catfish

Catfish

Catfish can be immediately recognised by their large broad mouths with whiskers at the side. These large mouths enable the fish to patrol the bottom of lakes engulfing vast amounts of small fish and other creatures. Catfish are extremely inclined to eat fish such as Perch and Roach that can naturally be found in a lake, yet they will also eat other sea fish such as Lamprey, Smelt and Mackeral which would not naturally be in their diet. Furthermore at Llyn Y Gors the majority of Catfish tend to be banked using large boilies particularly with a fish flavour or by using a number of large Halibut Pellets. Catfish mouths are very soft and due to this Pike have to be fished for with single hooks as Catfish will tend to take deadbaits if they are in front of them and treble hooks can be dangerous to a Catfish. A Catfish's normal diet would include insects, crustaceans, worms and fish yet the larger ones will also eat frogs, mice, rats, chicks and aquatic birds.

Catfish are long in shape and extremely slippery and can be very hard to handle. They may seem large strong creatures yet they also have to be handled carfeully in order not to damage the fish. Because of this Catfish can also not be sacked as Carp can be, Catfish require large amounts of oxygen and being sacked can be extremely fatal to a Catfish. Once caught, the fish is very slippery and difficult to master. The tail must be avoided carefully, because it is quite powerful. But there is one way of calming it down : press the barbels between fingers and as they are hypersensitive the fish will paralyze under the pain. Catfish can also live for very long periods of time and sometimes can go years patrolling the bottom of lakes before they are caught. They are also meticulously known for their good hearing and keen sense of smell.

The female produces up to 30,000 eggs per kilogram of body weight. The male guards the nest until the brood hatches, which, depending on water temperature, can take from three to ten days. If the water level decreases too much or too fast the male has been observed to splash the eggs with the muscular tail in order to keep them wet.

For fishing techniques, one of the best baits are the bloodsuckers, turned inside-out on the hooks and one bait that nearly never fails and is guaranteed to attract one catfish is the fresh water eel. Attached carefully to the hook, not to break the spine, it will remain alive for a long period of time while emitting sounds that attract the catfish. Other common baits are different types of dead and living baitfish, clumps of large earthworms and sometimes also innards or pieces of squid.