How to catch big catfish in French lakes: Rig setup, tackle, bait and landing a 77lb specimen!
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- Опубликовано: 28 авг 2015
- Detailed review of what rig, tackle, bait/boilies and setup to use to catch big specimen catfish in estate type lakes. ✅ Watch next: This Catfish Rig Won’t Let You Down 👉 • This Catfish Rig WON'T...
In this video, I explain in detail all my tips and tactics for catching big catfish in estate type lakes: the hair rig I use, what tackle you need to do battle with large catfish and what bait and baiting presentation works at the venue.
► What I now use for my catfish rig and baits:
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► The gear and tackle I use:
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► Beausoleil Carp and Cats (my lake in France)
www.frenchcarpandcats.com/
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✅ Watch next: This Catfish Rig Won’t Let You Down 👉ruclips.net/video/NkOZfsGNmbk/видео.html
✅ What I use for my catfish rig and baits: amzn.to/45ERdJG
(If you buy through these affiliate links, we may earn a commission, price to you is the same)
Best video I have found so far. I'm a carp angler going in to trying for my first cat this year and you go through every detail without fail. Lot of videos assume you know certain bits. Thank you.
Hi there, thanks for commenting and for your feedback, that's great to hear! This one's a bit old now but it's still relevant. If you're targeting cats at a commercial carp and cat lake like ours then it's pretty easy really. All you need is a big bucket of pellets, some boilies and a strong rig. Find a nice open water spot and pile it in. Cats like a nice plate full. Don't spread it about like I do in the video. It does work but it works better just dumped over the side in one go. Don't be shy, start with 5kg. Don't bother with dedicated catfish hooks. They are very blunt and fairly useless in my opinion. Stick to big strong carp hooks. A size 2 Drennan continental is a great choice. Hooklink wise there are lots of choices. Rather than spend money on something fancy why not get a spool of 25lb big game as your mainline and then use that for hooklink. I've banked 100lb cats on that at Beausoleil. Test your knots. We do an 8kg deadlift test here. It's brutal but if you can do that then you can bank a monster. Strong reels are more important than beefy rods. If you like, check out my catfish rig here: www.frenchcarpandcats.com/tie-best-catfish-rig-lakes/
Have fun! Matt.
smashing video, glad to be a part of it
fantastic video
Nice one mat good tips never knew about the pecs as I've not had one yet " I stand a good chance now ATB mat
Hi mate, yes the pecs on large catfish will literally cut your mainline in two lol. This video is old but I’ve done another video on catfishing that you might like to check out: ruclips.net/video/NkOZfsGNmbk/видео.html. Nowadays, when using rig tubing we use the Nash Medium sized Tungsten Sinkers to hold it in place. It’s really important that the external diameter of the sinker is smaller than the internal diameter of the lead (if you are using a running inline setup). That way the lead can pass freely over the sinker in case of a mainline failure. The sinker does a really neat job of holding the tubing tightly in place during the fight. We also test every single mainline knot with an 8kg kettle bell to ensure that they are strong enough! Current lake record stands at 134lbs which is just crazy! Cheers, Matt.
Thanks mat ill get those sinkers going to give cats a go this year 👍ps your water looks a beautiful place to fish 😊 its on my bucket list.
@@craig2622 Glad you like it! I know I’m biased but it’s a special place. Hope you get the chance to visit one day. In the meantime best of luck with them cats!
In Romania,to wild river big fish is very rare, but i hope to find one! Thank you for your time!
No problem, good luck!
Wow nice fishing!!!!
Thanks mate :)
Try a small carp as bait ! You will find a cat way faster then boilies or pellets do.
Thank you ! i thinking it was good for river fishing, kind regards!
Sure you can use it for river fishing no problem. Just test every knot well before you fish with it and be aware that for large powerful specimens it may not be up to the job. I really wouldnt worry about line colour if your fishing rivers. I don't and I catch plenty of river carp. All the best, Matt.
Thank you to share with us your knowledge! Please tell me it is any difference between p-line cxx x-tra strong clear and moss green ? Kind regards!
Hi Mircea, thanks for your question. In terms of performance, there is no difference but obviously there is a difference in colour. On my own lake and others that I fish, the colour of line makes absolutely no difference whatsoever. In my opinion, it’s down to what you prefer.
I have to say that I no longer recommend P-Line CXX Xtra Strong for cat fishing. I have done a lot of line strength testing since this video was made and for me the P-Line is not consistent. It breaks at the knot too easily. Now I recommend Berkeley Big Game in 25lbs (0.48) for our lake and others of a similar nature. Regards, Matt.
Awesome video Matt! Is that Owner hook offset? What is the largest hook that you think that JAG hook sharpening clamp can hold & sharpen efficiently? Is a 5/0 to wide of a gap do you think?
