Flathead rigs that I use - Whats yours?

I know we are a good ways away from this target fish but for anyone interested in trying to tie into one of these fish, this is as good a time as any to start learning some new tricks.
I will put what has worked for me up here and hope that maybe someone else also has some tips they dont mind sharing.


____________ #1

Favorite Rig

My favorite Flathead rig pictured is for keeping the bait pinned in current or when fishing up against structure. Keeps the bait off the bottom and I have caught alot more fish since I have been using this set up. Can be a pain to cast but it works great.



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I use the light leader to the weight so that I can get an easy break off if the weight gets lodged and that's why I use a large swivel... so that the bait leader swivel will hold against it. The bait is free to swim up or down between the swivel and bobber. The bait leader swivel acts like a three way... allowing the bait to swim in circles without tangling in the main line.

I don't know if this is something others have seen but I haven't seen anyone use it where I have fished. Sometimes I will just leave the bobber stop off so that the fish is allowed to run without feeling the weight.... such as when using a kahle and clicker. Doing this requires (IMO) a very long rod to make up that double line on the hook set and that's why I use a 14' rod when setting up this way. 8' rod seems to work fine when tight lining with a circle hook.

___________#2

Bait



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I like to use panfish when I can and I always trim the spines off the fins before hooking them up. I also cut the tail fin way down so that the bait must move more to keep righted. I try and keep the amount I take off the dorsal and pectoral fins to a minimum. If too much is taken off, then the bait will have to work to hard to stay righted, which will stress out the bait and kill it faster.

This is a technique that I learned while bottom fishing for grouper on party boats. The grouper always seemed to hammer the baits that were modified in such a way, compared to those baits that were left natural. This is why I started doing the same thing for Flatheads.

I will mention that when I am running a flathead rig with such a bait, I will occasionally catch very large channel cats and this has happened many times while I am fishing among people who are targeting channels but are not catching the larger ones that I take. This has been the rule and not the exception... So I felt it was worth mentioning.

Not sure if this is common knowledge.... again, I have not seen others doing the same thing so this may be a good tip for those wanting to try something new in their approach.

_____________#3

Something I have been trying



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This may explain why I sometimes attract those channel cats.

Last year I started adding more pizazz to my live baits by attaching a section of sponge to my hook, before attaching my bait fish. I use those little dish sponges that are maybe a 1/2" X 5" X 3" that you would typically see with or without the scrubbing side on them. I get the smooth ones for this. I will cut the sponge in to 1" X 1" sections and throw them in my tackle box so they are ready to use.

When I am ready, I will use a fish oil to saturate them and then push the barb of the hook through the center. Sometimes when I tie the hook, I will leave maybe 3/8" of line past the knot and then push the sponge past that tab so that the sponge cannot slide back down onto the hook. Most times I put it just as it is in the attachment above.

I like the idea of adding one more attractant that aids the flatheads in finding my bait but I am still playing with attractant types since the performance is hit and miss. When I don't catch fish... is it the fact that there were none or that they just didn't like my attractant?.
This is why I am on and off with this idea. It's hard to commit to something that doesn't show above average results but I really believe this makes sense.

Figured I would mention it in case someone has a suggestion for improving on this attractor.



#4
Philosophy on shoreline fishing

I have really put a lot of time into this fish as far as study goes and while I have not had the opportunity to apply the boating principals on rivers, I don't know as I have seen area's (while in my boat) that are better than the shoreline when talking about the lakes I have fished. That is to say any spot that I want to fish can be accessed from a shoreline.
I suppose if you cant get to the shore line of an island or the outer shoreline of a lake and a boat is the only way to get it done, then you need a boat but my point is that the best fishing is generally near the shore IMO.

The biggest Flatheads I have seen taken out of the lakes I have fished have come from water that averages less that half the average depth of the lake from which they were taken. Many times the big fish are taken within 15' of shore or closer (on a cut out bank) which makes sense to me since much of the trash that is in a lake is at it's edges. Falling tree's, clean fill being dumped (illegal fill being dumped).... it all makes for good cover.
Shorelines also make great ambush points for predators as we all know. Much easier for a flatty to catch a fish in 2' of water than 10'.

