Catching catfish in the fall: the correct selection of bait and method of catching

Catfishing is considered one of the most exciting types of fishing. This fish, the largest representative of the family of the same name, is impressive in its size, which is why, having caught it, hunters experience incredible pride and pleasure.

The length of its body can reach five meters, while the weight of individual individuals is more than three hundred kilograms. The catfish lives in reservoirs in the European part of our country. It spawns in spring in coastal aquatic vegetation. Females lay eggs in the nest, and males guard them.

The choice of place for fishing for this large predator depends not only on weather conditions, but also on the time of year and even the day.

Fishing in spring

When the catfish awakens after hibernation, the water is heated to only eight degrees. At this time, the fish remains very sluggish, although there is a chance to catch it. You need to find the warmest place on the reservoir - coastal shallows or the mouths of small rivers, next to which there is depth. It is from there that this predator comes out to hunt.

When the water warms up to fifteen degrees, the catfish begins to eat. At this time, he does not understand the choice of prey, rushing at everything that can be eaten. Therefore, in the spring, fishing with artificial bait is very productive.

Where to look for catfish in the fall

Since catfish loves warmth, there is no point in looking for it in shallow water in the fall, since the fish little by little swims to the depths, where it will spend the winter in hibernation. The best places to find catfish in the fall are:

Deep holes;
Rifles;
Wintering pits (in this case you will need to find out about them from local fishermen);
Places where there are sunken large trees or other anomalies on the bottom of the reservoir.

The easiest way to find such places is to search using an echo sounder, which will show unevenness in the terrain and the depth of each section of the reservoir.

What bait to use

Since catfish are less active in the autumn, baits such as a bird carcass or other meat are no longer as catchy as in the summer. In autumn, active baits are more suitable. Among them, the most catchy ones are the loach and spined loach, which are equally active up to temperatures of 10-12 degrees, when the catfish stops hunting and goes into winter suspended animation.

In addition to loach and spined lance, you can also use crucian carp, roach or a bunch of crawlers as bait, but the reaction of catfish to them is much worse. If we talk about artificial baits, the most effective are deep-sea wobblers and silicone baits. In this case, it is worth paying more attention to vibrations and vibrations than to colors, since the deeper it is, the less light gets in. Accordingly, the catfish focuses more on vibrations than on vision.

Fishing in summer

When reservoirs warm up to twenty degrees, it is time for catfish to spawn. It lasts up to three weeks. At this time, mostly small specimens are caught on the bait, but after the end of the spawn, during the feast, fishermen have the most freedom.

Towards mid-July, catfish become active in the evening, at night or early morning, when they hunt closer to the surface. Its presence can be determined by powerful splashes or a peculiar slurping sound. If the water in the reservoir is muddy, then this mustachioed predator can be active all day, and before a thunderstorm it completely forgets about the danger, actively and intensively hunting.

Autumn fishing

When the season of rain and cold weather arrives, it becomes very difficult to guess the location and hunting time of this fish. The hours she goes out to look for food may change every day.

Therefore, for many novice anglers, catching catfish in the fall is somewhat difficult. They often return home empty-handed. Catfish can feed both on quiet nights, preparing for hibernation, and on foggy and cloudy days.

It is difficult to name the exact time of its feeding or biting. However, experienced fishermen know how to catch catfish in the fall. A good guide this season can be those places where there are bream, chub and other small fish. Catfish will definitely be nearby. After the onset of the first frost, it begins to go to the wintering pits, but continues to feed from them. Just like in the spring, fishing for catfish in the fall during this period can be very difficult. Production is already less active.

Tackle and bait for catching catfish in autumn

Fishing for catfish is effective when using most gear, the main condition being the high strength of the rod.