Hi mate, thanks for commenting and glad you liked the video. This one's quite old now. To be honest I no longer recommend that guests use hooks anywhere near this big for our cats. We have some truly massive specimens now. Multiple 100+ and the lake record is 120. We did try hand sharpening standard cat hooks with the JAG vice for a while but it was difficult to get them anywhere near as sharp as a carp hook TBH. After a few years it was clear that our cats loved boilies and pellets and the carp anglers using size 4 Widegape in a decent gauge caught the vast majority of the cats while the dedicated catfish anglers that used catfish hooks caught very little. The only explanation I have for this is the difference in sharpness of the hooks. A good quality size 2 carp hook is all you need and rather than use the thick and heavy catfish hooklink we use Spiderwire in 108lb which is only 0.40 diameter. We also don't bother with the heavy swivels. 25lb Berkley Big Game is the only mono we allow here now. Rig wise we still use nothing more complicated than the knotless knot with double bottom baits over pellets. Hope that helps. All the best with your fishing. Cheers, Matt,
@@matthewcollinsangler Yes Sir, I know it was old but I knew you'd try to help anyway. :-) That's really interesting to hear about the hook size and sharpening problems with the catfish specific hooks. It wasn't until I started making my own boilies that I tried to use smaller hooks than the 8/0 - 10/0 I was using but they're not sharp enough. I make my own boilies and I have had the best luck with them compared to any other bait types I've used. Right now the fall Striper run is really starting to pick up. I use pretty big boilies for both them and the catfish. To be honest Matthew, I've caught many different species with boilies, they're my number 1!. That's what I am deep down I guess, a baitmaker.
Thanks again Matthew for the time. You have a beautiful fishery.....
@@vintageliving That's great feedback mate. I know that for many catfish anglers boilies are frowned upon but they are a fabulous bait for so many species! If you're used to very large hooks for cats do bear in mind that a size 2 carp hook won't have the same strength so you'll have to take your time and play them in. This strategy might work well in a lake but in flowing water it's a different game of course. Average time to beat one of ours is 30 minutes I guess. I wish you all the very best with your fishing. Cheers, Matt.
Hi Matt
Brilliant video as always. Going Catfishing in August for a week on the Furnace Lakes complexing in Sussex. They’ve got Cat specimens up to 140lbs in there, any tips? I was going to use Shimano TX7 intensity’s, with Shimano big pit reels and 2/3 20mm’s on a long hair as you suggest. Would your multi-rigs work in this scenario? I will probably use 200x70 pva socks along with lots of spodding to create a wide carpet of bait around my hook baits.
Hi mate, thanks for the feedback, glad you like the video. Your rod and reel setup sound spot on. May I suggest that you go for 25lb Big Game for the mainline. With cats to 140lbs they are going to take some landing lol. On the rig front, yes, the multi rig would be good or you can try my new mono-D rig: ruclips.net/video/hoHB1gi_sQs/видео.html. I've caught cats on it as well. Use 25lb Big Game for the hooklink, 12” long is good. On the hook front, nowadays I’d recommend size 2 carp hooks, so much sharper than a catfish hook. Straight point or beaked it doesn't matter just make sure they are razor sharp. Use an out turned eye if you're using the multi rig or the mono, I’ve found they work better. Cats love pellets and the tighter the bed of pellets you can create the better I’ve found. You don’t need anything else really (maybe some fishy liquid?). You need to be generous with your pellets. I use 10kg per spot per cat lol. If you’re spombing, it’s going to be graft but totally worth it. Start with 5kg then spray some boilies over the top. Anything fishy will do. I’ve found single, doubles, triples all work. It’s more about the baiting strategy with cats. Just find a nice hard clean spot and fill it in with pellets basically. Have fun and let me know how it goes!
Matthew Collins
Hi Matt
Thanks for such a quick response much appreciated. Any advice for size and flavour of Pellets? I’ll be using a variety of 20mm Pineapple crush, Tiger nut, Manila, and Krill flavoured boilies?
@@captpicard6894 Hi mate, any size will do. Ideally a couple of different sizes. We use anything from 9mm to 15mm. Most types of pellet will work but ideally choose something with a high percentage of fishmeal in it. On the boilie front on the right day any of those could work but I would drop all but one of those and stick with the Krill. Catfish are predators. They are hard wired to seek out anything that contains fish or animal protein. Any boilies that contain a decent percentage of liver powder or fishmeal will be more attractive. I’ve used tiger nuts and hazelnuts to avoid catfish in the past so your tigernut boilies are a no for me. Best of luck and let me know how you get on 👍 Cheers, Matt.
Matthew Collins
Thank you once again for your excellent advice Matt. I’ve got 6mm dynamite baits krill pellets, I’ll definitely get more of those and a couple more bags of the 20mm krill boilies. Thinking about it, what you say about Cats being hard wired to seek out fishy or protein smells ales perfect sense. I was going to try Spam as well, meaty, stinky, smelly bait, I’m sure that will work well also. Many thanks once again😁😁
@@captpicard6894 Hi mate, no worries, glad to help. The Krill boilies will be far more effective than spam in my opinion and as long as you use enough pellets you’ll draw the cats in and the carp will steer clear. I’ve seen plenty of catfish anglers try big lumps of spam and blank all week while they watch as their carp fishing mates haul out monster cat after monster cat on 20mm fishmeal boilies fishing over large beds of pellets 😉 Just saying lol.
