Catching a mustachioed giant with a swimming tool is radically different from coastal fishing, requiring the angler not only exposure, but also a deep understanding of the predator's habits. Installation of catfish from a boat It should be as reliable as possible, because you are in close proximity to the object of fishing, and any cliff threatens to lose not only the trophy, but also expensive equipment. Unlike the coast, where you can use long rods for long casts, here it is important to deliver the bait to specific "corridors" or pits, which are often located in the immediate vicinity of the board.
The effectiveness of the process depends on properly assembled equipment, which must withstand fierce jerks of fish and friction on the shell or snags. quququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququququ And using it is a distinct art that requires a specific approach to fixing the tackle, and many beginners make the mistake of using too thin fishing lines or weak knots to rely on the avos, but catfish is a force that cannot be neglected. The right choice of components and their competent combination allows you to minimize the number of rendezvous and successfully catch even the largest representatives of the bottom depths.
It is important to understand that fishing from a boat imposes certain restrictions on the dimensions of the equipment used and requires strict compliance with safety measures. Bottom tackle It's more compact, but it's more powerful, and you have to be prepared for the fact that a bite can happen at any time, and the reaction has to be instantaneous, and we'll go through all the preparations, the location and the fishing techniques below, so that you can get out to the pond as productive as possible.
Choosing the optimal place and time to catch
Finding promising points is the foundation of successful fishing, especially when it comes to such a careful and large predator as a catfish. The most effective time to catch is in the middle of the night, especially during the periods from 23:00 to 03:00, when a large catfish goes hunting from deep shelters. During the day, the giant prefers to sit out in the lice pits, under precipitous banks or in the rubble of the snag, where the flow is minimal, and using a sonar when searching for a place makes it much easier to see the relief of the bottom and potential fish sites.
When choosing a location, you should pay attention to the boundaries of the main channel and quiet water zones, where the catfish feed base is often grazed. Deep differences And the brows are the preferred paths for moving the mustachioed predator. The boat needs to be anchored so that the tackle is thrown or lowered exactly at the intended point without scaring the fish with the noise of the motor or the impact of the oars on the board. Often anglers use two anchors, one on the nose and one on the stern, to rigidly fix the boat against the current.
Seasonality also plays a huge role: in spring, catfish are more active during the day, warming up in shallow waters, and in summer and autumn shifts activity to night time. Water temperature It has a direct impact on fish metabolism, and it becomes more difficult to catch a trophy in cold water, so monitoring weather and temperature conditions is mandatory before leaving.
Set of tackles and choice of rod
Equipment for fishing from a boat should have a huge margin of safety, but at the same time remain convenient for manipulation in a limited space. The rod In this case, it acts as a lever for cutting and controlling fish, so its test must match the weight of the proposed trophy and the goods used. The optimal choice is short, powerful forms ranging from 1.8 to 2.4 meters in length with a test up to 200-300 grams or more.
The coil should be reliable, with a good friction mechanism and high forest intensity. Multiplier coils They've been proven to be the best in catfish hunting because of their thrust and strength of design. We can use non-inertional coils, but they have to be 6,000 to 8,000 or higher, designed specifically for carpphishing or sea fishing. It's important that the gear ratio of the coil is low, so that you can get the maximum effort out of the trap.
The basis of the tooling is a wicker cord, which has no extensibility and allows you to feel even weak pokes of fish at great depth. Breaking load The cord should be at least 40-60 kg, and in some cases higher, especially if fishing is carried out in tight places. Monophile line as a base is not recommended because of its extensibility, although for short distances and when using heavy loads, some anglers use it.
Use special gloves with cropped fingers or thick leather gloves when working with wicker to avoid deep cuts to the hands when catching a large catfish.
Installation schemes for boat fishing
There are several time-tested installation schemes that have proven effective when fishing with a swimming tool. Paternoster (or Gardner's loop adapted) allows the load to lie on the bottom while the bait leash is slightly higher, which reduces the risk of hooking and makes the bait more visible to the fish, which is easy to manufacture and reliable enough to make it popular among amateurs and professionals.
Another common option is a sliding load that allows the soma to take the bait without feeling the resistance of the loader's weight. olive Or the droplet load moves freely along the main line or separate branch, transmitting a signal to the nod or tip of the rod only after the fish makes a jerk, and this sensitivity is critical for timely cutting, especially if the catfish tries the bait carefully.
The third option is a fixed-load donkey, which is more commonly used for fishing on the current, where the loader is rigidly fixed, which allows you to keep the gear at the catch point even in a strong flow of water. Leads. in any of the installations should be made of material that the catfish can not eat or rub, but too rough materials can alert the fish.
