Looking for tips on Pond Fishing for Channels, Bass, and Carp.

[Bam Boozelled]

Beautiful cats and the first one’s you caught are on a flyrod? Fly flingin’ on some good karma there.

Yup the first Catfish I've ever caught. I never targeted them when I spin fished and tbh I've only seriously been fishing since roughly 2017 (I'm 31 this year...), it's funny my wife caught a nice little channel on a trout magnet under a bobber way out in the water one time and I was shocked. Then I picked up the fly rod in 2019 which completely took over my life and now I'm addicted to it. They don't talk about FF for Cats much so I just never considered fishin for them until recently with the closures, heat, and lack of available water to fish for trout.

*Snip*

Dang! Thats awesome, and yeah I was definitely guilty of being one of those people who thought they just sat on the bottom and ate dead nasty stuff. Look forward to having all this knowledge in the pocket for future opportunities and seasons to come when I want to give the trout a break during the warmer months.

 

[knotjoe]

They don't talk about FF for Cats much so I just never considered fishin for them until recently with the closures, heat, and lack of available water to fish for trout.

Fly cats can be hard to predict or pin down in most waters. For me, it's one of those opportunities I happen across inadvertently during the hottest months (usually) and revel in the fun. Closest thing to a pattern I've found in my local gravel pits is 1-3 pound C-cats tend to be in the same places as suspending crappies. Guessing they are both eating the same forage, perhaps the crappie activity attracts the cats and provides easier opportunities for foraging on YOY shad.

Fast stripped yellow streamers near surface usually prove to be the trigger. Indicating/suspension works, but it's that series of strips that seems to get their attention. Truth be told, I think a small waking indy on those strips actually adds to the commotion and allure for both species. Kinda like a popper & dropper, just smoother on the cast.

Fr8dog had a very fun day back when with such a passel of kitties on fly.

 

[fr8dog]

Now I’ll need to go out tomorrow and try to wrangle up a few out of the rocks after reading this. A good fish fry is calling. I shall prepare a 5 wt.

 

[clsmith131]

Try a popper, or wooly buggers in black or purple. I have more luck with LMB casting parallel to the bank.

 

[pcolapaddler]

I've caught cats on fly rod in my local lake on, Wooly Booger, Killer Bugs, small (16) nymphs - bead head and plain, I've even caught them on yellow, orange, pink glo bug flies.

A fish in the 2 -3 lb range will really bend a 3wt or a Tenkara rod.


Sent by typing one handed on a handheld tracking device while holding a Tenkara or other rod in the other.