In fishing circles, it is customary to make the following types of tackle for catfish:

feeder. Actively and effectively used in September and the first half of October. Ideal for fishing in small and medium-sized reservoirs with great depth. The feeder is always based on a feeder - this is an effective bait for catfish in the fall. Cut fish, frog or crayfish meat are used as bait. It is better to use live bait. Mainly used during daytime fishing, although it is also effective at night. It is important to tie the tackle to a tree, otherwise it will be tangled and torn;
spinning tackle. When using a wobbler or spinner when fishing with a spinning rod, you should not count on a large catch. The only way to catch a catfish is to move next to the fish, since it will not chase its prey. Used in late autumn if the location of the prey is reliably known. With precise casts, a spinning rod can provide a huge catch; a sleepy predator will willingly swallow the prey that is under its nose. Due to torpor, other individuals do not leave their place. It is better to use long spinners or large wobblers with a light color;

Which bait to choose for perch?

You can catch catfish in open water in the fall using any tackle that is durable and has a hook.

Donka. Catching catfish in the fall on a donk is possible before the ice forms, but knowing the habitat of the predator - even in winter. In autumn, the best time for fishing is at night. To increase the chances of getting a catch, 3-4 donks are cast at night and the gear is checked at dawn. They must first be fixed to pegs, a tree or a bush. In fishing stores there are additional devices - shock absorbers, they are attached to a tree, the fish struggles with the rubber and gets tired, and the fisherman just needs to remove the catch;
kwok. Nodding involves hitting the water with a special device; it makes a sound that attracts prey. Fishing with quok in the fall is done using a cord with leashes and hooks, which is attached to the boat (can be attached directly to the quok). There are many varieties of quok, there are wooden, metal, homemade from a tin can, bull horn, etc. The active bite occurs on the quok only during the heat - September and half of October, after the cold weather the technique remains ineffective;
transfer It is used exclusively on small rivers, where the tackle can be secured on both sides. This tackle is a high-strength cord on which leashes are attached. The number of leashes is determined by the fisherman independently, but it is important to maintain a distance between them that will prevent entanglement. Larger fish are caught at night, so the line is set before sunset and retrieved in the morning.

The predator has no obvious preferences regarding baits; all baits of animal origin perform well, live ones are better.

Bait for catfish in the fall:

live bait;
worms, baited in 3-7 pieces, used during feeder fishing;
frog meat or live frogs;
cancer, attracts prey well during the molting process;
crawling worm;
carcasses of small birds, especially fried ones;
bird offal.

Catfish are not picky about food, the main thing is that it is of animal origin

Catching catfish using kwok

In autumn, this simple device, in skillful hands, produces specific sounds, as if attracting a mustachioed predator to itself like a magnet. Most often, kwok is made from hardwood: maple, ide or apple. The correct sounds to attract prey depend on various factors: the shape of the device, the material, as well as the skill and experience of the fisherman. Catching catfish in the fall with a quok should take place without unnecessary splashes and splashes. Privada should not scare away, but rather attract. Therefore, for a good catch, some training is required.

You need to squawk measuredly - up to three beats with pauses of a few seconds. The equipment for such fishing and the equipment used to catch catfish on a donk in the fall are very similar - this is a powerful rod, a multiplier reel, thick braid from 0.6-0.8 millimeters, a hundred-gram sinker, a leash about sixty centimeters long, a power swivel and impressive treble hook.

Places for catching catfish in autumn

The predator bites well all season near deep holes, snags and pools - these are the fish’s favorite hunting places.

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Additionally, fish prefers:

confluence areas of small rivers or streams, in which there are washed out holes;
fallen trees near the shore;
shady places, as fish do not like light. Protective devices include fallen branches, snags, leaf cover, floating algae, shrubs, etc.;
washed holes, peculiar burrows. Catching catfish in the fall on the river near burrows is often effective. The predator is not inclined to change its place of residence and is almost always in one place.

Fishing in a new place is difficult, since it is impossible or extremely difficult to visually determine the catfish’s habitat. The main way to identify promising places is to determine the bottom topography; an echo sounder or sinker will help you cope with this. It is better to focus on depressions in the bottom topography and the presence of snags under water.

At any time of the year, the favorite places for catfish are deep holes, pools and snags.

