When you’re lure fishing on a UK canal, you generally expect to catch perch and pike, and depending on where you are in the country, maybe a zander. However, lure fanatic Lewis Chandler had the shock of his life when a huge Wels catfish engulfed his lure, giving him the "fight of his life."
Fishing on the Basingstoke Canal, Lewis was walking the banks and trying out a few hotspots using his favored light lure fishing setup. The setup was so light, in fact, that when he initially hooked the catfish, he thought he was snagged.
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"I decided to fish a session on my local canal, as I’ve had a few successful trips there recently, catching plenty of good fish—though nothing on the caliber of this session," he told us.
"After trying a few swims, I stumbled upon an area where I noticed loads of baitfish scattering, so I knew some predatory fish were present."
"Tackle-wise, I was using a Westin rod rated 5 to 15g, coupled with a small Shimano Vanford 3000 loaded with 14lb braid and my trusty Ricky the Roach lure."
"I cast my lure into the ball of fish, saw a huge boil, and before I knew it, I had a take."
"It felt as though the rod was being ripped from my hands—I’ve never felt anything like it. The fish proceeded to tow me up and down the canal, and I couldn’t do anything to stop it," Lewis added.
"After what must have been 30 minutes, the fish finally surfaced, and I couldn’t believe it. Of all the fish to catch, that was the last thing I expected."
"I only had my small perch net with me, and thankfully, a passing family helped me land the fish. After four attempts to net it, we finally got it in."
"What a capture it was! It just proves you never know what you’ll catch when you go fishing. I’ll never forget the fight—I’m still shaking now," Lewis said.
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