Now then fellas I need some help next season, I am starting to put together some spread sheets to record information about our catfish catches, so if you want to help me put some comprehensive records together I will be very gratefull. I will be needing some important info from you if you want to paticipate. Things such as water temp, bait, weather conditions, time of capture, size, venue, rigs i.e surface, bottom etc. I am hoping that keeping records like this we can start putting together some reference material as to when the cats are feeding hard, what time of day they come on, what water temp is opitimal, baits etc. I know this approach has worked for my friends fishing for other species and I dont think anyone has ever put together a full list like this. I am viewing it as research into lets face it is still one of the most mysterious fish that swims our waters. As I said your participation would be very welcome and I will publish the results on a monthly basis. If we keep it up over a period of years then I am sure patterns will soon emerge, like the months the cats are surface hunting and so on. I know that fishing certain heavily stocked venues will warp the results slightly but we all fish a range of venues so I am sure the results will be of great value to all of us. Lets face it the cats are still an unkn own quantity to all of us and I think surveys like this will only help our understanding of them. If you think of any extra info that I need to put on then let me know. Cheers lads, I hope you will see the benefit of this and help as much as you can.
Sounds like an excellent idea - the only info you will probably get from me though is the conditions for blanking on a regular basis.
thats a good idea! i'll send in any info of anything i or anyone i know catches if it helps.
Hi Karl, Been doing that since 2003 and yes you get some very interesting findings, so well worth a go. I also did comparisons on moon phases and captures over the last five years and to be honest there was no real difference. I know some people think you wont catch on a full moon but not on the water i fish. If they're hungry they will eat at any time, waning or waxing moon. I know, call me sad but i get bored in winter!
i've always found you catch more on pop-ups and surface rigs in a fullmoon phaze, where as bottom baits are better the rest of the time, but there's nevr been that much difference for me. more to do with the weather conditions and location tbh, but i'll note down the moon phaze but i think i was probably fishing when i should have been in school studying that. i usually am when the important stuff happens lol.
Cheers for the support lads, would be interested to see your data rog, you are always one bloody step ahead of me, lol. Have set the sheets up on a month basis so when the returns for the month are in I will probably post them on the main site along with the winner of the cat of the month comp. The moonphase thing is a load of rubbish. Used to know a guy who barbel fished based on the moon phase, he caught f all on a regular basis. Am more interested to see what water layers cats are feeding in in what months and I think the time of day will open a few eyes to be honest. The sheets start in march and finish in november so as of march get the data sent, will post up required data closer to the time. Cheers again lads.
i'll be sending in data as of june 15 as the water i'm on has a ****ing closed season, so unless i can get an exchange tickett for badshot lea i wll have to wait till june to show off my cat catcing skills, haha.
Fookin pointless me doing it.....
1st trip 40 & 48lb weather cool 10 o
2nd trip blank
2rd trip blank
4th trip blank
5th trip blank...but 3 missed runs doh
6th trip Willowbank blank..........end of season
I hope you all enjoyed my diary & i will do another next year lol.
are you serios? only 6 trips in a season?
Nick some people have to work mate. Were not all long haired students ya know. :) Ive only had three trips out for Cats this season, mind you I have had a few weekends on socials after other fish which is fun too.
Yep very serious, & when you turn in to a man & end up with "orrible kid things" have to work to pay bills & have no time for anything life's shit.
The main problem is being self employed, no work no cash & at the mo everyones holding on to their £££££ for xmas & the uk is probably going to collapse with this fookin labour gov we have.
Not having a go @ you Nick just pissed off with this country @ the mo.
had an interesting conversation with someone the other day after bringing up the subject of this thread/experiment.
he always fishes one rod with a carp style tactic, usually a boilie/pellet/big pva bag approach, then on the other rod he fishes a livie, usually a perch. apparently he always gets pick-up's on the livebait rod at dawn and dusk, when the prey fish are topping, often only a very short feeding spell while they are feeding on the small fish, then sport ends pretty much with that rod. the pellet/boilie rod pretty much never gets action at those times, and even then it's the smaller catfish. the carp-style bait gets runs throughout the day and nights, but with more action at midday and the early hours of the morning. he believs that the catfish pick up the static baits more at leasure then the livies and so they just eat a little whenever they happen to be hungry, and they seem too lazy to take the livies through the majority of the time. they wait to eat live fish when they are more active and easier prey.
does this support what all you livie chuckers say???
Dont forget now that we are all starting to get the tackle ready to send me all the details of your cat catches so I can put together a comprehensive log and we can see what exactly is happening over the course of a season.
Ay up Karl. Its not a capture of mine but still, it's infomation. I have just spoken to the owner of Emmotland fisheries and they tell me that a very big cat came out at the weekend to a couple of lads piking. Their scales were too small to weigh the fish but they did measure it at 5ft5in long. I dont know about you but that sounds like a big fish to me. I will try to find out more info on wednesday as i am booked on there for the night. Is this the first cat out for 09? Early last year on Emmotland i had a kitten out on a dumbell rig in the night. Funny thing was it snowed like hell in the morning! Just another prime example of small waters producing the goods early in the sesson. Anyway game on lads!
A young lad on Katmando's site has fished for them all winter and had quite a few so its not the 1st out this season but maybe on this site.
I have the problem Terry has may have had only 12 trips out and only 1 tiny cat to show with some dropped runs or pike.
I can only get out if missus has a day off to sort daughter out and working shifts I never do weekends no way can I wangle that one unless its pre-booked weeks in advanced.
So for some of us 10 trips is a success we loved to do more but just not possible.
Unless you turn gay Nick your time will come to be stuck in doors with kids on a nice summer night settling for a few sherbuts in the garden reading how WE we are getting on now our turn is over 
Looking forward to the new season see you at Fell Tel no pesky pike to annoy us there lol
12 Trips Dave, in my deams mate. Only managed 6 last year & only caught on the 1st one out.
Dont worry Dave they wont stay little forever, & when the little gits have grown up & left home......nowt to stop us then.
Agreed Dave cant wait to give the old Fell another bash
Been reading this old thread with some interest. Cats are renowned for being a very nocturnal fish however my catches for the season are:
45lb live bait first light
30lb live bait first light
30lb dead bait 11.30am
29lb live bait first light
17lb live bait 11.00pm (double hook up with 7lb)
7lb live bait 11.00pm
5lb live bait 11.30pm
5lb worm dusk
3lb maggot mid morning (live bait snatching)
My conclusion is that , this season i may as well wind my rods in at midnight and get a decent nights bloody kip!
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