Successful expedition: catfish fishing in early spring on an unknown river

Successful Expedition: Catfish Fishing in Early Spring on an Unknown River (2010)

Successful Expedition: Catfish Fishing in Early Spring on an Unknown River (2010)

All winter long, whenever I had a free minute, I sat in front of the computer screen and studied the program "Google Earth". A brilliant invention! I marked interesting places, entered place names into search engines and added a few French terms - always hoping to discover a promising combination with the word "catfish"...

Departure for the exploration of unknown waters

In March we decided to explore a body of water where no one had ever specifically tried to catch catfish. I had read on some French forums about carp anglers who had occasionally caught small catfish there while fishing with boilies.

The river itself was an inconspicuous body of water, sometimes flowing as a narrow channel, sometimes as a small stream. Many anglers would not have even tried to catch pike or carp here, let alone catfish! But we wanted to prove that you don't necessarily have to go to large, well-known rivers to successfully fish for catfish. Where no one is fishing specifically, the potential often remains hidden - you just have to try it, regardless of the common stereotypes!

We also wanted to dispel the notion that there are no big catfish in small bodies of water...

adverse weather conditions

The weather forecast for our expedition days promised drastic cooling, constant rain and strong winds - and that's exactly what happened! The day before we left, the sun was still shining and temperatures climbed to 20 degrees. But on the morning of departure, the weather changed suddenly: the thermometer dropped to 6-7 degrees, a stormy wind raged and an icy March rain began. Already on the journey, the first voices were heard calling for a return home.

Firstly, we didn't know if there were any catfish there at all, and secondly, a sudden change in the weather made fishing difficult even in familiar waters. Nevertheless, we stuck to our plan to at least explore the unknown stretch of river.

First explorations by boat

After an arduous journey – anyone who has travelled in France knows the challenge – we finally stood on the bank of the murky river and looked at the wind-whipped water surface.

We quickly put the boat in the water, mounted three short rods and headed upstream to see if the area we had previously discovered on Google Earth was suitable for a stay of several days. On the way back we decided to make our first attempts with the catfish.

The place where we first landed was visually unspectacular, but we were surprised by the depth: an average of six meters – more than in many well-known rivers such as the Saône!

The search for catfish with the Clonk

By the way, I haven't fished on the Saône for years - there are more and more drunken people there who stuff their trunks full of fish to sell. That's exactly why I'm always drawn to more remote, quieter waters...

When we finally reached the spot we had spotted on satellite images, we were thrilled: an ideal place for our camp! The river widened considerably here: a rushing weir on the left, a natural tributary heavily clogged with Clonk on the right, and an underwater island in between. Perfect for testing different fishing methods on a wide variety of structures!

But the storm thwarted our plans. The current drove our boat westward, the hurricane eastward - even with a drift anchor, a targeted drift was not possible. Nevertheless, we insisted on putting out the first rigs with earthworms and using the catfish clonk.

The first catfish attack!

After a few minutes of tapping with the catfish clonk, Vadim's vertical rod suddenly started to twitch - several bites, then a pause, then another attack! The first attempts were in vain, but that alone was an encouraging sign: there were catfish here!

Unfortunately, fishing with the catfish was extremely difficult under these conditions. We decided to go back to the car, get the rest of our equipment and set up camp.

An ice-cold change in the weather

While we were setting up camp, the water temperature dropped rapidly. When we arrived, the depth sounder had shown 10-10.5 °C, but now it was only 8 °C! Such an abrupt drop in temperature will leave even the hungriest predators speechless...

To pass the time, we tried to catch some whitefish - and we were successful! We caught a few bream and a small trout.

An unexpected bite!

It was slowly getting dark. Since night fishing is forbidden in France, we soon had to take in all the rigs.
Suddenly the familiar clink of the fishing bell rang out! I jumped out of the tent and saw my catfish rod bending deeply - everything was now going according to routine: strike, alarm call to the comrades, quick fight with powerful equipment. Vadim grabbed the first catfish of the expedition by the jaw with gloves and pulled it onto land!

Cheers! The icy rain, the soaking wet clothes, all the exertions – everything was forgotten in the face of this well-fed bearded man!

We decided to keep the fish for a photo the next morning and continued to try our luck. A few more bites followed, but unfortunately they were unsuccessful.

The next morning – and another catfish!

After the photo session of the first catfish, the rigs were put out again. But despite all efforts, it remained quiet during the day - not even the whitefish wanted to bite anymore.

Finally, Vadim and I ventured out for one last boat trip on the Wallerholz. The storm whipped the waves across the narrow section of the canal. Suddenly: the engine failed! A look in the tank - empty!

Well, your own stupidity… So backtrack!

The second catfish!

In the evening, while we were sheltering from the storm in the tent, we heard the familiar clinking of the bell again! This time it was Vadim's rod. Again the same procedure: strike, quick fight, catfish on the landing tarpaulin!

A short time later, when it was getting dark, I landed another small catfish, which was immediately allowed to swim again.