Another positive signal to the fisherman is the presence of chub and carp, which are often hunted by predators and coexist with them. Worms, frogs, crayfish, mussels are an invariable part of the predator’s diet; their presence indicates a high probability of detecting a predator.

It is important to remember that catfish are found only in clean water; there is no point in looking for prey in muddy, polluted waters.

The most popular tackle

Catching catfish using a donk is especially common among amateurs. In autumn, this type of fishing gives good results. Donka is easy to perform, in addition, it is more reliable than a spinning rod. In addition, it has one big advantage - affordability. For example, one branded spinning rod costs the same as thirty donks.

Many anglers are very successful in catching this mustachioed predator using the most common models. After all, it’s much easier to catch, track bites, and fish with a donkey. In addition, it has more “tricks” than spinning rods.

Catching catfish on a donk in the fall begins the day before the actual fishing. First you need to get crawlers and bears. With this gear, catfish are usually caught starting at dusk and throughout the night. Therefore, it is necessary to arrive at the reservoir in advance in order to lay out and throw the gear.

Tricks for catfish

Depending on the choice of fishing location, their number also changes. Tricks for catching catfish are made as follows. A fifty-meter fishing line is wound on a reel, at the end of which a hundred- or two-hundred-gram sinker is attached. A leash about forty centimeters long is tied half a meter from him.

The size of the hook is selected depending on the size of the intended prey, but it must be so large that a bunch of crawlers or mole crickets can be baited onto it.

Donkey's choice

In each specific area, fishermen use their own types of this gear, with features and secrets. And although they are all similar in their principle of action, some differ in nuances.

For example, to equip a donkey with a fishing rod, you definitely need a high-quality, strong fishing rod. This could be a duralumin variety or a modern carp “stick”. The main requirement for this equipment is the ability to withstand strong gusts of large prey. A similar approach for the coil. It must also be reliable and durable. The correct selection of fishing line is influenced by the weight of the catfish - the inhabitant of this reservoir. In some cases, fishermen wind monofilament up to one millimeter, and in trophy fishing - braid with a diameter of up to 0.8 mm. The sinker is placed sliding or stationary. At shallow depths, its mass can be from one hundred to one hundred and fifty grams.

Catching catfish in the fall on the current can be done without using a traditional fishing rod. This is due to the small distance to the fishing site of this fish. In this method, everything depends on how the angler performs when catching catfish.

In Astrakhan

In autumn, the reservoirs of this region have a wide variety of fish. Having visited the Lower Volga catfish fishing once and enjoyed the trophy catch, a person will come here every year. In general, many believe that it is difficult to find a better place for autumn spearfishing than the Astrakhan region. Moreover, there is an excellent catch here all year round.

Catching catfish in Astrakhan in the fall offers great opportunities for large trophy specimens. There is quite a lot of prey in the main river bed, in its pits and pools.

Those who come to the banks of the Volga not for the first time know what to use to catch catfish in the fall. At this time, the insatiable predator can best be caught using frogs or bottom spoons. Once the water temperature begins to drop in September, it is time to troll. Gambling fishing in all available ways can continue until late autumn.

In October, when the catfish roll into the pits, the season for bottom fishing begins. It continues until the first frost, until mid-November.

Fishing gear for catfish in August

Catfish fishing in August is carried out using a variety of methods, including fishing with spinning rods, bottom gear, and the quok method. If you catch catfish using spinning rods, then these fishing rods should be selected with more stringent parameters. The test load of such fishing rods must be quite large in order to withstand large-sized catfish. The fishing line is also selected with a diameter that will support the fish. Reels should be of the inertia-free type. Special catfish hooks are sold for catfish.

Bottom rigs have been used since prehistoric times. The simplest bottom rig is the zakidushka donka, which is quite popular today. Installation of this equipment is quite simple - you take a sliding sinker, a rather heavy type, it is put on a strong fishing line, to the end of which a swivel is attached. And the leash itself with hooks is already attached to it. You can use doubles or tees.

