Perseverance pays

Hello again, well it’s that time of year when the water temperatures are rising and the Catfish have woken from their winter hibernation. Last year I tried, on several occasions, to catch my first cat but never managed to land one. A couple got hooked for a matter of seconds, stripped line from my spool at ease but then unfortunately the hook hold failed. My friend Lambert was lucky enough to land a few with the biggest being 48lb! So I had to get back out this year and see if I could get one for myself. I’ve seen them being played by good anglers, who have caught many over the years, and it’s not something for faint hearted. If you look at a Wels Catfish you can see that it’s not going to give up easy when you’ve hooked it. Just the tail alone is half the length of its body, which makes it one of, if not the most powerful fresh water species in the country.

With all of this in mind, Lambert and I packed the car and set out in hope of landing one of these beasts during the night. It was only a short drive to Angler’s Paradise, which has several lakes holding big cats, but we still had to decide which lake to choose.

Upon arrival, and after looking at the catch reports, it was clear which lake we were going to target. Owner Zyg Gregorek greeted us at the reception and told us the story of his angling in the previous weeks that had lead him to hold a new world record. Very well done Zyggy!

Inspired by Zyg’s tales, we eagerly made our way down to the lake with high hopes of catching. But if you’ve ever tried targeting cats, you’ll know it’s not that simple. Nevertheless, you’ve got to be in it to win it! The tactics for me were a bed of mixed pellet and boilie soaked in salmon oil, and a 22mm Dynamite Baits halibut pellet tipped with a pop up was my choice of hook bait. Once the bait was out the waiting game began.

Catfish are generally nocturnal creatures so we knew during daylight the chances were nothing would happen. As the light started to fade, the nerves rose. At any point either of us could have been called into action by our bite alarms sounding and late that night, Lambert was. With a compressed rod it was clear he had hooked one of the lakes residents. But, unfortunately, the hook didn’t hold. With the trap reset the wait began, again.

With the following 24 hours booked, we had the lake to ourselves and hoped for another run from one of the elusive creatures. A little more bait got introduced over each rod, and then we sat back and enjoyed a nice brew.  The weather conditions couldn’t have been better for the time of year, with the warmest nights experienced so far. During the day there were not any signs of life, but we knew what lurked beneath the misleading surface. As night fell the conditions looked to be even better, with the moon hidden behind a thick layer of cloud, we waited in complete darkness.  

In the early hours of the morning Lambert was awoken by the sound of his bite alarm screaming. This time the cat wasn’t going to evade him. As I got out of my bivvy I could see his compressed rod reflecting the light from his head torch, and I rushed over to help. After the unforgiving battle the beast finally gave in and I had it in the net.

The perseverance had paid off. Lambert landed his first cat of the season and was back on the score board. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t get a run, but I didn’t let that discourage me!

We headed back to Angler’s Paradise a few weeks later to see if we would have anymore joy early on in the season. The water had had more time to warm up in the gap between sessions, which meant the cats should be more active and that we would have more chance of catching. The same tactics that had proved successful before where re-applied and the waiting game began, yet again.

As the night slowly crept up on us, the nerves built and the speculation on whether we would catch began. Hours passed, and in due course we turned in for the night to recharge. Just before the sun hit the horizon I was awoken by my alarms flat lining. I was on my rods in a flash, striking into what felt like the bottom. The next thing I know, the cat shot off and all I could do was hold on! After a harsh battle, which I just managed to win, its head was up and it saw the back of the net.

Besides my arms hurting from the intense battle, I felt on top of the world as all the hard work had paid off.

Until next time