Vertical on catfish

Vertical fishing is one of the most successful methods to seduce catfish even in passive phases. However, several factors determine success. Spots, tactics, mounts, tackle and your own stamina are the important components to experience an exciting fishery with addictive potential. In my following fishing agenda, I go into the individual points to make it easier for you to start your own vertical tour for catfish.

Locate hotspots

Since vertical fishing tries to outsmart catfish mainly during their inactivity, the first thing you should do is locate the standings. Depending on the conditions and season, these can be natural banks, edges, holes, groynes, stalls and sandbanks. In winter I find catfish on the Elbe from a water temperature of 3° Celsius in groynes with a slight sweeping current. Bream, pike, zander, carp and co. are also present there. They all find good cover here from the strong main current and sufficient food and oxygen through the water exchange of the sweeping current. These are ideal conditions to get through the winter unscathed.

The sun also plays a major role in low water temperatures. Even if the effect of the winter sun is limited for us humans, I have made the experience that the catfish love to soak up warming sunshine and can then be found more often in shallow water at stalls, edges and sandbanks.

In summer or at higher water temperatures we often find the catfish in the oxygenated, deep main stream. At this time of year, they also prefer to find hiding places such as edges, holes and breaks, as well as natural shores, where they have sufficient cover from the sun when it sizzles mercilessly from the sky.

Finding a new stretch of water is a great thrill for me. The certainty of having found the right hotspot later can only be provided to the catfish angler by the sonar. Through the sonar, either in normal mode, but better still in side scan mode, we can see the catfish lying partly on the bottom of the water and can target them. However, I am personally very cautious and always try to keep as quiet and inconspicuous as possible. I know that catfish quickly run away when they sense danger. For this reason I follow a special tactic and always try to approach the target fish as quietly as possible.

Attack tactics on catfish

The supposed spots are, if possible, far with the combustion or electric motor around or passed only once. Depending on conditions and current speed, the predator angler should position himself 100 to 200 meters above the spot to prepare himself and the boat for the upcoming, first, as silent as possible drift. This is done by eliminating all objects on the boat that create unnecessary water turbulence and thus noise. If necessary, only the electric motor remains in the water to slow down the drift and correct the direction.

If the right fishing spot is sounded out, there must be an action after the third drift at the latest. If nothing happens, the echo sounder and the motor are used again. The catfish angler drives against the current at a speed of about seven km/h in side scan mode. He tries to spot fish lying on the bottom. When he has worked his way forward and catfish appear, a marker is set for the current position. In the following drift you then try to move the boat so that these fish can be targeted. This is where the echo sounder in conventional mode comes in handy. Due to the narrower transmission angle, you only see the fish on the screen that are actually in the immediate vicinity of the boat. Thus, you quickly learn whether it is the right area or whether the drift must be moved.

Why not follow this strategy from the beginning to locate the catfish quickly and to fish specifically? Once you have scouted out the hiding place of the catfish, the effective fishing time would be many times longer. Correct! It could be so beautiful! If it wasn't for the underwater noises of the motor and also the noises of the fish finder. Often we were close to the fish and in the following drift they suddenly disappeared without a trace. For this reason, the use of any aids should be minimized during the first drifts.

The double bottom: device and assembly

A very important component on the way to the vertical waller is the right assembly. Here you should leave nothing to chance in order to use the available fishing time as effectively as possible. Nothing is more annoying than going home at the end of the day with two missed bites - or in the worst case - even without any action. Therefore, the catfish angler should strive to choose his assembly and the associated components so that he always presents his bait perfectly and super catchy.

This is exactly why our range has been offering two excellent rigs for vertical fishing for some time now: The Black Cat Fire-Ball, for example, is quickly ready for use with its cast-in hook and does not require much effort to present baits attractively. Only a stinger with a treble or ghost hook should be connected to the eye of the Fire-Ball.

The Cat Ball without its own hook, on the other hand, requires a little more effort, including making its own vertical rig. However, the completion does not cost much effort and offers the advantage of being able to freely choose the distance between the Cat Ball and the bait fish. This opens the way to quickly and individually adapt to the prevailing water conditions and the associated biting behaviour of the catfish. Occasionally the decisive factor for success or failure!

Otherwise, all innovative and positive properties are the same for both variants. The shape of these leads were deliberately chosen during the development. The flattened side ensures that dead baits do not tip to the side despite setting down the assembly on the water bottom and are therefore still presented catchy. Due to the large surface area, there is solid bottom contact and sinking is significantly mitigated on a soft bottom. Both the Cat Ball and the Fire Ball are coated with a metal shielding layer. This is a big plus as catfish are known to be able to detect electromagnetic waves underwater and would more quickly associate a naked metal lure with danger. Both versions are also available in different colours. Among them are also shocking versions, which lead to a clear contrast and can trigger irritant bites.

The most important comes at the end:

Category: Device

The catfish rod should not be too long and not too heavy. An easy-to-handle rod is the best way to ensure a quick strike and fatigue-free fishing for hours on end. A fast and powerful blank transmits the strike particularly effectively. The ideal length of a vertical rod is 180 centimetres (+/- 20 centimetres).

The reel should also be rather small and light, but at the same time powerful and stable, so that it can withstand even the pressure of a very large catfish. Another very important point, which is often underestimated, is the use of the right line. It should have a high carrying capacity, be round braided, thin and smooth. This is the only way to offer the water little surface to attack and ensure good contact with the lure. Ideal conditions offer a braided line between 0.30 and 0.45 millimeters in diameter.

In summary, these are the most important points of my fishing agenda for vertical fishing for catfish. Perseverance and the associated learning process is also a very important key to lasting success. First of all, you should give yourself the necessary time to take a closer look at a body of water. Disappointments are also part of everyday fishing. But over time you'll get to know your water better and you'll know how things work, when and where you'll be successful and under what conditions. Stay on the ball and don't give up, because "the reward for the effort" is sure to come.

In search of the realm of the swimming giants - you too will become giants!

With this in mind, I wish you much fun and success with this unique type of fishing.

Your
Michael Koch
Team Black Cat