FISH ON!
ITS 2a.m, THE LINE IS RIPPING OFF YOUR SPOOL INTO THE DARKNESS AND YOUR BITE ALARM IS SCREAMING LIKE A DEMENTED BANSHEE.
WHAT DO YOU DO NOW?
DONT PANIC!
THE FIRST AND OBVIOUS THING TO DO IS TO GET TO YOUR ROD AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT KILLING YOURSELF. NOW HIT INTO YOUR QUARY GOOD AND HARD. DONT GIVE IT TIME LIKE YOU WOULD A PIKE OR ZANDER, CATS HAVE A NASTY HABIT OF DROPPING THE BAIT AND CAN MOVE SUPRISINGLY QUICKLY. YOU WILL BE AMAZED HOW FAR THEY HAVE GOT BY THE TIME YOU HAVE STRUCK INTO IT. SO NOW THE FISH IS ON SO WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT?
|  |
 | THE FIGHT TRUST ME THIS WILL BE LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED ON THESE SHORES. THE FIGHT OFF A GOOD SIZED CATFISH IS SOMETHING ELSE. IT WILL LEAVE BOTH YOU AND THE FISH EXHAUSTED. THEY JUST DONT GIVE UP! ITS NOT LIKE A BIG BARBEL, PIKE OR CARP, THE CAT WILL NEVER GIVE UP, NOT EVEN AT THE END OF THE FIGHT.YOU WILL NEED YOUR CLUTCH SET QUITE TIGHT. JUST ENOUGH SO THAT WITH YOUR ROD AT FULL BEND THE CAT SHOULD BE ABLE TO JUST ABOUT TAKE LINE. DONT LEAVE IT TOO SLACK OR THE CAT WILL FIND SOME WAY TO DESTROY YOUR END TACKLE. |
YOU MUST BE PREPARED TO ADJUST YOUR CLUTCH THROUGHOUT THE FIGHT THOUGH, KNOCKING IT UP A TOUCH IF THE CAT IS HEADING FOR SNAGS, OR DROPPING IT DOWN IF ITS NEARLY AT THE NET AND DECIDES TO MAKE ONE LAST PLUNGE FOR FREEDOM. DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES USE THE BACKWIND TECHNIQUE ON A FISH WITH THIS KIND OF POWER, ITS JUST SILLY. IF A GOOD SIZE CAT MAKES A SERIOUS BREAK FOR FREEDOM AND YOU LOSE CONTROL OF THE HANDLE YOU RUN THE RISK OF BREAKING YOUR FINGERS, AND WORSE, LOOSING THE CATFISH! IF USING THE CLUTCH ON YOUR REEL IS TOTALLY ALIEN TO YOU THEN GO AND FISH FOR BREAM BECAUSE THE WELS IS TOTALLY OUT OF YOUR LEAGUE I AM AFRAID!
YOU WILL FIND THAT THE WELS WILL STAY HUGGING THE BOTTOM THROUGH MOST OF THE FIGHT AND WILL SURGE AROUND TRYING TO MAKE IT TO UNDERWATER STRUCTURE AND WHAT IT THINKS IS SAFETY. KEEP A MENTAL NOTE IF THERE ARE ANY PARTICULAR AREAS IT TRIES TO HEAD FOR, AS THESE ARE PLACES THAT THE FISH FEELS SAFE AND ARE MORE THAN LIKELY TO BE PLACES THAT THE CAT WILL HOLD UP DURING HOURS OF INACTIVITY. IF THIS IS THE CASE THEN IT IS WORTH PUTTING A BAIT TO THIS SPOT ON FUTURE OCCASIONS AS IT IS PROBABLE THAT CATS WILL BE THERE ON A REGULAR BASIS.
DONT BE AFRAID TO GIVE THE CAT SOME STICK, AND DONT BE WORRIED IF IT FEELS THAT THE LINE KEEPS FLICKING OFF SOMETHING, THAT IS JUST THE LINE MOVING OFF THE BODY OF THE CAT AND ITS NOTHING TO BE WORRIED ABOUT. ABOVE ALL THOUGH YOU HAVE GOT TO TRY AND KEEP SOME KIND OF CONTROL ON THE SITUATION. IF ITS YOUR FIRST WELS THEN NO DOUBT YOUR HEART WILL BE GOING LIKE AN EXPRESS TRAIN BUT YOU HAVE TO KEEP A COOL HEAD. USE ALL THE POWER THAT YOUR TACKLE WILL GIVE YOU. SPARE NOTHING. FOR THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES YOU WILL FEEL TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL AND UNABLE TO STOP THE FISH. AT THIS POINT YOU JUST HAVE TO TRY AND GUIDE IT INTO THE DIRECTIONS YOU WANT AND STOP IT GOING WHERE IT WANTS BECAUSE THIS WILL JUST SPELL TROUBLE FOR YOU.
