Over the past 12 years I have fished almost exclusively for catfish during the summer months. As I gained more knowledge of the species it became a logical step to fish for them in the countries where they reach their full growth potential.
It was soon realised, however, that certain changes to the tackle would have to be made. Both my fishing partner, Rob Dixon, and myself found the idea of using tackle as close as possible to that used in the UK very appealing. We were to use our standard reels, but loaded with 25 lbs BS line giving us a capacity of about 170 yards. But what rod to use? Neither of us felt than an uptide rod or beachcaster would be any good; we required a rod that was designed primarily as a tool for playing fish rather than a rod with a casting action. At the N.A.S.A. conference in 1992 we approached most of the major blank manufacturers with a design brief of a MK IV carp rod with a test curve of 4 lbs and 12 feet long. We were both surprised that most of the people on the stands didn’t even know what a MK IV was; some attempted to sell us their latest 13 foot 3 1/2 lbs test fast-taper carp rod. We were not making very good progress, but then things changed. We were looking at the rods on the Bruce and Walker stand when Brian Potter approached us and inquired as to what we were looking for. When we mentioned “MK IV” to him, he knew exactly what we wanted, and went on to say that such a rod, constructed of carbon, would prove an interesting challenge to a blank manufacturer, and that he would do his best to produce what we required. A few months passed and then we received a call out of the blue. It was Mr Potter to say that he’d made up several blanks and discarded them but now had something he would like us to see. As Rob’s mum lived nearby he drove up to Upwood where he was made most welcome by the staff at Bruce and Walker. Mr Potter then showed Rob the blank and told him to pull on it as he grasped the tip. He pulled as hard as he dared but was being over careful since it had no reinforcing whippings. Mr Potter urged him to continue pulling and the rod took on a beautiful curve from just above the handle right through to the tip. He could not pull much harder with one hand, but there was still plenty in reserve. On his return Rob brought that first blank around to the workshop and I immediately set about working out the ring spacings and building it.
We took that first rod and used it on trips to Claydon and Rackley Hills. We didn’t hook any of the big fish in Rackley, but Rob did manage to land a 33lbs catfish at Claydon, which the rod handled with ease. During the winter the rod was used for heavy duty piking, casting baits of over 1 lb well over 60 yards. We were satisfied now that we were well equipped to land foreign catfish up to 50 lbs or so, which was all we could hope to catch. We just didn’t anticipate the kind of fishing we were about to experience. During nine days fishing on a Spanish river we landed five catfish over 80 lbs. The first fish that tested the rod was a mighty 101 lbs! To put this into perspective the Spanish record was then only 99lbs! We had been dubious as to whether the rods would set the large 6/0 hooks we were using, But every fish was securely hooked in the corner of the mouth, and very few runs were not hooked. The two fish Rob caught, weighing 98 lbs and 88 lbs were both hooked in a powerful current and fought very hard, eventually kiting into the bank some 50 yards downstream. He then had to haul them back towards him against the current which was no easy task for any rod. The 98-pounder’s initial run was so powerful that as he engaged the reel Rob was bounced alarmingly close to the edge of the steep bank! Fortunately he managed to back the clutch off just in time. One of the fish I landed at 86 lbs managed to foul a Belgian angler’s line. The Belgian refused to believe that he had not got a run, and proceeded to play the fish using a lever-drag multiplier loaded with a 40 lbs BS line and a 10 oz uptide rod. I managed to haul the fish back against both the current and a 16 stone Belgian pulling as hard as he could at the other end! Only when Rob netted the fish did our Belgian friend believe the mistake he’d made. Taking all of this into consideration, and also reading reports of anglers taking over an hour to land fish of the same size or smaller, using the uptide rod/multiplier combination, we now believe that we have the ultimate rod for bank fishing for catfish abroad. Maybe if fish approaching 200 lbs were the norm, we would look at having the test curve stepped-up: that’s something that hopefully one day we will find out. A shorter version of the rod for boat fishing is now in development and we will be trying that out next.
Since these early days the rods have landed many cats over 100lb the biggest a monster of 178lbs! The average time taken to land a treble (100lb+) is a timed 7mins. None of your 15min to an hour as with the uptide tackle! The customers who accompany me on trips to Spain are also supplied with these rods. They have seen a lot of action and abuse! I have never had and have never heard any complaints. Not the cheapest option by far but if you are spending all that hard earned cash to travel abroad then it seems daft to scrimp on this most important piece of kit. Another bonus for freshwater only anglers is that the rod can be used for pike back in the UK as well. Despite its ability to land these huge cats it still responds nicely to the smaller pike. Great for putting a large deadbait or livebait on a sunken paternoster rig a long way out. Both blanks and ready-constructed rods are available from Bruce & Walker. The price will depend on your exact specifications. Contact Brian Potter. If you wish to build your own and would like to know the build specifications I use please feel free to contact me at the usual addresses. PRODUCT: Bruce & Walker Continental Catfish Rod |
Welcome!Log into your account
