How and Where You Can Catch Big Catfish on a Fly Rod

I never had much interest in fly fishing for channel catfish. Then I hooked a 25-pounder, and that changed quickly.

This big cat hit a 3" chartreuse Clouser minnow being stripped back on a sinking line. | Photo by Kylie Therrien

Imagine wading fifty feet into a shallow river. You don’t need to be a great caster—forty feet is plenty—and you don’t need a box full of fancy flies. A simple three-inch Clouser will do. Get those things right, and you have a good chance of hooking a 20- to 30-pound fish that will take you into your backing and test your skills.

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The Red River - A Premier Trophy Channel Catfish Fishery

It wasn't the most attractive river. The water was brown, and the shoreline was covered in large, broken limestone riprap—plastic bottles and fishing line littered among the rocks.

I was in Lockport, a small town 40 minutes outside Winnipeg, fishing with Elise Wood of Hunt Fish Manitoba and Kylie Therrien, an outdoor educator. They invited me to fish for channel catfish on a fly rod. For whatever reason, I didn't hear that part; I was thinking I'd try for some carp or drum. Fly fishing for catfish wasn't high on my wish list. 

Kylie has plenty of experience fighting and landing big channel cats on the Red River. | Photo provided by Kylie Therrien

St. Andrews Lock and Dam on The Red River

Anglers lined the bank with heavy conventional rods and reels suited for saltwater fishing—more tackle than anyone should need for a freshwater river. I assumed these were weekend anglers fishing second-hand gear who simply didn’t know any better.  

We walked two hundred yards downriver where there was less of a crowd. We waded out about fifty yards and then back upriver. Kylie instructed that we wanted to get close to the dam and out of casting distance of the shore anglers. 

Muddy water and big rocks, perfect habitat for channel catfish, but make for difficult wading. | Photo by Elise Wood

This is not easy wading. The current isn't so bad, but because of the large, sharp rocks and the lack of visibility in the water, I had to use the Braille method, or I would end up tripping face-first into the drink. I didn't want a mouthful of brown water. 

We get into position, and before I make my first cast, the water explodes about 30 yards out. It isn’t a small splash. It sounds like someone dropped a large boulder into the river.

My adrenaline spikes. “What was that!” I ask Kylie.

“Probably a channel cat.”

As soon as she says it, the water erupts again about 20 yards upstream.

If those splashes are made by channel cats, I suddenly want to catch a channel cat. 

Big Baitfish, Violent Strikes

For 30 minutes I cast as far as I can and strip back a chartreuse-and-white Clouser. I hook several mooneye, silvery baitfish larger than my hand, and even foul-hook one in the back. That leads me to believe the river is loaded with large schools of these baitfish, and the catfish are feeding on them. The mooneye's size may also explain why the surface strikes were so violent. These aren’t tiny minnows. 

Now, those heavy saltwater rods I’d seen along the bank were starting to make sense.

A Small Clouser Does the Trick

I did an amateur bonehead move and forgot my big saltwater streamers in the truck, so I stuck with the small 3" Clouser. After another fifteen minutes of casting upstream and letting the Clouser swing in the current while giving it subtle action, I get a strong tug on my line. I strip-set, and I'm into something strong and heavy.

The take was solid, and the fight was a punch fest. You have to keep the fish out of the main current, or you will be in for a long fight down to your backing. | Photo by Kylie Therrien

I Did Not Expect This

The fish doesn't make long runs; it's more of a slugfest. It is as stubborn as a big-headed catfish looks. Twenty minutes later, I get it to the net. A 25lb channel cat, and I'm enjoying myself far more than I thought I ever would while fishing for catfish.

The Gear Used

Fly rod:  A Hardy Ultralite X, 9'6", 7-Weight. This is my favorite rod when fishing streamers in lakes and large rivers, especially if I want to cast for distance. If I were to do it again, I'd fish an 8-weight, or even a 9-weight. These fish are big and strong. Plus, I'd throw big baitfish streamers like a CF Baitfish on a sinking line. The fish get big, and when they use the current against you, a stout rod is your friend. 

When I fish this river again, I'm bumping up to an 8 or 9-weight rod. The cats get BIG in this water. | Photo by Kylie Therrien

Reel: Hardy Kelly Gallup Averon Streamer Fly Reel

Fly line: SA 3D Sonar Titan 3D Triple Density 3/5/7. The last 35 feet of the line sinks at 7 ips. A sinking line is a must to increase your chances of catching a cat.

Fly: I caught my cat on a 3" Clouser, and it's the fly that Kylie uses the most. If I were to fish the river again, I'd bring some big bait streamers like the CF Baitfish. I'd also like to try a topwater with a big profile and a floating line. I saw too many big splashes on top not to think a topwater bite was possible. 

Leader: Monofilament for topwater, fluorocarbon for streamers. Make sure it is rated high for abrasion. You have a lot of rocks to contend with, and the mouth of a channel cat is like sandpaper. I like Seaguar line. 

Outfitters

• City Cats Guiding Service
• Blackwater Cats Outfitter
  

Kylie with a big channel cat below the St. Andrews Lock and Dam on Manitoba’s Red River. | Photo provided by Kylie Therrien

Lodging

• Fancy: Fort Garry Hotel
• Functional: Canalta Hotel Selkirk

Fly Fishing Manitoba

• For more information on fly fishing Manitoba.

I’ll never look down my nose at fly fishing for catfish again. This trip was a blast. The Red River is easy to reach from Winnipeg International Airport, with plenty of public access for a DIY day on the water. Your chances of hooking a big channel catfish are good—and once you figure out the fly and the retrieve, there’s a good chance you’ll hook more than one. ~ KB

Follow me on Instagram @KenBaldwin7. I share the stories behind my articles, photography from my fly-fishing adventures, gear I’m testing, wildlife encounters, and the outdoor places that inspire them.

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"Slow down...listen to the hoppers...be patient with yer wife...eat sardines with hot sauce... catch “Gagger” trout!!!" –Flip Pallot