Fly fishing for Catfish

Fly fishing for the Southern  African sharptooth catfish (Clarius Gariepinus) and the Vundu (heterobranchus longifilis ) in Zimbabwe and upwards could perhaps be the most underrated or should I say undiscovered fly fishing adventures especially for the big fish hunters. I would go further to say that it could be the most underrated or again undiscovered species (from an angling perspective) in the world taking in consideration its distribution, success as a species, tot...

Fly fishing for mudfish

There are at least 80 species of Labeo or mudfish’s. They are specialised feeders of algae and have large inferior mouths with developed complex lips with grinding teeth in the pharynx and very long, coiled intestine.

The “Labeo umbratus” group consists of four species. They all tolerate low oxygen levels and have small scales except the seebri .They do well in dams. They also have two pairs of barbells. They turn a very dark almost black when spawning. Eggs hatch ...

Fly fishing for smallmouth yellowfish

Where to go for them

Many anglers don’t know the difference between the large and the smallmouth especially when they are around 300 mm especially beginners to the sport of fly fishing. Especially as some smallmouth yellowfish don’t have the very thick lips that most possess. They have two pairs of barbells though and eyes that are able to see below and to the sides. They occur higher than the largemouth yellowfish in smaller tributaries. They prefer cl...

Fly fishing for Largemouth Yellowfish

The Largemouth Yellowfish or Barbus Kimberleyensis is the largest scale bearing fish in Southern Africa and indeed in South Africa. It has a larger mouth than other yellowfish that terminates in thin lips. It has two pairs of smallish thin barbells with dorso –lateral eye placement. One of the differences between it and the smallmouth yellowfish is that you cannot see the eyes from below and more visible from the top. In other words they are good hunters...

Water temperature and fishing 2 micro.

Importance of understanding water temperature in fishing from an academicals point of view.

Just as temperature and its fluctuation is important for fish and aquatic invertebrates so is temperature naturally important for the angler. Why ? Well firstly because anything that causes the fish to stop biting concerns us so we need to know at least the basics of thermal stress. Too large fluctuations too soon up or down will immediately cause the fish to stop b...

Water temperature and fishing 1 macro.

Why is my fishing spot (pool) not so hot after the floods?

Recreational fishermen have for long participated in management and conservation of fish ...specifically because they mostly have a pool they call “my pool”. This could be a stretch of water ranging from 20 meters to 10 kilometres within a reserve or fishing resort, or a specific fishing spot along the banks of a major lake or dam. Now the contrary is also true in that many fishermen (sports f...

Catfish –to strike or not to strike 3 cont. The answers.

Cont,

3-What are the sizes of catfish in the area you are targeting and the size of the schools?

A very large catfish that have a defined territory will not be too aggressive when swallowing a piece of bait as it is not worried that a competitor might grab the bait before him or out of its mouth. It has a very unique type of bait but one of the easiest to recognise if you are used to the large catfish. 

4-Do you know what the habitat look...

To be able to correctly answer the question of when to strike you have to approach the situation from a scientific point of view and forget about what the winner of the previous competition told them or led them to believe.

To do this one needs to look at the anatomy and behaviour of the catfish and indeed any other fish that is targeted to be able to determine when to set the hook or lift the rod. Also understand that there is division betw...

In the decade and more that me and my boys have been targeting and researching specimen catfish and its habitat,  it soon dawned on me that the biggest question from most serious catfishermen was .. “when should I strike.” When the indicator or alarm makes the slightest noise in other words “single beeps” to “short bursts of beeps”  or should I wait until the alarms makes a “continuous fast nonstop series of beeps” or “ ma...