I like cut out banks that fade to the bottom and don't bother with flats. I have never caught a good flathead on a flat but have caught many on the edge of a flat that drops away quickly. Sometimes such an area can be 100 yards off the shoreline but is still doable with the proper rod and a tough bait. An ell, an 8oz. bell sinker and a bobber would be an example of something that can be cast 100 yards or more with a 12-14' spin caster. such a bait will arrive at touch down in good condition and will be alive when flatty comes by an hour or two later.



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When fishing for flatheads I use two rods with one being set in 4'-6' of water and the other in 6'-8' of water or as close to those depths as can be judged. I run my baits 2' under the surface at all times so that the bait is trying to escape further than the bobber will allow. I don't use a bobber that the bait cannot pull down. I want my bobber sized so that a bait can take it down for maybe 30 seconds or a little longer and no less than half that time. The reason being is that if a bait can get close to the bottom it will continue to do so. After each run at the bottom the bait will rest and then attempt to dive again. This makes for a lot of movement... which attracts Mr. Flatty.

I do not like fishing close to cover and do not feel there is any reason to. I want to have cover close by but I will be 20' or more from it when the bait is taken. The largest flatheads I have seen would spool many people's rigs and strip a lot of drag on the best set ups. By the time I set the hook and lose what line I am going to lose on the first run... I don't want to be in the trash where a big cat can just tangle me up and break me off. My thought is that if I am using the right bait with the proper presentation I don't have to put it in his face because he will find it soon enough. A true trophy flathead isn't going to fill up on the fish around his home... he is going to have to roam around a bit to find that much food. 20-30' is close enough for me.

Now with all of this said.... I understand this is not the last word on the subject, so if you have something to add or point out to me... please do. I am always ready and willing to learn from other catfisherman out there

___________#5

Weather effect and my observations.

The best flathead fishing conditions that have consistently produced for me are the worst nights to be sitting outside. The windier the better and thunderstorms just add to the bite. I know that many flatheaders say that the best bite is in the early morning between 2-4 A.M. (and maybe it is) but the best nights I have had is within 1 1/2 hours after sunset, in gusting winds and with rain beating the top of the water white.

I fished once alongside an old catfisherman and told him of this observation, to which he stated that of course that's the best time. He explained that when conditions are such, little fish are getting tossed about in the shallows and get disoriented while the bigger flatheads maintain just fine and take advantage of that situation. He went on to add that this was also a good way to keep the smaller flatheads off the hook. "When the water would swamp a 20' boat... that's when the only thing that will bite are those big ones" he said.

I got to see this theory proved out (last year) when a tornado crossed the lake where I was fishing. I had enough time to hear it coming (you always hear it first), stuck my poles tight in the rocks, locked the reels and headed for the truck. Within minutes the tornado was on me and luckily it was far enough away that I was not in danger. The truck got pushed across the parking area and rested against the guard rail as the lightning lit the skies up like cluster bombs going off overhead. The rain came down so hard it was easy to imagine the windshield breaking under the force of it.

Just before the wind let up (still blowing 60-70mph no problem) a flash of lighting lite up the area and I saw one of my 8' heavy action poles bent over nearly double. Funny how you can ignore a storm like that when you see a pole in that position.

Within 5-7 minutes the storm had passed and I stood soaked to the bone with a nice 30# flathead on the bank. That convinced me that the old man was onto something.

I have caught flatheads in every kind of weather but the majority of the big ones and the best action I have had was during rough weather. Bonus is that everyone takes off during such times.


_______________#6

Water Temps & Culling

What I am waiting for is 55 degree water. Research has determined that a flatheads metabolism isn't even operating at a normal range until temps are 55-60 degree's...so say the experts.

In the spring I don't expect to catch anything worthwhile and don't spend a lot of time with big equipment, instead I choose to prospect and find out where they are now so I can finish strong in the fall as the water temps begin to drop and the flatheads start heading back into these area's but with bigger appetites.

Between 60 & 70 degrees I will catch my freezer fish since they are now in good shape. I release all females and keep all males. The way I check to see what I have is to look for how many holes they have by the anal fin. Males have 1 hole, females have 2.




Male left and Female right

Some folks try and use the look of a fish to tell what the sex is but I have seen people misidentify flatheads that had been catching them for years. It's just easier to look for the holes and never be wrong.

At 70-75 degree's the flatties will start breeding. This is when I really go looking for those big females that have been kicked off the nest by the smaller males. The males wont eat or leave the nest until the baby flatties are on their way,so I don't have to worry about killing a nurturing parent that is in the process of making future flatheads. If I catch a male during this time of year, his duty is already done and he is generally thin from not eating. If he has a large head and a skinny body I will throw him back and catch him in the fall when he has put meat back on his bones.

