Catfish fishing with a catfish clonk: Avoid these mistakes when clonking for catfish.

Author: Vitali Dalke

Greetings, fellow anglers! Let's talk about strategy when using a catfish clonk for catching catfish. I often see beginners, but also experienced catfish anglers, making the same mistakes over and over again, which ultimately send them home empty-handed. I've identified six main mistakes when using a catfish clonk, and correcting them will radically change your results.

Mistake 1: Collecting passion instead of mastery

The first thing a beginner encounters is marketing. You're told you need a special catfish clonk for shallow water, one for the river, and a third for the lake. In the end, you have a whole pile of "firewood" in your boat, but no success. My advice is simple: Choose one model that feels good in your hand and stick to that one.

Vitali Dalke tests different catfish clonks on the water.

There are no "miracle catfish clonk" tools. The whole secret lies in your hands. Once you're used to a tool, you can use it in all conditions – whether it's waves, wind, or calm. Constantly switching clonk tools disrupts your muscle memory. You waste precious fishing time trying to find your way around it again instead of catching fish. The best clonk tool is the one you can use on autopilot for hours without having to think about the technique.

A catfish clonk by Vitali Dalke - "SOMurai"

Mistake 2: Fixating on familiar places

Many anglers follow a predictable pattern: they drive to a known deep spot and fish it from morning till night. This is a dead end. Firstly, such spots are often under enormous fishing pressure. If ten boats have already crossed overhead and hundreds of blows have been made with a catfish clonk, the fish simply stop responding.

Vitali Dalke caught this catfish a long time ago in the Upper Rhine using a catfish clonk.

Secondly, catfish aren't always found at the deepest point. They can be found along drop-offs, at a depth of 5-6 meters within a total depth of 12 meters, or even moving into the channel or shallower water. If you've fished a promising spot and aren't seeing any fish rising on your fish finder, don't keep fishing it endlessly. Move on, look for new spots, and check shallower areas. Sometimes catfish are found in completely inconspicuous, monotonous stretches of water with no structure. You can return to the deep holes later, once the fish have settled down.

Mistake 3: Fishing according to the same schedule

This mistake is closely related to the choice of fishing spot. Many anglers get into the habit of always fishing at the same time, for example, strictly from morning until midday. But the river operates according to its own rules. The catfish's activity depends on the weather, air pressure, and the migration of prey fish. Yesterday it might have been biting at dawn, tomorrow it won't come out until sunset.

Often, the midday hours are promising when using a catfish clonk.

The catfish clonk is a tool that can rouse passive catfish. But if you see dozens of rising fish on the fish finder, yet you're not getting any bites, it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. The catfish simply aren't feeding at the moment. Try shifting your fishing time. If it was quiet in the morning, come back in the evening. The ability to adapt is a catfish angler's most important weapon.

Vitali Dalke prefers late afternoon to catch catfish with a catfish clonk.

Mistake 4: Panicked bait change

It often goes like this: The catfish rises, approaches the bait, looks at it, and turns away. The angler panics and starts changing baits: earthworm, mussel, liver, baitfish. Don't turn your boat into a snack bar.

A bunch of earthworms is one of the best baits when clonking.

If the catfish isn't biting, it's usually not the bait, but its mood. I often prefer fishing with earthworms. They're a versatile, fragrant, and lively bait. If the catfish isn't interested in a bunch of fresh worms, it probably won't be attracted to anything else either. Trust your bait and don't waste time constantly changing your rig. Use that time to search for active fish in another location.
A slight contradiction to this: If there is extreme fishing pressure on a body of water and almost everyone is fishing with earthworms, then it is exactly the right time to offer the catfish something completely different.

One of Vitali Dalke's biggest catfish, which he managed to outsmart with a clonk and baitfish.

Mistake 5: “Jackhammer technique” and monotony

Let's talk about technique. I've often seen anglers hammering the water with their catfish clonk without pausing, like they're using a jackhammer. That's wrong. The tapping should be deliberate. In strong currents, you need to use the clonk more often, while in calm water, longer breaks are necessary.

Vitali Dalke and his son caught this small catfish at a depth of only 2 meters. The clonking technique must be adapted to different situations.

Monotony is also detrimental. Don't tap like a robot: three taps – pause, three taps – pause. Vary the rhythm! Make two strong, loud taps and one deep, bassy one, and wait. Then a series of, for example, five taps in different pitches. Your most important guide is the fishfinder. Observe the fish's reaction. Sometimes it takes a series of hard taps to entice the catfish, and sometimes a single light tap is enough to pique its interest. Learn to read the fish's mood on the fish finder screen.

Mistake 6: Unnecessary movements when encountering fish

This is the crucial moment where many fail. You see a thick line on the screen, rapidly approaching your bait. Adrenaline surges, and your hand starts to twitch telltalely on the rod, trying to "trick" the fish. This is a fatal mistake. In rare cases, you can move the lure slightly, but this must be done extremely gently.

As soon as the catfish is at the bait: freeze! Any sudden movement of the bait up or down will spook the cautious predator. Only microscopic movements are allowed. When the catfish swims past the bait, raise the rig very slowly to its level, but without any jerking.

Vlad Dalke with his first catfish using a clonk

And one more nuance – the strike: Don't strike on the first contact unless the bite is powerful. Catfish usually test the bait cautiously first, sucking it in. When you feel pressure or a distinct pull, give the rod a slight forward movement, allow it one or two seconds to swallow, and only then set a strong strike.

Avoid these mistakes, observe nature, and that trophy catfish will surely end up in your boat. See you on the water!

Vitali Dalke caught his first catfish with a catfish clonk on the Rhine as early as the beginning of 2000.