Catching catfish in summer (June, July, August): what to catch and how to catch it

What should the bait be?

The choice depends not only on the place of fishing, but also takes into account what this fish usually eats. The catfish reaches impressive sizes and is a predator with a very developed sense of smell. Its diet consists of frogs, small fish, worms, and large insects. Therefore, it is advisable to use bait with a smell. Many people believe that they prefer dead, rotten food, but this is not entirely true.

The best bait is the living creatures that live in the pond. The bait must be sufficiently mobile and tenacious. Its weight should be from 60–150 grams. That is, not too heavy and not light. Regarding the size, to catch large fish, a bait about 20 cm long is attached.

Description and behavior characteristics

Catfish is a very large fish, weight can reach up to 100 kg, and length up to 5 m. But this is rare, mostly individuals up to 30 kg are found. His body is without scales and covered with mucus. The color is almost black at the top, the belly is lighter, slightly speckled, with a greenish tint.

It has a huge head and mouth, incommensurate with its body, and small eyes. Whiskers grow on the head, they serve as a kind of tentacles; with their help, the fish can find food even at night. The tail is not at all like an ordinary fish, flat and flattened on the sides.

These are nocturnal predators; during the day they rest in holes, pools, etc. And just before dawn they swim out of their rookery, but not for long. He always behaves differently. It may splash noisily and dive, or show its back a little and then go back into the depths.

Adult individuals change their habitat extremely rarely, having chosen once, they live there alone. Only in wintering pits does accumulation occur. But the young always stick together.

Catfish are greedy, but lazy, they open their toothy mouth and lie there for a long time without moving, waiting for the fish to swim up. Then he sharply draws water into himself along with food. It can openly attack prey and stun it by hitting it with its tail.

Organic baits for successful fishing

The best organic baits for catfish include:

Live bait – small fish, frogs, and molting crayfish are suitable for this. The latter is the most attractive food. Because it lives at the bottom. The bait must be fresh, caught the day before or before fishing. The advantage of this attachment is its mobility, which the catfish can sense from a distance.
Mussels are one of our favorite delicacies. They can be obtained from the bottom of the river; their tracks are especially visible in shallow water. To prepare shellfish, you need to remove them from the shell using a knife, carefully cutting out the flesh. Next, the contents are placed on the hook.
The barbel locust eats it with pleasure, but it is problematic to prepare such bait in the required quantity.
Medvedka is very effective. Found in rural areas, orchards, and orchards. Disadvantage: limited numbers. Even with a targeted search, you can catch no more than 2-3 individuals.
Crawlers - suitable as an attachment for donkey. You can collect them after rain in quite significant quantities. Worms of this species reach from 15 to 20 cm. Several are attached to the hook at a time.
Leeches - put on as a whole bunch at once. Found in almost most bodies of water. The advantage is that they can live in clean water for a very long time. Therefore, they can be prepared in advance.
Bark beetle larvae have sufficient meatiness and the presence of proteins.

What to use to catch catfish in the fall

Bird giblets, worms, liver, and frogs are most often used as bait for catching catfish in the fall, and simple bottom gear is used as bait for catching catfish in the fall.

They try not to use fast-moving artificial bait, since the catfish may simply not react to it.

Artificial baits like deep-sea wobblers and spinners, large vibrating tails with various noise effects will give good results when catching catfish in cold water, at temperatures up to 10 degrees.

The best artificial baits

If organics are only suitable for fishing rods, in sport fishing with spinning rods there are a number of special baits: silicone baits with jig heads, deep wobblers, heavy spoons (mostly elongated, yellow, orange or silver).

Wobblers are especially popular among fishermen:

Salmo Perch P08SDR - refers to trolling baits. Available in three sizes at once - 8, 12, 14 cm. It has the shape of a perch. Capable of going deep up to 12m. The blade is made of polycarbonate. Equipped with high quality tees. It has a compact size and heavy weight, which allows for long casting and quick penetration.

Dorado Invader 7S is the leader among all models produced by Dorado-Triada. Weighs 44 grams, length – 12 cm. Works at a depth of 8 m. Well used for fishing in still water on all types of rivers.

Liberty BITE 130F is a high-quality wobbler, well-balanced, and has a bright, pronounced game. Inside there is a chamber filled with metal balls that create a sound effect. Weight - 36 g, length - 13 cm.

Halco Sorcerer 125 – when casting, the body moves from one side to the other, making a slight noise. A blade is attached to it to avoid underwater snags. The bow blade can easily be changed from deep-sea to standard, thanks to a special lock. Refers to the floating type. Length – 15 cm, weight – 30g.