09:51 almost gave me a heartattack I wass watching this while i was fishing so i thought that I got a Bite
good
would you use the inline lead set up in a lake that has weed beds
Hi Chris, thanks for your comment. When it comes to weed, the best option is to lose the lead on the take. Environmentally this isn't great but on many weedy venues it's the only way to land what you hook. Either way it's safer for the carp. I haven't had to tackle weed for a number of years but IMO it's still the best option. Rather than use lead clips my favourite method was to use in-lines fishing outline in-line style using 1m of spliced leader. Back in the day I used to have to take a pair of scissors to the inside of a korda insert to modify the grip on the swivel to get them to drop first time every time. Nowadays I think there are probably better off the shelf options but I never used them so can't really advise. All the best with your fishing, Matt.
Hi, I really enjoy all of your videos Do you catch many carp on the rig? And is the armour protection expensive. Next year I will be carp fishing a French lake with cats too about 60 lbs in. Would I need to use some of it to save brake offs Cheers Mark
+Mark Harley Hi Mark, thanks very much for your question. I only caught one carp of 29lbs on that rig during that particular session. If you really want to avoid pickups from carp on this rig simply add more boilies or make them 30 to 40mm diameter. I assume that by armor protection you're referring to the Freefall tubing by Rig Marole. It is more expensive than standard tubing at £4.65 per 1m length but it is totally worth it! I wouldn't bother buying any other type of tubing since I've discovered this. It's very easy to thread even after using many times as the 1mm bore can't block with debris. The use of tubing when fishing for cats is essential as without it the sharp spines on the pectorals fins will cut through the mainline like a hot knife through butter. It is also essential that the tubing does not slide up the line during the fight, any line exposed above the lead can lead to a cut off. All the best with your session and maybe you'll consider our venue in the future as we have cats to 105lbs and they average 75lbs! Cheers, Matt.
Thank you for taking the trouble to reply.And. yes we will try your fantastic lake in the very near future. I am already looking forward to it Best Regards Mark
What make of boilies are they please oyster but what brand
Hi mate, back when this was filmed I was using the Blue Oyster and they're from Nutrabaits. Cats love any fishmeal boilie to be honest. All you need here is loads of pellets and some fishmeal boilies on a fairly tight spot and you don’t have to wait long lol. Happy hunting, Matt.
It is pop ups boilies?
In this video I'm using bottom baits (boilies) not popups. Cheers, Matt.
Hi matt name of the rig tubbing please 🎣
Hi Shane, it was Dark Matter mate. I haven't found a duff tungsten tubing really.
Hi you don't hear much about demon circle hooks for cat fishing. I use circle hooks for sharks in UK they hook there selfs so thinking cat suck bait up and run with it hook them selfs like sharks do and easy to get hook out barbless hooks. I'm starting catfishing in UK with boiles and luncheon meat and of course have to down size lol but finding a balance hook for bait might work. I also like to say been to France fishing hoilday and have caught 90lb catfish on size 6 barbless hooks. Yes in France some drain there lake and take rubbish out like where I was but should not make no difference as long hook don't bend ect. Where I be fishing biggest 60lb to 70lb in UK. I got some demon circle hooks size 1 for big peace luncheon meat or 3x 20mm boile and looking at size they look to small and thin for bait but am I going on bandwagon with what they use in UK on RUclips saying that different makes different sizes. I've looked for excat hooks you use but can't find them. If you was me in UK what easy brand to get hold of and size hooks would you try circle or wide gap hooks? or would size 1 I've got work or should go up to 2 see if that looks right size
Hi Lee, it’s funny that you should comment about catfish hooks and rigs. They’ll be a new video out on Sunday on that exact subject! For the last two years all I’ve been using is size 6 barbless Nash Chod Twisters for carp and cats. Loads of guests have banked 3 figures cats on them. Super strong, and mega sharp. I haven't used a traditional catfish hook for years as I’ve seen loads of guys blank on them, because they are basically blunt. Hope you enjoy that next video. Cheers, Matt.
Thanks for reply Matt I watched one of shows with rig making tip with size 6 twister and hook bead and I got a packet of both couple days ago looking forward to new catfish show cheers
@@leecollins9112 Okay cool. That’s a great rig but if you are specifically going for the cats then I’d swap the mono for some 35lbs Nash Armourlink. The guys this week used that exact rig with the chod Twister and 35lbs Armourlink to bank a specimen of 116lbs. They got towed around the lake for an hour too! I have total confidence in that setup mate so you should not have an issue. Cheers, Matt.
Did not like how he dragged the cat over the wooden end of the peg
We now offer extra large thick catfish mats for this purpose.
Far to much bait
Why do you almost never use a line aligner or shrink tube to make a custom one mate? It's very common but i almost never see you doing it. What are your takes on it and why not to use or do use one ? Much love from the netherlands again.
Good question 😊 With the right hook, the right hooklink, and the rig mechanics right, then most of the time, I don’t need a line aligner or shrink tube. There are a couple of rigs where I add a kicker or line aligner but I do it because it’s part of the design of the rig itself, it’s not just to kick the hook over. I don’t believe they’re always necessary.