Dave Bergman holds a bullhead catfish that he caught on a fly rod.
Catfishing on the Fly
by Anietra Hamper
Enjoy some new rod-bending opportunities in springtime waters.
When the spring fishing is slow for fly angler Dave Bergman, he sets his sights on another opportunity – catfish. As the owner of Hendersonville Outfitters in Hendersonville, North Carolina, and an avid fly fisherman, Bergman, like most anglers, looks for ways to keep his line in the water even during off-peak times for his preferred trout fishing. Catfish that are visible in the shallow spring rivers and lakes present an easy opportunity for sight casting to catch them on a fly rod.
“When you see catfish in shallow water, they look big and if you’re a fly fisherman already, in your mind, you’re like, oh, I could sight cast that,” said Bergman. “It’s not the most effective method of fishing for them, but if they see something go right by their face, they’ll bite at it.”
Missouri fly angler Tyler Dykes also stumbled on fly fishing for catfish by accident.
“It was never something that I set out to do. It was just something that just kind of fell in my lap,” said Dykes. “I got tired of having to wait between my fly-fishing trips, and it just kind of dawned on me one day. I wondered if I could catch other stuff on a fly rod.”
As a science teacher who goes by the name ShowMeFlyGuy in fishing circles, Dykes lives about 100 miles from the closest trout waters. So, he turned to local farm ponds and lakes to see what else might hit on a fly.
“I’ll be darned if I didn’t start catching largemouth bass and bluegills,” he said. “Then, the first time that I caught a catfish, I thought, why? Like, how did this happen? What is the reasoning behind this? And the more I fished in the warmer, still water and impoundments, the more I started to catch them.”
Where to Target Catfish on the Fly
Catfish are readily available in many bodies of water, so the key to targeting them with a fly rod is knowing the time of year and water conditions to find them.
Channel catfish are the most prevalent to catch on fly rods as they are the most active and most voracious. Anglers can target them in many bodies of water like dam outflows and shallow lakeshores or rivers.
As catfish start to come to the shallow water to spawn in the spring, they become territorial and aggressive, making a passing fly seem appealing and making sight-casting easier for anglers.
Flathead catfish on the fly are not as common but are found under logs. Heading to mid-country rivers like Wateree in South Carolina or the Cape Fear River in North Carolina in sections where the water is not moving like an eddy or bank are often where you will find them.
Bullhead catfish or an occasional blue catfish are also possible catches but less likely.
In Midwest waters, Dykes has had luck in the early to late summer months fishing near structure and cover in the early mornings. Though just an observation, Dykes has noticed another pattern during his catfish-on-the-fly experiences.
“When we catch a catfish, it’s usually after catching a few bluegills as a process,” he said. “So, I think they’re hanging out with the bluegills. Maybe they’re feeding on the same thing, or maybe they’re feeding on the bluegills because I’ve caught them on small hooks and small flies.”
Light Gear, Big Fight
While it’s a small community of fly anglers that target catfish, and most who do it admit is mostly an opportunistic endeavor, they enjoy the thrill of the fight catching a flathead or channel catfish on the fly rod.
“Once they know they’re hooked, they use those big paddle tails and kind of just take off, and it’s a good heavy fight, especially if you’re targeting them where you can see them. They just kind of rip the line out of the reel, which is fun,” said Bergman.
Bergman uses a 9-weight fly rod, whereas Dykes prefers to get the most out of the thrill of the fight going even lighter.
“I’ve caught them on 3-weight fly rods, which is an absolute blast,” Dykes said. “They will double that entire rod completely over. It is such a thrill to catch something that fights so hard, especially on light tackle.”
Gear Setup
Unlike most fly-fishing set-ups that have floating line, catfishing requires a sinking fly line. A 185-grain weight fly line is a good place to start.
Bergman suggests using a streamer fly tied on a 1/0 hook and experimenting with a stinger hook, which is something that catfish anglers might already be familiar with.
To help present the fly, anglers can use a 1/4-ounce teardrop sinker positioned 12 inches above it.
When it comes to flies, anglers want something that can move a lot of water.
“I like something that looks like either a baitfish or something kind of bulky and feathery so they can pick up those movements on their barbels and their lateral line,” said Bergman. “Are these big flies? Not necessarily.”
Dykes keeps his options simple using one of two flies tied onto a 1/80-ounce jig hook placed two to three feet under a strike indicator. The two flies are popular features in his online Etsy store for anglers who want to try it but not invest a lot of time figuring out what to use.
“One is olive with yellow eyes, and I call that one a John Deere. The other one is called a standard, and that’s an all-black one with a chartreuse head,” said Dykes.
Whether it’s fly anglers looking to fill the fishing gaps in spring and early summer or catfish anglers looking for a new way to target their species of choice, trying a fly rod in the right water conditions can tick a lot of boxes for anglers looking for a fun way to change up the routine.
(Anietra Hamper is a career television news anchor and investigative journalist turned award-winning travel writer, book author and speaker who is passionate about fishing and outdoor adventure. Anietra travels the world fishing for catfish and other unique species in new destinations.)
