Bad Luck

[mamba]

Hello All,

If the weather cooperates, I plan to head out again tonight with a buddy via boat in hopes of changing my flathead luck for the year. I've spent easily over 200 hours on the river from shore and boat combined this summer without a single run and I can't help but think there's something I'm doing terribly wrong (that or I'm cursed). For the amount of time I've spent reading up tips and advice on this forum I might as well have a PhD in Catfishology, however I have no fish to show for myself. So, I'd like to share my tactics in hopes of somebody noticing any fatal errors that keep leaving me fruitless at the end of every outing.

*River: Minnesota (Carver, Chaska and Shakopee)

*Setup: 6oz coin sinker, bead, swivel, 7-inch leader, 5/0 circle hook

*Bait: live 6-8" bullie hooked under the top barbel near head

*Typical duration of outing: 5pm-1130pm

*Average time spent at spot: 30 min

*Type of structures fished: eddy's on bends (usually 12-15 ft of water), back side of downed trees with slack water (8ft) next to current, the deep side of drop offs (10-20 ft)

*Misc: don't have rod holders in the boat, so we wedge them between the oar and side of the boat with the drag set, so we can see bites (or the lack of).

Any advice??

Thanks

[TruthWalleyes]

Try Suckers and Creek Chubs, Now that I think of it, i don't think i've had a single flat on a bullhead this year...

I have had some flats come on cut sucker, as well as live.

I've been focusing on current seams, current seams downstream and just upstream of down trees, Had 4 runs on the inside bend of a large hole sunday (10-15 fow). Most fish have come when i'm atleast .25Mi from a deep hole, and fishing snags. I've caught them as close as 3' from shore.

With the rains, try to find a stream.

Nothing stands out as "wrong" with your tactics, I do however always have the drag set light so the fish can pull line without feeling any tension, you'll see the rod move when this happens.

I'll find a Spot that i want to fish, Once i have my bait on the bottom, it's been less than 15 minutes for a fish, rarely for me has it taken longer than 15 minutes. After 15m i'll recast to a new spot, sometimes its only a few feet from my last cast and i'll get a fish w/in 5 minutes...SO bait placement is key...and still a mystery to me!

Good Luck!! I went on a bad streak like you're having last year.

[pureinsanity]

You're doing things right. Its been a good year for some and bad for others. Last year I can't even count the amount of fish I caught. This year, I can. It's zero kitties for me on the river this year. I even switched to fishing for walleye's since I have had no luck with the kitties.

However, I haven't spent near as much time as I did last year on the river and the water levels changed my shore fishing options. Put in the hours and sooner or later it will pay off. Its been pretty slow for a lot of people lately. Just keep on keepin on and sooner or later you will get a fish!

[APCfishing]

+1 on you doing things right! Although I would use 8-10/O J hooks and be sure to hook your bullie behind the dorsel towards the end of the tail.

I would try sitting upstream of snags if the current isnt crazy fast. Also try givng each spot at least an hour and make sure to move your baits around, deeper-shallower ect...it does make a difference.

[pureinsanity]

On thing I tried recently is hook color. Maybe it doesnt make a difference, maybe it does. I normally use 8/0 circle hooks. Team Catfish and they were red. I switched to a 6/0 black and boom finally got a run. Probably has nothing to do with it.

I did read an article about walleyes. I remember when the red and orange hooks were on fire... Than it slowed down. In the article the guy was using those color hooks, than went back to plain and boom fish on!

[DTro]

If you’ve put in that many hours and not caught a flathead, I’m thinking your bait placement is not correct in where you are casting. I have no idea how many hours I have in, but counting boat fish (caught by all in the boat) we are well over a hundred and maybe closer to 150.

You want to have you bait close to structure. Whether that be a downed tree, a rockpile seam, a depression that creates an eddy. Find transitions, and put your bait right on it. Transisitons are key IMO. Don’t be afraid to go shallow either. The hardest part about transitioning from other types of fishing is that, one is inclined to cast away from shore under most circumstances, but with Flatheads, I find myself more often than not casting towards shore instead. This is in a boat obviously, but should also carry over to shore fishing.

I’m reminded of a small gathering we had this year in which 3 or 4 decent flats were caught from shore, and these came on baits that were literally just dropped down over the bank in some slacker water. Maybe 5ft from shore.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the hook choice or bait choice. I’d worry more about getting a few bites first, then try to zone in on what they want.

Here’s a funny story from this past weekend. I was fishing a wingdam and put my bullhead out behind it where the shallow dropped into the scour hole. We had caught a channel and I was messing around with getting the sinker untangled out of the net. We released the fish, I sat down and got relaxed again, and I look over and my rod tip is almost in the water and the pole is dancing. WHAT THE HECK ( ok maybe used a little harsher language ) anyways, there ended up being a nice flatty on the other end. I had a 10/0 J hook, and forgot to set the clicker. Well it just goes to show that that sometimes you can overthink things. That fish hooked itself and didn’t make a peep doing it. I have no idea how long it had been hooked for and all I had to do was reel in.

I would agree that this time of year I like to switch over to suckers and creek chubs and use cut bait a lot more often than I would in the spring.