 | AFTER YOU HAVE GOT OVER THE INITAL SHOCK AND ARE GETTING SETTLED INTO THE FIGHT THEN IT IS TIME TO START GETTING LINE BACK ON THE REEL. USE THE PUMP AND WIND METHOD. LIFT THE ROD TO GAIN LINE THEN REEL DOWN ON THE FISH. JUST KEEP REPEATING THIS AND YOU SHOULD EVENTUALLY START GETTING THE UPPER HAND. ABOVE ALL THOUGH DONT TRY AND RUSH THE FIGHT. SOME OF MY FIGHTS HAVE LASTED THIRTY MINUTES OR MORE. DONT TRY TO NET THE CAT UNLESS YOU ARE BOTH TOTALLY READY. |
THE FIRST TIME YOU WILL SEE ANYTHING OF THE FISH YOU ARE HOOKED INTO WILL BE A HUGE SLAP OF ITS TAIL ON THE SURFACE AS IT TRIES TO HEAD BACK TO THE BOTTOM. ONCE YOU SEE THIS THEN YOU KNOW YOU ARE WINNING AND YOU CAN START REALLY GIVING IT SOME. ONCE YOU SEE THE SLAP IT IS IMPORTANT TO TRY AND KEEP THE CATS HEAD UP AS CLOSE TO THE SURFACE AS YOU CAN. TRUST ME THOUGH THE FIGHT IS ONLY HALF WAY THROUGH AT THIS POINT. NOW THE REAL FUN STARTS AS YOU HAVE TO THINK ABOUT NETTING THE THING.
IF YOU HAVE ANYBODY HELPING YOU ITS NOW THAT THEY HAVE TO START GETTING THEIR ACT TOGETHER. YOU SHOULD HAVE THE CATS HEAD UP AND BE ALMOST READY FOR THE NETTING, WHICH IN ITSELF IS A TRICKY BUSINESS.
IF YOU ARE NETTING IT ON YOUR OWN THEN GET READY FOR SOME FUN!
YOU NEED THE NET IN THE WATER, ALL THE MESH WET AND READY TO GO WHEN YOU HAVE GOT THE CATS HEAD ON THE SURFACE CONSTANTLY AND IT HAS GIVEN UP TRYING TO MAKE A BREAK FOR THE BOTTOM. THE PROBLEM YOU HAVE NETTING CATFISH IS THAT THEY ARE ONE OF THE FEW FISH THAT CAN ACTUALLY SWIM BACKWARDS.
SO THE CAT IS BEAT AND ITS READY FOR THE NET, WHAT NOW?
YOU NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE NET IS TOTALLY SUBMERGED, I TEND TO SINK IT HALFWAY UP THE HANDLE IF I CAN. ONCE THIS IS DONE BRING THE CATFISH FORWARD AND OVER THE NET UNTILL THE HEAD IS LEVEL OR JUST PAST THE SPREADER BLOCK.
NOW FOR THE REAL TRICK!
LIFT THE NET UP BUT FROM THE FRONT FIRST, i.e GET THE CATS TAIL FIRST. IF THE CAT IS NOT READY THEN IT WILL SIMPLY MAKE A BOLT BACKWARDS AND YOU ARE BACK TO SQUARE ONE! ONCE THE FRONT OF THE NET IS UP THEN BRING UP THE REST OF THE NET AND YOU SHOULD FIND THAT THEY CAT IS SAFE AND SECURE! JOB DONE!
 |  |
WELL DONE!
IF YOU STILL HAVE THE ENERGY THEN GIVE YOURSELF A PAT ON THE BACK, YOU DESERVE IT. BUT NOW THAT YOU HAVE YOUR WELS IN THE NET YOU CAN TAKE AS MUCH TIME AS YOU WANT. REMEMBER YOU HAVE BOTH GIVEN IT EVERYTHING SO TAKE TIME TO HAVE A BREATHER. THE WELL BEING OF THE FISH IS NOW YOUR RESPONSIBILITY SO TAKE GOOD CARE OF IT. IT IS A POOR ANGLER THAT CAUSES THE FISH ANY HARM ONCE ON THE BANK. WAIT TILL THE CAT HAS GOT ITS ENERGY BACK BEFORE YOU EVEN THINK IF PUTTING IT ON THE MAT TO UNHOOK IT. ONCE ON THE MAT BE AS QUICK AS YOU CAN IN UNHOOKING THE FISH THEN RETURN IT IN THE NET BACK TO THE WATER FOR ANOTHER BREATHER. KEEP DOING THIS AFTER ANYTHING YOU DO WITH THE FISH SUCH AS WEIGHING AND PHOTOGRAPHING. THIS WAY YOU WILL CAUSE AS LITTLE STRESS TO THE FISH AS POSSIBLE. ABOVE ALL IT MUST RETURN TO FIGHT ANOTHER DAY. THIS IS WHY I DO EVERYTHING IN THE NET. I KEEP MY NET UNDER MY FISH AT ALL TIMES, I EVEN WEIGHT THEM IN THE NET.   |   THERE IS NO GREATER SIGHT THAN A HUGE WELS SLOWLY MOVING ITS TAIL AS IT SINKS SLOWLY BACK INTO THE DEPTHS. SO PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT IT DOES. NOW I THINK YOU DESERVE A NICE CUP OF TEA! OH AND YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHANGE YOUR TOP, ASSUMING YOU HAVE BROUGHT A SPARE ONE WITH YOU! |
