# 6-22 [35'' 21.5 lb. Channel Cat on the Fly]



## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

A few buddies & I went catfishing again on Monday night. We got to our spot around 1:30AM & fished until just before 5. In that time we landed eight channel cats between 7.5 & 21.5 pounds, 3 of which were on cut suckers, 4 on Matrix Shad paddletails, & 1 on the fly. The fly that I was chucking was a 6'' jointed streamer that I tied the afternoon prior to the trip. The head half was a mixture of black materials & the tail half was chartreuse, as you can see in the close-up photos. Around 3:30AM I was slowly working a hole that I had found along the edge of a rock pile when he crushed it & took off screaming. My friend Alex got about 5 & a half minutes of the 10 minute brawl on video on my phone, so as soon as that uploads to YouTube I'll get a link up. I can't begin to explain how fun these big channels are on the fly. The take feels like a freight train & they dog you until you can barely lift the rod up anymore - I can't believe I just started targeting them on the fly last weekend, man have I been missing out! 

Tight lines everyone.


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## Five Prongs Of Fury (Apr 15, 2008)

Never thought about targeting catfish with a fly. That's awesome!!!


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## LIM-IT-OUT (Aug 26, 2014)

Beast bro lol 
Those are some monsters


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## tmber8 (Mar 2, 2011)

I got into some channel catfish back in the Midwest with the flyrod, but not of the size you are tangling with! I used a strike indicator fixed above a Holschlag Hackle Fly twice the depth of the water I was fishing in. It was actually a technique for smallmouth bass Tim Holschlag developed (http://www.smallmouthflyangler.com/products/book_smallmouth-bass-fly-fishing_f.php) but it was dynamite on 2-5 lb channels in the ponds I fished in. They couldn't stand the crawfish-clouser imitation bounced just off the bottom. I would typically catch 4 to 6 fish per evening on a 1.5-2hr hour paddle in my canoe. Probably plenty of application around here in our freshwater rivers.


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

tmber8 said:


> I got into some channel catfish back in the Midwest with the flyrod, but not of the size you are tangling with! I used a strike indicator fixed above a Holschlag Hackle Fly twice the depth of the water I was fishing in. It was actually a technique for smallmouth bass Tim Holschlag developed (http://www.smallmouthflyangler.com/products/book_smallmouth-bass-fly-fishing_f.php) but it was dynamite on 2-5 lb channels in the ponds I fished in. They couldn't stand the crawfish-clouser imitation bounced just off the bottom. I would typically catch 4 to 6 fish per evening on a 1.5-2hr hour paddle in my canoe. Probably plenty of application around here in our freshwater rivers.


That's awesome, sounds like you had it dialed in pretty good! By the way, I'm actually in the Midwest right now. Monroe, Wisconsin to be more specific. I'm catching these channels in the Yahara River an hour north of me in Madison.


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

Dang son.....now you gonna have CatHunter buying some fly gear!!! Those pics need to go in a caT fishing magazine!!! Awesome work brother!!!


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## ThaFish (Feb 27, 2013)

Jason said:


> Those pics need to go in a car fishing magazine!!!


Car fishing? That's a new one to me. I'd love to hook into a nice Mercedes screaming down I10, THAT would put my 9WT to the test!!!

Haha, for real though thanks brother! Wish I could get my photos in a magazine sometime. I'd love to do an article of fly fishing for big cats. Don't think many (if any) have written much about that before! Any luck recently on hooking into another tarpon out at 3 Mile??


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

ThaFish said:


> Car fishing? That's a new one to me. I'd love to hook into a nice Mercedes screaming down I10, THAT would put my 9WT to the test!!!
> 
> Haha, for real though thanks brother! Wish I could get my photos in a magazine sometime. I'd love to do an article of fly fishing for big cats. Don't think many (if any) have written much about that before! Any luck recently on hooking into another tarpon out at 3 Mile??


Dern fat fingers on a phone!!!! Corrected now!:thumbsup: Ain't been back out to 3M....off this weekend and OF COURSE RAIN RAIN RAIN!!!!!!!!


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