Halco Poltergaist 80 is a good option for depths of 5 m or more. It makes a lot of noise when wiring. Used for fishing in snags and holes. Weight – 17 g, length – 8 cm. The shape is slightly curved, which makes it possible to enhance vibrations.

Among the oscillating spinners, it is worth paying attention to:

Heintz – heavy bait, from 60 gr. It features stable play that attracts predatory fish. Equipped with a double.

Williams Wabler W50 is the most popular among the company's models. It is sometimes called golden carp. Works at any wiring speed. There is a rib on the body to ensure stable movement of the bait. Made of brass, with 24 karat gold plating. Length – 7 cm, weight – 14 g.

Acme Kastmaster is a universal spoon, used for both bottom fishing and surface fishing. Available in weights of 7-21 grams. Perfectly balanced, has two cuts on the surface.

As for jig fishing, in this case silicone twisters are mostly used. In different regions, the diet of catfish may differ, so it is difficult to determine with which bait in shape and color the fishing will be successful. But, undoubtedly, the most catchy one is the vibrotail.

Catching catfish in the fall with a spinning rod

When catching catfish with a spinning rod in the fall, the most effective will be a large-sized oscillating spoon. The fishing technique for catching catfish in the fall is the same as in the summer, the main thing is caution and leisurely.

Spinning is one of the most universal methods of hunting predatory fish. You can also catch catfish with this tackle. There are not many ways to catch catfish using a spinning rod. One of them is jig fishing. To do this, you will need a strong rod with dough weighing up to 80 g, a power reel, a braided fishing line with a diameter of 0.30 to 0.35 mm and a set of baits equipped with dead small fish, a silicone twister or vibrotail, an oscillating spoon or the foam rubber known to us all.

You need to start catching catfish with a spinning rod by carefully combing holes or edges at depth. In such places, catfish hunt in the morning. It is necessary to introduce the bait with a slow action, sometimes barely touching the bottom. The lifts should be done very smoothly, not like when hunting for pike perch.

What is used besides standard drives?

In addition to artificial ones, there are a number of other baits. Successfully used:

Pieces of fresh fish.
Cancerous necks.
Chicken giblets or liver, lightly roasted over a fire.
Rotten meat.
Dough with the addition of special flavors.

Fishing from a boat using a kwok, a device that produces sound, is quite exciting. Various types of wood or metal are used to make it. Often, to protect against rapid wetting, the tackle is coated with drying oil or varnish.

This device consists of a plate, a knife and a snout. In order to get a sound when casting, you need to develop a special technique.

Seasonal features of the choice of baits

Each season of the year when fishing for catfish has its own characteristics in the choice of baits. In spring, fish awaken from winter sleep. The optimal time to start hunting is when the water temperature warms up to + 8° Celsius and above. Also, a lot depends on weather conditions and time of day. The best time to catch large specimens is the second half of the day. Among organic baits, in spring catfish prefer small fish, crayfish and frogs. If fishing is carried out using a spinning rod, then it is advisable to use oscillating spoons.

In the summer, donka fishing brings good results. A reel for summer fishing should be quite strong and hold about 200 m of fishing line with a diameter of 0.5 mm. In summer, catfish often emerge from their holes into shallow water. Large individuals often stay in quiet pools. The best time for fishing is night. Favorite delicacies for this time of year are crawlers, pieces of fish and live bait. They are placed on several donks at once. Casting is carried out from the shore. But it is also possible from a boat using a quok.

In the fall, the catfish rarely leaves its hole solely for hunting, and sometimes waits for prey right in its hole. Around the beginning of October, when the water temperature drops, a period of “anabiosis” begins for this predator.

The most suitable period for hunting this fish is September. For capture are used:

Feeder gear (used more often during the day).
Donkeys (crawfish and chub are attached to them).
Swings (any attachment from insects to worms is suitable).
Kwok (bait for it is green frogs, pieces of meat, ram heads, sparrows).
Spinning (less effective in autumn than other types). The baits chosen at this time are fish meat, crayfish necks, and frogs.

In the winter season, a predator such as catfish does not leave its hole, actually freezing. During this period it is quite difficult to catch it. In order to arouse interest in the bait, a good option would be to use long silicone fish up to 17 cm. If the water is cloudy, a yellow bait is suitable, in clear water - golden or silver with a shine.