☑️ Checking installation before throwing
Choice of hooks and leash materials
The hook is the most important element in the entire chain, and you can't save on it. hooks The size of the hook should correspond to the size of the intended prey: for medium specimens, numbers from 10/0 to 14/0 according to the international classification are suitable, and for trophy fishing they use even larger dimensions. The sting should be perfectly sharp to penetrate the predator's hard mouth on the first attempt.
The material of the leash causes a lot of controversy, but practice shows that it is best to use a special som line or a wicker cord in the braid. fluorocarbon It is also popular for its stealth in water, but its thickness must be impressive to withstand friction on the brush of catfish. Metal leashes (string, cable) are used less often, as they can reduce the number of bites due to their stiffness and visibility, although they fully guarantee against snacking.
The knot connecting the hook and the leash should be as strong and simple as possible. Knot "Clinch" Or Palomars do a great job of keeping up to 90 percent of the line strong, and it's important to check the hook and leash condition after every fishing trip, because contact with the bottom and teeth of the fish leaves microcracks that can lead to a cliff at a crucial moment.
| Component | Recommended material | Breaking load (min) | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main line | The wicker cord (PE 4-6) | 40-60 kg | Zero stretchability |
| A lead. | Somow line / Flure | 30-50 kg | Diameter 0.8-1.2 mm |
| Hook | Forged steel | Depends on size. | Size 10/0 - 16/0 |
| gruzillo | Lead (olive/drop) | 100-300g | Depends on the current. |
Why can’t you use regular fishing hooks?
The usual soft wire hooks are easy to unbend, special som hooks are made of hardened steel and have a reinforced design that prevents deformation during jerks weighing 50+ kg.
Quack technique and tackle work
The use of a quack is a unique method of attracting catfish, based on the reproduction of a sound resembling the croaking of a frog or the sound made by the catfish itself. Swarming technique It requires certain skills: the quiocomas hit the water with a sharp but short movement of the hand, and the sound must be deaf and go underwater, creating an acoustic wave that attracts the predator from a long distance.
When working with a quoc, the tackle is usually held in hand or fixed on board with the help of special holders, allowing you to quickly respond to a bite. Amplitude of oscillation The fisherman makes a series of strikes (3-4 strokes), then pauses, waiting for the catfish to approach, and repeats the cycle.
⚠️ Attention: When using a quack, always keep your finger on the spoole of the coil or line to feel the slightest tension. The catfish can take the bait very delicately, and procrastinating with the cut will cause it to spit out the hook.
The process of catching and safety on the water
Getting a catfish off a boat is the most important and dangerous stage of fishing. Boat balance It can be easily disrupted by the sharp jerks of a large fish, which threatens to tip over. So all movements must be smooth, and the angler must safely sit on a bank or in a chair, resting his feet against the sides or special stops. In no case do not wind the line on the hand or fingers - this is a direct route to injury or loss of a limb with a powerful jerk.
If the catfish goes into the driftwood, you must try to turn its head away from the obstacle, using a lateral stretch. Friction coil It has to be tuned to line up at critical loads, but not give the fish complete freedom of action. Often anglers approach the driftwoods on the boat to pick up the slack and not let the catfish confuse the gear.
Lifting fish to the boat requires special care: catfish can make the last, most powerful jerk ("candle") right on board. baghor Or the kukan should be ready, but you should use them only after the fish is completely tired, and you should bring the catfish to the boat, following the line, holding the rod at an angle to cushion the jerks.
The main rule of safety: never tie the end of a line or cord to a boat or to yourself. The catfish can pull the angler under the water or turn a light boat over.
⚠️ Warning: Never put your hands in the mouth of a catfish, even if it seems to be asleep. The jaw-clenching reflex of a catfish is very strong, and small brush teeth can cause serious lacerations. Use a special clamp or gag to fix the jaws.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What weight is optimal for catching catfish from a boat on the current?
The weight of the load depends on the strength of the current and the depth. Usually, the load is from 100 to 300 grams, the main thing is that the gear does not carry far from the catching point, but the resistance to bite is not too great.
Can I catch catfish from an inflatable PVC boat?
Yes, but with limitations, the boat must be large enough (at least 320-340 cm long) and have a hard plyol floor for stability.
What to do if the catfish has entered the snags?
You don't have to pull your head. Try to get the boat closer to the hook, pick out the line slack and try to turn the fish around, sometimes tapping on the rod to scare the fish and get them out.
What is the best bait for catfish?
The classic and most effective bait is a bunch of crawls, pearl shell meat, frog or bait, and catfish also responds well to the smell of fumes or fried liver.
Do you need a sucker when catching catfish?
For large specimens, the sucker will not work because of its size; the catfish is either dragged into the boat whole (size permitting), stunned with a mallet and taken by the lower jaw (safety measures taken), or towed to shore.