The females can be caught and released pre- spawn without any negative effects and the smaller females that have already spawned are kept by me since they are still in very good shape after laying their eggs. It isn't too hard to tell if a female has spawned and you can do so by checking to see if you can express eggs from them. This is not always necessary since you can also just grab them and tell by their rigidity. If they are solid they are full and if they are soft like a partially deflated inner tube they are spawned out. If you clean a female that is soft and find eggs don't fret over it. Females always have eggs in them... so say the scientists and I have taken notice of this myself.

When the water gets back below 60, I head back to those spring holes and finish filling my freezer. I always leave plenty of fish for the future when operating in this manner and I always know that next year there will be just as many big flatheads as there were the year before.

Some people don't practice this method of conservation but many people do. If you want to keep catching big healthy flatheads then I would encourage you to practice some form of selectivity when keeping fish. If you are don't care about the fish itself, keep in mind that the bigger they are the more contaminates the flesh holds. A 20# flathead has been in that water for up to 7 years and there isn't anywhere I have heard of that doesn't have mercury present (thanks grandad!) so it is also toxic.

______________#8

Thoughts on hook selection

I was looking at my tackle bag last night, doing inventory for the upcoming season and saw that I was still doing well on hooks but good hooks are like M&M's.... I cant have too many.

I really don't keep many circle hooks, opting instead for Kahle hooks. I like the Kahle as it will set itself like a circle on a locked reel but unlike a circle, I wont miss a fish if I set the hook. I never have gotten used to not setting the hook on a fish and that's why I don't use circles unless I am fishing dead bait on a locked reel where I am relaxing rather than actively fishing. I like circles for smaller cats like eater channels as it is smaller than the same size kahle.

I have never used a Kahle larger than 7/0 but that's just because it was harder to find until recently. I have found 8/0 and 10/0 kahle hooks but I am hesitant to buy any due to the fact that those are huge body hooks and require huge baits. I size my baits to the hooks size by using 1" of bait fish length to 1/0 of hook size. A 7/0 uses a 7" bait and a 5/0 uses a 5" bait and so on. This keeps bait from dying too fast and is appropriate to the size fish that is likely to take it. I have also noted that the fish I am trying to catch matches the hook size with a 1X10 ratio. A 50# fish gets a good hook set with a #5 and a 70# fish gets the same hook set with a 7/0 hook. I will admit that this is very close and allows not much wiggle room to get around the jaw on a top/bottom hook set but I don't want a lot of wiggle room on such a hook set. If it gets where it is supposed to be (in the corner) then it is plenty big enough when sized this way. If you want to try a good Kahle hook, look at the Owner K hook which is made up to 7/0.

_______________#9

My Rods and Reels

As I say, I like to fish banks and breaks and I generally fish those from shore rather than a boat, so my rods reflect that method of fishing.

Abu Garcia vendetta 7' 6" Medium Heavy Fast Action & Eagle Claw Catclaw 10' 0" Heavy Fast Action are the close shore rods. Both rods use the Okuma Epixor EB-65 reels filled with 60# braid.

I respect the construction of the Eagle Claw when speaking of the blank used but this pole needs an extension on the butt end. Talk about a rod that is a bear to cast!. I would hate this rod if I had to cast it further than 20 yards. Just awful functional design. It serves the purpose for which I use it and that's about all I have to say about that.

2 - 12' Daiwa Beefstick casting rods, both using Abu Garcia 7000i C3 reels loaded with 80# braid are used for casting to those area's where others cannot get to. I refer to these rods as crowd control as they get me far past where anyone else can get in most cases. Not a fan of these reels although everyone gives them rave reviews.... but they will get the job done.

I am not a fan of bait casters at all to be honest but for what I am using them for, they are o.k..

Of these rods the Abu Garcia Vendetta is my favorite and when it comes time to revamp the line up there will be 2 more in the cabinet with the same Okuma reels. I really like these Okumas.

While these rods are light for very big fish, they perform very well for casting and we haven't broken the one we have yet. This pole has been bent into the butt with only a cracking sound.... no cracks. I really like this rod.

Mike said:

Thanks! This is exactly what I was looking for.

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Glad to have been able to help out. Hopefully a few more folks will put up some of their thoughts and I can pick up a few tricks myself