I have only ever caught one Wels catfish in my life. It weighed 11lbs and was taken from the Shoulder-of-Mutton Pond at Woburn Abbey many years ago.
Since then I have caught hundreds of Sharptooth catfish, the vast majority by accident whilst fishing for other species. These catfish do not grow as big as the Wels, a good one would be over 30 lbs, and a big one over 50 lbs. They can reach 100 lbs on odd occasions.
But they are found in numbers, in just about every river, stream or stillwater in Southern Africa.
The easiest was to catch a big one is to use the head section of a small carp with the entrails hanging. Chuck it out, anywhere you like and sooner or later it will get snaffled by a Sharpie. Some people in SA actually call them "barbel"!
They fight very hard, yet are as ugly as sin.
Many years ago I took to reading the books of HP Lovecraft. Those of you who have also read Lovecraft will know of the horrors he described that came form the depths of the ocean. Well the first time I caught a Sharpie, I was mindful of Lovecraft.
There is no more ugly fish that swims than an African Sharpie!