Catfish fishing using kwok is especially effective. This method of catching catfish in August is carried out using boats. Today there are quoks of different size parameters. It is better for beginners to learn with the help of large quoks, which are easier to handle. Catfish are caught using kwok using a thick cord to which a hook and a weight are attached, and the cord itself is wound on a reel. The fishing process is carried out by hand.

Bait

You can use worms, frogs or bird entrails for catfish in the fall. The most effective is considered to be a set of baits made from dead small fish, a vibrating tail or a silicone twister, an oscillating spoon or foam rubber. Autumn fishing always brings surprises to anglers.

Experienced “hunters” know what to catch catfish with in the fall and what baits it is better not to take with them. For example, fast-moving artificial bait is not suitable because the predator sometimes simply does not react to it. Whereas deep-sea wobblers and large vibrotails with various noise effects give good results, especially when fishing in cold water, up to ten degrees.

Features of catching catfish in autumn

Based on the available capabilities and skills, predator hunting tactics are built. The right choice of tactics helps to achieve a good bite.

Catching catfish in September

Weather vagaries in autumn greatly influence the behavior of the river giant. There are places where catfish actively feed and bite all day, and sometimes not a single promising bite appears in a day. Since it can be difficult to catch catfish in September, it is better to choose a cloudy or foggy day, then the chances are much greater. Windy days should be avoided, especially if there is a northerly, cold wind.

The choice of what to catch catfish with in September is still quite wide, although people more often use a donka or a feeder. First, the place is lured, and then the tackle is thrown into the lower layer of water. The attachments remain the same, there are no significant changes in the diet. Many people like to fish for smoked pigeon; its smell attracts catfish well.

Reliable survival units

Small fish aggressively attack the bait, but large fish tend to try the bait first, so there is no need to rush into hooking. Forcing the reeling is an unsuccessful tactic; you should let the fish get exhausted.

The best time of day for fishing for catfish in autumn is night and early morning

Catching catfish in October

In October, small catfish gradually descend into wintering pits and no longer go out to hunt; this happens after the middle of the month. Large fish, on the contrary, tend to feed until November. The predator is now not inclined to stray far from the pits and swims nearby. For successful fishing, it is important to find holes and cast close to where the predator exits, then there is a chance of a decent catch.

Important! Catfish always rise into holes against the current; they can no longer be found on the rifts. The best place for fishing is an intermediate depression with a reverse current between the riverbed and quiet holes near the shore. Pits on “volozhkas” and “breakthroughs” also turn out to be effective.

Catching catfish in November

Catching catfish in late autumn is possible only before the onset of severe cold. It is possible to catch fish only with precise casting. In November, large catfish still feed in the middle and warm regions, but are less active. A good bite begins in the first ten days of the month and worsens after the middle of the month.

Fishing Features

Catfish fishing in the fall should be approached with special responsibility.
Every detail in the gear must be checked many times, since there is no point in going fishing with a stuck reel or frayed fishing line. In general, catching catfish in the fall has certain characteristics. For example, you shouldn’t rush to hook a catfish. The predator always tries the bait first and only then thoroughly grabs it. And even after a powerful bite, you need to wait a little. The hook must be done sweepingly and strongly. And then the fishing begins. This is the most important stage of fishing. Hooked prey always behaves differently. Sometimes even a small fish puts up a powerful fight, and sometimes it behaves calmly and heads towards the boat itself. But even in such a situation, you must remember that everything can change at the last moment.

Experienced “somyatniks” know: under no circumstances should the prey be allowed to go into snags. In this case, there is a great danger of being left without any gear at all. If the catfish lies on the bottom and cannot be moved from its place, you need to make a good noise - tap on the rod whip or on the side of the boat. This fish does not like noise, so it will most likely move away.

Catching catfish, in autumn or summer, in any season, requires good physical shape and endurance. Fishing should be done slowly, without rushing or fussing. The main thing is not to put too much stress on the rod. Having tired the prey, you need to begin to gradually drag it towards you. It’s good if there are two fishermen, because in some reservoirs the weight of the catch can reach up to seventy or even more kilograms, so in such cases it can be somewhat problematic to pull it out.