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Fisherboy0301

Big Catfish and a Broken 4wt

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Got out to do some fishing yesterday. Unfortunately as I was walking out the door, my rod closed in the screen door and snapped like a twig. No biggie it was a $60 4wt from Cabelas I'll get another one. However, this meant I was out a rod for yesterday's fishing. No worries, I had my trusty Tenkara rod! (Purists look away now!)

 

Ended up catching three catfish on my Tenkara rod. One was 24-25 inches! (My boot is 13, the boards are 8.)

 

All took mop flies. It was a great day. Had I weighed it, it would've probably been a state fly tackle record. If such a thing exists.

 

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I forgot to add my favorite saying. Tenkara is only for little fish! I think my next target on the fixed line will be a grass carp.

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Nice! I bet those cats worked you around a bit on a tenkara rod. If you were in a boat you could have let them drag you around like the old tuna fisherman used to do!

 

Got a pic of the fly dry?

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Nice eating size channel cat. I've seen folks catch some good size crappie and even bass on the telescoping graphite crappie rods, aka the poor man's tenkara rod. I'm in the process of redoing my mop flies. I initially did the collars with dubbing but found that it didn't hold up if you caught a few fish on one. Now I'm using sparkle chenille on the smaller sizes and estaz on the large ones. Adds a bit of flash to the fly. Haven't added soft hackle, that might be something to try.

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Those are little fish. Way to get out in the cold of winter. Oh wait you live somewhere warm don't you.

 

I think people say they are for little fish so you don't play the bigs ones to death. Maybe I'm wrong since I've never actually heard anyone say they are for little fish except in jest.

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Nice catfish! What test line do you have on that cane po ... tenkara rod?

 

My condolences on your fly rod.

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Actually since it's a fixed line and the fish can't run far, the fight is pretty short. The fish can't make long screaming runs that you have to retrieve one turn at a time.

 

I'll try to get a shot of the dry mop fly.

 

Mike, I'm using a 12' line made of furled 15lb Dacron fly line backing. The leader is about 4' of 14lb mono. The cats aren't too picky with the leader and the heavier the better since it takes lots of strain in the fight. If I had 10lb I'd use it though to save the rod. If the rod feels like it'll break, you just point at the fish and pop.

 

 

My girlfriend Charlotte got her first cat on the fly today. It was a big girl. She was ecstatic! Also on a mop fly! After missing two previous takes and. Breaking one off.

 

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