Wels catfish in United Kingdom — catches, stats & how to catch
The wels catfish is the largest predator of lowland rivers: fish deep holes and channel edges at night with bottom rigs, clonking and heavy jigs through summer. Map, top water bodies, and analytics — based on real angler reports.
Bite calendar for Wels catfish
The best days and hours to fish — a bite forecast factoring in pressure, wind, temperature, and the moon phase.
Open the bite forecast →Wels catfish bite forecast by region in United Kingdom
Description and behaviour
The wels catfish is the largest predator of lowland rivers. In its southern strongholds it regularly reaches trophy sizes of 30–50 kg, and rare specimens top 100 kg, while in cooler northern waters fish of 15–25 kg already count as a good catch. The body is scaleless and coated in thick slime, with a huge mouth and the characteristic barbels — a short pair by the nostrils and a long pair reaching back to the pectoral fins.
By day the catfish is almost motionless: it holds in deep holes, under sunken timber, along steep undercut banks and in channel troughs where the water temperature stays more stable. Activity rises sharply at dusk and through the night, when the predator moves onto the feeding flats and channel edges, hunting shoals of baitfish and crayfish.
In warm southern rivers the catfish thrives on the abundance of food and the long warm season, and these waters produce the bulk of the trophy fish. In colder regions it grows more slowly because of the short warm season, so genuinely large specimens are a rarity for the local angler.
Spawning and seasons
The catfish spawns once the water warms to about 18–20 °C — from late May through June in warmer regions, and somewhat later, often the second half of June, in cooler climates. A pair builds a primitive nest of plant debris in shallow, slack water, and the male guards the eggs for a while after they hatch. A seasonal closed season applies during this period; the exact dates and boundaries are set by the local fishing rules and should be checked before heading out.
After spawning the catfish feeds hard to recover, and this is one of the most productive spells of the year. The active season runs from late June into September, with the peak in July and August, when the water is at its warmest — the deeper reaches of the larger rivers give up most of the season's fish then.
As the water cools in autumn, activity falls off; the catfish drops into deep wintering holes and all but stops feeding until the following summer.
When it bites
The best times for catfish are warm summer nights and the hours before dawn, when big fish move onto the shallow flats and channel drop-offs to feed. Activity peaks on moonless or overcast nights: the catfish orients by vibration and scent rather than sight, so darkness is no hindrance.
The bite often improves before a thunderstorm and in muggy, still weather — as the pressure falls the fish turn more aggressive. Rising, murky water after a flood is traditionally rated a good time for bottom fishing, whereas a sharp cold snap or a steady north wind drives the catfish down into the holes and the bites all but stop.
Daytime chances at a big fish are lower, but in overcast, rainy weather with stable pressure the catfish may feed in daylight too, especially to clonking worked over the channel edges.
Methods and tackle
The classic method on the big southern rivers is clonking from a boat: with a special tool the angler makes a distinctive plopping sound underwater that mimics a feeding catfish, drawing the predator to a large jig or a dead baitfish near the bottom. It calls for a boat, experience and knowledge of the hole's contours, but it produces trophy takes.
From the bank, powerful bottom rigs are effective — a feeder or a heavy leger rod rated from 150 g, a reel loaded with plenty of line or braid of 0.3–0.35 mm and up, and a sliding sinker. These are set on the channel edges and by the holes where fish move up to feed in the dark.
Jig fishing from a boat with large soft plastics of 60–150 g worked along the channel drop-off is another way to locate an active fish, especially on unfamiliar water where clonking is not yet producing. Note that on many rivers the productive holes are leased to fishing operators, so it is worth checking the status of a stretch and whether a permit is required.
Baits and lures
The main classic bait is a bunch of lobworms or a medium dungworm, especially for smaller catfish. For trophy fishing the baits get bulkier: livebait (gudgeon, small silver bream, small roach or bleak), a piece of mussel or swan-mussel flesh, or strongly scented chicken liver and offal.
For clonking, anglers more often hook a large livebait or a whole dead fish, and less often a cluster of earthworms. Jig lures are dark-coloured soft plastic twisters and paddletails 15–20 cm long that work well in current; large crankbaits are used too, mainly when jigging from a boat over a channel drop-off where a promising stretch has to be searched quickly.
The catfish orients by scent and vibration, so strongly smelling baits — off fish, liver, some fermented groundbaits — often out-fish fresh, neutral offerings.
Playing and landing
On the strike the catfish makes a powerful run for the bottom and tries to take the tackle into sunken timber or under a steep bank — the first seconds of the fight are the most critical, and it is vital to lead the fish away from cover with the drag straight away. A big fish will circle on the bottom for a long time, so reel and rod must be rated for loads of 20–30 kg.
The net or gaff for a trophy catfish needs to be a strong one, and a fish is best lifted by two people — at over fifty kilos it can easily injure your back if gripped wrong. There are no dangerous teeth inside the mouth, but the strong grip of the jaws and violent thrashing on the bank call for care.
On many waters size and daily bag limits apply to catfish — check them in advance. With a large trophy it is sensible to take a photo and release the fish: catfish stocks recover slowly, and the mature breeding fish are especially valuable for the population.