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| Fly-fishing pro Joe Mahler of Fort Myers battles his first Manatee River channel catfish. |
I am sure there are lakes, rivers and other bodies of water
around the country where you can target channel catfish on fly rod, but I don't
know where they are.
I do know Lake Manatee and the Manatee River have to be
among the finest places to catch these hard-fighting whiskered fish on fly rod.
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| Steve Gibson show off a cat. |
I found that out years ago while casting a light-weight fly
rod for bluegill. I had caught a good number of the diminutive panfish that
morning and expected another one when the strike indicator darted quickly to
its left. I set the hook and knew immediately it wasn't a bluegill attached to
my No. 12 nymph.
The fish was heavy -- and strong. I not only had to hope
that my light tippet would hold, but also that the fish didn't head for the
vegetation along the shoreline.
Almost as if the fish was reading my mind, it swam away from
the shoreline cover toward the middle of the lake.
"I've got this battle won," I thought to myself.
All I had to do was keep pressure on the fish and allow it
to tire itself out.
Easier said than done.
For one of the few times in my lifetime, I was into the
backing on my fly rod. The fish was very strong and bulldog-like. It was
surprisingly fast, too.
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| This Lake Manatee catfish hit a Myakka Minnow Jig. |
Just when I thought I was gaining the upper hand, the fish
made a 90-degree turn and headed back toward the shoreline. Even though I
applied all the pressure that I could, I wasn't able to keep the fish out of
the vegetation. In a matter of seconds, my light tippet broke.
While my initiation into fly-rod catfishing may have ended
on a down note, it was only the start of something good. Since then, I have
landed quite a number of channel catfish on fly rod.
Until recently, however, I never set out to catch them. Most
simply were incidental catches while I was fishing for panfish.
But I decided recently to forget about bluegill and other
species . I would concentrate on channel cats.
I don't know why Lake Manatee and the Manatee River produce
so many channel catfish. I can speculate, but it's only that.
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| Joe Mahler casts a tight loop toward a deep bend. |
I do know that I don't encounter them in any other body of
water I fish: Upper Myakka Lake, Myakka River, Braden River, Evers Reservoir,
Shell Creek, Deer Prairie Creek, Cocoa Plum Waterway or the Everglades. I've
not hooked them on fly in larger lakes like Okeechobee, Kissimmee, Istokpoga or
Tarpon.
But I find them almost every time I fish Lake Manatee or
Manatee River.
I can only speculate that the state might have stocked them
heavily in years past. And the water in those bodies of water is perfect for
them to survive and multiply.
Just recently, a buddy of mine, fly-fishing pro Joe Mahler
(www.joemahler.com) launched our NuCanoe Frontier kayaks at Ray's Canoe
Hideaway (http://www.rayscanoehideaway.com) on the Manatee River shortly after daylight.
The tide was incoming, so I knew we'd have to bide our time until it began to
ebb. Experience told me I rarely do much on the incoming tide.
Joe and I paddle upriver and spent an hour or so in a small bayou
until the tide turned. When we left, we found the water pushing downriver.
Perfect.
I most often find channel catfish on the deep river bends
around fallen trees. So, that where I spend most of my time. I'll fish one
bend, then move to the next.
There is decent current in the bends and the cats hang out
around the tree limbs to dine on whatever swims by. Channel catfish aren't your
typical bottom feeders that forage for dead fish. They prefer live fish.
For this outing, I was rigged up with a 6-weight TFO Finesse
rod, floating line, 7 1/2-foot 12-pound leader with an 8-pound fluorocarbon
tippet. It probably wouldn't hurt to use a 7- or 8-weight fly rod.
My fly of choice was the Myakka Minnow, a pattern I created
about 10 years ago. I'm don't know if it's the best pattern for channel
catfish, but I do know that it produces consistently.
I made three casts in the first deep bend without success.
My fourth cast produced a feisty 4-pound cat. The hit was strong and quick.
Luckily, the fish swam away from the cover out into the middle of the river.
Realize, you just don't bring a catfish in. It's not that
easy. You must tire it out before attempting to land it.
I had forgotten the landing net that day, so I had to subdue
the fish by hand. No problem. You have to be careful of a catfish's dorsal and
pectoral fins. If you avoid them, it's no big deal.
Contrary to popular belief, most of the channel cats I hook
seem to be hanging out near the surface. They most often take the fly shortly
after it hits the water. I've even taken a couple of cats on popping bugs.
We didn't set the world on first during our outing, but we
didn't expect to. I usually do best in the cooler months: November, December,
January, February, March, April. In summer, it's much too hot, rainy and the
water level is usually up.
Joe landed a smaller cat downriver for his first.
"I didn't really think you could target channel cats on
fly rod," said Mahler, one the nation's top flycasting instructors.
"I'm amazed."
The largest channel catfish I've ever taken on fly rod is
about 7 pounds. I've hooked several substantially larger, but wasn't able to
land them.
That could change during this year because I plan to target
them with heavier gear.
My best day took place two years ago on the upper Manatee
River when I caught and released 18.
Some anglers might snub their noses are targeting channel
catfish on fly rod, and that's OK. I'll take them any day.
They pull hard and will give you all you want. In addition,
they just love flies.