The bright color of the bait can arouse the interest of the catfish and provoke a bite. The best live bait is live fish - crucian carp, rudd, bream, asp. That is, those that constitute the main food of this predator and are able to actively move in a reservoir at sub-zero temperatures. Live bait is attached to a fishing rod installed in a holder. For successful hooking, you need to properly loosen the cord and tighten the reel.

Another successful method of fishing in winter is fishing with lead heads. The hooks on them are located at an angle of 45°. Their weight ranges from 20–35 grams. They are similar in shape to an olive. This type of bait slides along the bottom, raising a ball of silt, thereby arousing the interest of the fish. If you put worms on a hook as bait for hunting, then it would be advisable to use an attractant to enhance the smell.

Catching catfish in the fall on a donk

Donka fishing can give good results in autumn catfishing. There is only one requirement for the gear itself - strength, with all that it implies. Strength also applies to the rod, line and hook. For catching catfish on a donk we use the bait as described above: worm, frog, bird entrails. The most suitable time for fishing this way is early in the morning.

Catfish are a predator that prefers to hunt near the bottom. This means that it can be successfully caught with a donk. The equipment for such fishing consists of a sliding sinker, all of which are selected depending on the strength of the current in the fishing area. The movement of the sinker is limited by a swivel, and a strong leash is tied to it. The hook must be strong and sharp. Its size is selected based on the bait and the expected size of the prey.

The rod should be tough; a spinning rod for sea fishing, equipped with a powerful and reliable multiplier reel, is well suited. Only strong and reliable tackle will help you in the fight against this unusually strong fish. Many beginners underestimate it and end up with broken rods, torn bearings in reels, and broken fishing line.

Catching catfish on a donk in the fall should be approached with special responsibility. Each piece of gear must be checked several times; there is no point in hunting with a jamming reel, frayed fishing line and an old leader. As for the bait for catching catfish, the most popular is the frog; live bait and fish fillets are also used.

In the spring, catfish bite well on crawlers and hard meadow worms. There is no need to rush into hooking a catfish, since it will always try the bait first, and only then grab it thoroughly.

And yet, even after a powerful bite, you should wait a little and then hook.

The hook must be sweeping and strong, after which the most important stage of fishing begins - reeling.

A hooked catfish behaves differently. It happens that even a small specimen will put up a wild fight from the very beginning, but sometimes it behaves quite calmly and heads towards the boat itself.

But in such a situation, be sure to always remember that at the last moment everything can change. Under no circumstances allow the catfish to escape into the snags - you will most likely be left without tackle. If the catfish lies on the bottom so that it cannot be moved, then you should make some noise by knocking on the side of the boat or on the whip of the fishing rod. The catfish does not like noise and will most likely move from its place.

Catfish is a strong fish and catching it requires good stamina and physical fitness. Fishing is carried out gradually, you should not rush, do not put too much stress on the rod. Having tired the catfish, begin to gradually drag it towards you. It is good if you are fishing together, since the weight of the prey can reach up to 70 kg or more, in this case it is very problematic to pull it out.

Blitz tips

The predator has impressive dimensions. Therefore, you need to select durable and strong gear. A regular fishing rod with a float is not suitable for this purpose.
Hooks are selected in large sizes based on the shape of the fish’s mouth and must be the same color as the bait.
Before you start fishing, you should find a suitable and comfortable place, since the catfish can offer resistance with its entire mass.
It is convenient to use a landing net or hook when fishing. Sometimes, if the catfish is too active, it is stunned.
Even if the fishing line is strong, you should never lift the fish on a leash, it can cause a break.
Do not store bait in the refrigerator with food. Even though the container is closed, the smell may penetrate into the food.

Where and how to look for catfish

After spawning, at the beginning of summer, only small catfish are caught on bottom tackle. Three weeks after spawning, the catfish begins to really eat. It spreads across the pond, finds suitable shelters, from which it emerges at night in search of food.

At the height of the heat, catfish should be caught in the morning from 3 to 9 o'clock and in the evening, from 18 to 23 o'clock. The catfish does not like bright sunlight and therefore hides in deep holes. In addition to holes, it can be located under the rubble of trees and bushes, as well as in an awning of trees hanging over a pond.

In addition, it can be found in dense thickets of aquatic vegetation, as well as in peat or clay burrows, which it does not mind digging itself.

Bottom gear is installed exactly in those places where it can be found or where it spends most of its life. As a rule, it settles into its own places, lives in a certain area and feeds in the same place.

Night catfishing. Part 1 Som