Lee Johnston, our Lake Owner at Glehias, recently answered a query about the Catfish in the lake, a good read if you’re going out to the venue this year!
Hi, beginning to plan for our visit at the beginning of July, hoping to have a go at the catfish as well as the carp, any advice or tips for bait’s we can bring with us?
We currently have around 27 Catfish in the Specimen Lake, the three biggest are around 45lb, 55lb and an estimated 65-70lb. Five others are between 18lb and 26lb and all the others are between 12lb to 16lb and growing rapidly.
Lake Map
The best baits for the cats have always been live baits (Roach, Tench or Carp) float fished on a size 1 barbless hook somewhere around 2-5 feet off the lake bed (You can catch small Roach, Tench and Carp from the stock lake on float with sweetcorn when you are here). Ledgered dead fish or small squid come a close second place. Large halibuts have caught the odd Cat though I wouldn’t rate these very highly on our lake but they will catch the Carp with the odd chance of picking up a Cat.
More importantly, if you really do want to put a cat on the bank here, the crucial thing is where you fish for them.
The deep end is definitely harder daytime fishing for the Carp but is the place to be for a big Cat, they seem to have regular haunts, under a particular bush on the Gorsebank or the Dam wall or around the Outlet Sluice, It is possible to hook them in the shallows but I only know of one big Cat to actually make it to the bank from there due to the snaggier nature of shallow end. They generally appear at night or before mid morning. they are sporadic feeders and will feed solidly for 3 or 4 days and then stop for about the same, They seem to group feed and may be difficult to find in one half of a week and easier in the other half, if you don’t get a take in the first two or three nights this is usually why!
Hope this helps but if you need anything else please let me know
Lee
45lb – Daniel Spreckley – May ’13
For more information, articles, photo’s and feedback from Glehias follow the link – French Carp Fishing
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