveted and powerful opponent.

Catching wels catfish on bottom gear

From the shore, catfish are caught for various gear: snacks, vents and other things. The peculiarity is that the gear should be well fixed on the shore and strong enough. Powerful fishing rods of the sea class are used for donks; cyprinids can be used. Accessories are used classic or specialized, but very powerful, designed for captured fish. A special requirement for reels, for catching catfish an increased requirement for the reliability of the brake system. You can use any type of reel: inertial, multiplier, inertia-free. It is much more important to use the model that you know how to use. When fishing in places with a difficult topography and a shell-covered bottom, special attention is paid to fishing lines and cords, because it is possible to rub the cord or force the fight.

Catching-wels-catfish-on-bottom-gear

Catching wels catfish on other gear

Kwok is a special tool of the angler with which he lures the fish to the bait. “Squatch” catfish from boats, it is believed that metal boats can resonate the sound of quakes and scare away fish, so anglers often use inflatable or wooden vessels. Tackles are used various, as a rule, calculated on natural nozzles. It can be either powerful fishing rods with a reel, or homemade fishing rods for plumb fishing or just a piece of a string with a reel. Caught in the pits, the bait is located in the water column in a plumb line. With such fishing, the echo sounder serves as a good helper. Anglers slowly move along the stream, along a pit or channel edge, attracting fish with blows of a quack.

Wels catfish fishing bait

For fishing catfish use various nozzles. It is advisable to check with local residents the taste preferences of catfish. For bait fish or when fishing for a “dead fish” they are best suited: asp, ide, small pike, sabrefish. Among other animal nozzles, it is worth mentioning locusts, worms – crawling, frogs, offal of domestic animals and even singed carcasses of birds. For fishing with artificial lures, most traditional lures may be suitable. In many cases, catfish bite on a very slow, uniform wiring along the bottom, or on a stepped one, with pauses, therefore, it is always worth having a large supply of lures. Large fish are more likely to respond to large baits, so you should pay attention to special accessories and silicone tips larger than 20 cm. It’s tedious to select large models with large depths from wobblers, and you can also use sinking baits.

Wels catfish fishing place

Fish is a thermophilic species. Catfish is common in many bodies of water in southern Europe and Central Asia, in the Baltic Sea basin. It is absent in the river basin of the Arctic Ocean. It is represented only in the Amur basin, a separate species – the Amur catfish. Sometimes the ordinary catfish is confused with the channel American catfish, which was bred in some reservoirs of Siberia. Wels catfish is a typical representative of large, deep rivers. At an early age, he can live in small rivers, but he quickly gains size and begins to look for more comfortable places for himself in large rivers and reservoirs.

Wels-catfish-fishing-place

Occasionally catfish are found in lakes. It can form a semi-aisle form, walking in the brackish waters of the seas. The main habitat of catfish in the river are various lowerings of the bottom, in summer it can go on spills or stay along the coast. During migrations fodder fish can form large groups, but for the most part, it is a single ambush predator, adhering to cluttered, deep sections of the reservoir.

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