Catfish are not typically the first species that come to mind when discussing lure fishing, but a few anglers have proven that you can catch one of Britain's biggest freshwater fish using a lure. While still a relatively new approach, we asked catfish lure record holder Chris Bury how he successfully lands these increasingly popular fish on lures.
I am a catfish fanatic, consultant, and team manager for Catfish Pro, the UK’s largest catfish tackle manufacturer. Over the last five years, I have been targeting the beautiful Wels catfish with lures. While lures are predominantly used in winter to trigger catfish that aren't particularly interested in feeding, they can be effective year-round, providing great sport and variety. Many catfish anglers take the winter off or switch to other predatory species, but they don’t have to—lures can turn a blank session into a highly productive one.
In this guide, I’ll explain the best techniques for catching your first catfish on a lure so you too can enjoy this underrated style of fishing!
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Location
As important as location is for most types of angling, it becomes even more crucial when targeting catfish. These fish tend to shoal up in tight groups, occupying a surprisingly small area. Only rarely do individual fish stray from the main shoal. Once located, these groups often remain in the same spot throughout winter—and they frequently return to the same locations year after year.
To maximise your chances, cast frequently, covering as much of the swim as possible before moving on. If you're not thorough, you might miss the small but critical area that separates a blank session from a red-letter day!
Keep casting until you get a hit or disturb the shoal, which can often trigger an eruption of bubbles on the surface. In my experience, these tightly packed fish typically gather in the deepest areas of the lake, covering a space no larger than a bivvy. They rarely stray far, and takes away from the main shoal are uncommon. When they do occur, I assume it's a solitary fish moving around or hunting before eventually returning to the group.
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Tackle
Tackle in winter is a strange one. As a full-time catfish angler, I always encourage people to use proper catfish gear—strong mono or braid, five-pound test curve rods, etc. We often see ill-equipped anglers targeting some of our huge catfish using tackle designed for carp. While a catfish can be landed on this tackle, long, drawn-out fights can be deadly for predatory fish designed for short bursts of energy.
Stories of 90-minute fights on substandard tackle are common, whereas a 15-minute fight on proper cat gear would already be considered long.
However, catfish fight and behave very differently in winter—the fights are much slower, almost sluggish. Tackle designed more for casting range and feeling what the lure is doing becomes more acceptable. Now, I’m not saying to take your dropshotting rod out catfishing, but the gear I use is still strong. I use the Fox Rage Heavy Spin Rod, as it’s suitable for casting larger lures. While it is lighter than standard catfish gear, it’s still tough enough for the job.
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I pair this with a Penn Surfblaster 3 reel, which is an unusually large reel for lure fishing, but it excels as a long-range casting machine. With a spool change, it also has the gearing required to stop big cats on heavy braid in warmer weather—something that would destroy many reels.
Currently, I have my winter lure spool loaded with 45-pound braid, roughly half the breaking strain I’d use in the warmer months. This reel can—and has—handled some very large catfish.
For the trace, I prefer a fluorocarbon hook length along with ultra-strong swivels and quick links, all manufactured by Catfish Pro. Additionally, I use a large unhooking mat, sling, and net, all specifically designed for cat angling. If everything goes well and you land a monster, a small carp cradle simply won’t suffice when you have seven feet of catfish!
If you are an experienced cat angler, a large mat, a bucket of water, and a glove may be all you need. However, I strongly advise all anglers to ensure everything is set up in advance. Always presume you’re going to catch something and be ready. Have your mat in position, a bucket of water on hand, and your tripod set up. This preparation saves both the angler and the fish from unnecessary stress when a capture happens.
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Technique
The technique I use on the day largely depends on the catfish. If they are moving away from the shoal and acting predatory, lures worked at mid-depth with a medium retrieve get smashed. However, if— as is often the case—they remain balled up, I find that a very slow retrieve with stops and jerks, keeping the lure on the bottom, yields the best results by far. In these cases, the catfish likely strike as much out of aggression for an intruder in their space as they do out of a feeding response.
Catfish behavior in winter can be tricky to predict. 90% of the time, they seem to stay tightly shoaled, but the other 10% of the time—without any clear reason—they suddenly go on a rampage, getting hooked all over the place, with none staying in their usual balled formation! The only thing that seems to remain consistent is that most takes happen between midday and three o’clock in the afternoon.
Lure choice
The choice of your lure is one area where I’ve found things can vary from water to water. However, for the sake of fish safety, I’ve now switched to using one type of lure for all my winter catfishing.
Where catfish are tightly packed, there’s a significant risk of foul hooking when drawing large, exposed hooks through the mass of fish. So, this season I started using the weedless minnow lure from Savage Gear. The hook point remains hidden inside the rubber body of the lure until a fish clamps down on it. This has completely stopped foul hooking to date and also prevents picking up fallen leaves and detritus from the bottom—a double win.
As a result, I’ll use this lure even if others might give me a slightly better chance. As a soft coarse angler, I just don’t feel right about needlessly damaging fish.
Summer fishing
Firstly, and most importantly, you need to step up your tackle. A stronger rod designed for catfish, with a 4.5-5 pound test curve, would be ideal. Use heavier braid, around 80 pounds, and a heavier fluorocarbon hook length, again around 80 pounds.
You can also comfortably use larger lures with heavier casting weight to get more range, as catfish tend to be less fussy and hungrier when the water is warmer.
As I mentioned, catfish fight more sluggishly in cold weather, but using the same tackle in the summer would lead to extremely long fights that can be harmful—and sometimes fatal—to catfish. Many anglers would get smashed up, leaving hooks in fish.
So please, if you want to lure fish in the summer, make sure to upgrade the strength of your tackle accordingly. On the plus side, catfish are not tightly balled or shoaled in the summer. They are generally on the hunt, which makes them easier to find and catch from all over.
They will also hit lures aggressively at most times of the day. I’ve found that lures and moving baits, like drifted livebaits, will always catch you more fish than the boring static approach. So, give it a go!
Top tips
As mentioned in the article, my main tips are to stay active—cast often, move around a lot, and remember that location is key!
If you're fishing a very large body of water and trying to find a single ball of catfish no larger than the footprint of a two-man bivvy, it's highly unlikely that you'll get your lure hit on the first retrieve, even if you pass directly through the ball. You’ve got your work cut out, so perseverance is essential!
Go equipped to make everything easy. Set up in advance and make sure you have long-handled pliers/forceps and all your equipment in place and ready to go.
The rewards are there to be had, and on a good day, I’ve caught four or five catfish in a short afternoon session. In fact, my catch rate actually goes up slightly in the winter, so you really do have to be in it to win it!
If you want to get into fishing for catfish or need more information, visit: www.catfishconservationgroup.co.uk
