Catch Big Catfish on a Fly Rod and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

These 3 stories captured our Sports Illustrated fishing reader’s attention on Fishing on SI this past week.

How and Where You Can Catch Big Catfish on a Fly Rod; Teen Angler Lands Back-to-Back Monster Catfish, Including 109-Pound Giant; Berkley’s New ’Moeba Has One Big Advantage Over Other Urchin Bass Baits | Kylie Therrien | River Nicklen | Justin Hoffman

In case they slipped by you, following are the most read fishing stories of the week: How and Where You Can Catch Big Catfish on a Fly Rod; Teen Angler Lands Back-to-Back Monster Catfish, Including 109-Pound Giant; Berkley’s New ’Moeba Has One Big Advantage Over Other Urchin Bass Baits

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

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

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.

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…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

2.) Teen Angler Lands Back-to-Back Monster Catfish, Including 109-Pound Giant

14 year old River Nicklen with one of his massive hauls | River Nicklen

Fourteen-year-old River Nicklen is going to have a difficult time topping his late August fishing trip for the rest of his life.

The British schoolboy landed two monster catfish in one epic night at Houchins, a private fishing complex in Essex, a county to the northeast of London.

It was supposed to be about catching the last of the summer warmth and camping by a lake.

“I came to Houchins with little hope of catching because of this heat we’ve had this summer but this was the only time my dad could get a day off because he’s busy at work,” said Nicklen.

The elder Nicklen ended up with not even a bite, while his son landed two enormous fish several hours a apart…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

3.) Berkley’s New ’Moeba Has One Big Advantage Over Other Urchin Bass Baits

Berkley Moeba: Fad or Fish-Catching Phenom? | Justin Hoffman

I chose a favorite stretch of river for a first-time test of the Berkley 'Moeba. Although I had done a bit of research on tactics and retrieves previous to launching the boat that day, for the most part I was going in blind—which to be honest, is often the best way to truly see the merits (or downfalls) of a new bait or lure.

It didn't take long for the 'Moeba to make a solid first impression.

The first fish I landed on the 'Moeba, a chunky 4-pound bass, came charging out from the weed edge—after jigging the urchin a number of times—and simply engulfed the bait in the blink of an eye…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.