While the purists of the sport still believe that fly fishing is all about presenting a dry fly on a chalk stream in the hope of fooling a wild brown trout, other anglers are using the method to target a wide range of different species.
While we are becoming more used to seeing coarse species like carp and even barbel caught, Andrew Eglon took it to another level when he set out to catch a catfish on the fly, and he succeeded. Not only did he bank his intended species, it was also a fly caught-record for the species, which coincidentally is believed to be the biggest freshwater fish ever landed on the fly in the UK.
LOOKING TO CATCH A CATFISH? HEAD TO ONE OF THESE VENUES
"I set out on a recent session to target catfish on the fly with three good friends. We decided to go to Houchins Fishery in Colchester as not only are there plenty of cats to go at, but it also holds some really big fish too," Andrew told us.
"Rather than fish from the bank, we took to the lake in our belly boats to cover more water. Despite drifting around and fishing the known areas hard, the action was painfully slow," he added.
Not to be put off by the lack of action, the friends carried on fishing becoming more optimistic of their chances as the day began to draw to a close. With that in mind, Andy positioned himself along a marginal drop off in the hope the catfish may be coming in to feed as the last of the light was quickly disappearing. Sure enough, as he was teasing his fly back along the feature, Andy received a thumping take that moved both him and the inflatable he was using.
"Knowing the power of these fish, I was well prepared with a 12-weight rod and a 50lb leader. Even so, a wild 20-minute battle commenced before I could bring it under control, there really is nothing else like hooking catfish on the fly in freshwater," he explained.
"Luckily, my best mate of 40 years was on hand to slide the net under the fish, a colossal 107lb catfish, now recognised as the new fly-caught record and a great moment to share on the bank together."
