PB flyrod catfish

It seems there's been more interest in both fly fishing and personal bests around here lately, so I figured I may as well share one of my recent experiences.

I did already post about this on a fishing forum, so will posting on another forum make me a social media influencer, or just an attention fluffy kittens?

I'd recently finished building a 4-wt fiberglass flyrod that I was going to use for bream fishing this spring. Once the epoxy dried, I couldn't wait to get it out and give it a test drive, so I headed to one of the local family fishing lakes with a cooler of ice and the idea of bringing home a pile of bluegills.

I quickly found out that this was the world's worst bluegill rod.

A few pics from the trip.


This was where I was fishing just before the sky opened up on me. There was 1 cloud. It hovered over the lake and dumped rain for a solid 20 minutes.


The fly I used. Just a clouser tied with EP fibers. Bluegills normally tear this thing up.


Me, using the camera to shield my face from a flyrod that I was certain was going to explode at any second.

I've been fly fishing for warm water fish for a long time, but have never caught a catfish on one before. That changed.


My first catfish on a flyrod. I don't really keep track of this stuff, but I'm pretty sure that makes it my PB.

That was quickly followed by another.


Bigger than the first, so I now have another PB.

Then, another.


My biggest one yet.

I did catch a few bass but couldn't catch a single bluegill. I may have to build another rod this winter and rub it up against Ruger for some of that good bream mojo.

Love it man! You have a talent for making great posts the way you tell the story. I have caught a grand total of ONE catfish on a fly rod and I also was fishing for Bluegill but in a small stream. It ate a stonefly nymph and I didn't have a clue what pulling so hard! Lol

CATCHDAWG said:

Love it man! You have a talent for making great posts the way you tell the story. I have caught a grand total of ONE catfish on a fly rod and I also was fishing for Bluegill but in a small stream. It ate a stonefly nymph and I didn't have a clue what pulling so hard! Lol

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I try to tell the story how I think people want to hear it and not so much how it actually happened. This is the internet, so facts are irrelevant.

Buzzard Breath said:

I try to tell the story how I think people want to hear it and not so much how it actually happened. This is the internet, so facts are irrelevant.

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Like I always say, never let the truth get in the way of a good story!
Seriously though, that had to be fun!

I would use live crickets on a fly rod for bream. I caught a 3-4lb channel cat one time and it was the fight of a lifetime getting that thing in. Definitely a fun fight!

clwg97 said:

I would use live crickets on a fly rod for bream. I caught a 3-4lb channel cat one time and it was the fight of a lifetime getting that thing in. Definitely a fun fight!

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Live bait and fly rod should NEVER be used in the same sentence!

CATCHDAWG said:

Live bait and fly rod should NEVER be used in the same sentence!

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Then you've got quite the beef with Ernest Hemingway…dude's short stories about fly fishing seem to involve live bait.

younggun308 said:

Then you've got quite the beef with Ernest Hemingway…dude's short stories about fly fishing seem to involve live bait.

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Instead of tying a cricket fly and it wearing out after 3 bream I would rather fish with live crickets and put a new one on. And if you have ever tried to cast a fly rod with a live cricket on it you know there is still a challenge in it.

younggun308 said:

Then you've got quite the beef with Ernest Hemingway…dude's short stories about fly fishing seem to involve live bait.

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Well I never met her and I will stick with my statement...

ernest hemingway lied a lot and was batshit crazy. but he was a brilliant writer.

nice cats.

Outstanding. Try for a carp in the skinny stick.

Caught about a 4lb cat on the Nolichucky using hellgrammites for bait on my 7 weight fly rod,, caught it in a cave lol twas a good fight, had been catching smallies all day when I found the little cave and poked a bait into it, feet were worn out after flopping around all day in the water

Fellow member setterman can catch some big ole carp on the fly rod. Personally you can NEVER beat the fight of a trout or a big ole brown fish, both of them are my favorites! Makes
Me want to go out now lol

akachuck said:

Fellow member setterman can catch some big ole carp on the fly rod. Personally you can NEVER beat the fight of a trout or a big ole brown fish, both of them are my favorites! Makes
Me want to go out now lol

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The fight of any fish on a fly rod is worth the time and effort. Carp will grow bigger than trout or smallmouth. A bluegill will turn at a right angle...like pulling a board through the water sideways. I built a 6 ft. 2 wt. rod for fishing small streams and ponds. Fun!!!

Very cool man

younggun308 said:

Then you've got quite the beef with Ernest Hemingway…dude's short stories about fly fishing seem to involve live bait.

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I think that was the reason he blew his brains out…… the deep remorse he had for using bait and a flyrod.