Tactics

Flatheads do not eat anything that isn't alive, and large. Two-pound white suckers are primo flathead bait. The flathead catfish has a huge mouth. They can slurp up a four-pound carp and swallow it whole. During the day, flatheads lurk in thick cover or deep water. Then, at night, they hunt, roaming the shallows looking for suckers, carp, bass, walleyes, or small children to devour. To catch flatheads, first spend the daylight hours catching large live bait. Good baits are white suckers, creek chubs, bullheads, and extra-large shiners. Where legal, sunfish, bass, and walleyes make great flathead bait too. Once you have a good supply of lively bait, find a deep hole with some downed trees in it. As night falls, throw out your bait. Most flatheaders fish the bait directly on the bottom with a sinker heavy enough to keep the bait fairly stationary; some use a float rig to keep the bait suspended near cover. You should use the heaviest tackle you have. Saltwater spinning gear, or heavy bait-casting gear, is not overkill for flatheads. In fact, there is no overkill for flatheads - you can expect to do battle with 30 pound fish that know every nook and cranny of the river, and each head-shake from a flathead is like a body blow from Mike Tyson. Whenever your bait stops struggling, change it. Smaller flats may take dead baits on occasion, but the big ones want their snacks alive. To be a good flathead catfisher, it helps to be big and hairy and to wear bib overalls. Failing that, you must own and operate a coleman lantern - there isn't a single serious catfisherman in the world who is not equipped with one. It also helps if you are a little bit crazy. If you are reading this site, you are obviously more than crazy enough to be a serious catfisher. It's a hell of a lot of fun.