Good Luck

[Scott K]

i have 255.5 hours chasing flatheads this year. I will hit 300, but probably not much more then that, with these cooler nights, I am starting to train the dogs for hunting now.

[Larry FlatCaster]

Everybody has little tips/tricks/techniques....

I will second what Dtro stated about close to shore. If I had a nickle for all the people.... besides Dtro that fish in my boat they all want to cast to the middle of the river... I tell them to bounce it off shore.... finally at the end of the night they decide to give it a try and more often than not.... BAM fish on.

Hang in there... keep researching. Your time will come.

[blakeb]

your doing everything right, imo , go with a bigger hook size,

Fish near the areas your already fishing,

If you typically fish in an eddy, move behind it, in front of it.

If your in a snag situation fish another side of it

Keep the bait moveing to new spots, that is how you find your next "Spot on a spot"

I had keyed in to the lore that cats will easily switch from a bullhead bite to a slower post spawn cut bait and soft finned diet, For the last couple of weeks it held tru but i dont dissmiss one bait seasonly, Last night i caught three fish on bullheads.

Keep multiple baits in the boat, live bullheads which can obiously be sliced into cuts, same with a few suckers or chubs. Try a presentation until your convinced for the night isnt producing fish, move on, Keep trying you on the right track.

Blake

[MinnesnowtaWild]

It's funny how when you're in a boat you tend to cast toward the shore but fishing from shore you cast as far out as you can.

But I will say the largest 4-5 Flatheads I have seen came from within 3-5 yards of shore whether that be 2 FOW or 25 FOW.

[Gordie]

looks like your doing things the right way and as Dtro has stated its probally bait placement and you said you fish the back side of downned trees try the front side of trees/snags also I tend to get close to them ussally 10-20 ft in front of them depending on the sang and water conditions.

I also have seen some of the biggest flats come from the shallowest water so dont be afraid to fish shallow like 2-3 fow off of eddy's, sandbars and inside turns.

keep trying and your time will come and the pay off will be great.

[CarpinMNRiver]

I think you just need to keep on trying different spots and baits. I think part of it is just being in the right spot at the right time. I have not caught very many flats either this year but its a learning process. Lots of fish or not there is no place I'd rather be than on the river. You will get one.

[sanka]

I'm in the same boat as mamba, doing the same things. I have at least 100 hours in this summer. Haven't even had one run on the bait clicker. I think half the problem is the availability of shore spots.

With the Minnesota, it's really hard to find a decent one. You're basically limited to the bridges and boat ramps where there's rip rap on the shore. Otherwise you will end up in knee deep mud along the bank.

[Alagnak]

Oh, there's tons of good shore spots within reasonable walking distance. It's just probably easier to scout and find them by boat first. That and they are good at different water levels.

I'm in the same boat as mamba, doing the same things. I have at least 100 hours in this summer. Haven't even had one run on the bait clicker. I think half the problem is the availability of shore spots.

With the Minnesota, it's really hard to find a decent one. You're basically limited to the bridges and boat ramps where there's rip rap on the shore. Otherwise you will end up in knee deep mud along the bank.

[Carp-fisher]

I'm in the same boat as mamba, doing the same things. I have at least 100 hours in this summer. Haven't even had one run on the bait clicker. I think half the problem is the availability of shore spots.

With the Minnesota, it's really hard to find a decent one. You're basically limited to the bridges and boat ramps where there's rip rap on the shore. Otherwise you will end up in knee deep mud along the bank.

I caught a number of flats from shore last year and yes, alot of times you do have to be knee deep in mud. I suggest getting a pair of hip boots and hitting those muddy spots.

[MinnesnowtaWild]

Shore fishing is a grind man it wears down on ya fast when you are doing it 3 nights a week carrying bait, tackle, rods, chairs, etc. Especially hard to find those shore spots that aren't popular and have good fishing because you gotta walk far to get to the unoccupied spots and even then it's not a guarantee that nobody will be there.

[Gordie]

yes its tough fishing from shore I know first hand from many years ago we would go from Jordan to Belle Plaine down the trails and from Jordan to Carver walking for miles to find a decent shore spot and when you found one you could hit pay dirt or bust thats fishing.

I lived in town and Bicylced to the river spots all the time and I have never forgot that even when I'm toolin down the river in my boat.

[Alagnak]

You shore guys should take $200-$500 dollars every month, throw on some money for insurance, put in $20 gas to that pot for every time you go fishing in a month. So lets say $300 (boat payment) plus $200 for gas for the month assuming you go 10 times a month (obviously rough figures). Divide the 500 by 10 times out and you can pay yourself $50 every time you get to a parking spot and are questioning yourself about hauling all your chit through the woods to a shore spot. That is the money you AREN'T spending on a boat. Motivation? :-)

[Scott K]

You shore guys should take $200-$500 dollars every month, throw on some money for insurance, put in $20 gas to that pot for every time you go fishing in a month. So lets say $300 (boat payment) plus $200 for gas for the month assuming you go 10 times a month (obviously rough figures). Divide the 500 by 10 times out and you can pay yourself $50 every time you get to a parking spot and are questioning yourself about hauling all your chit through the woods to a shore spot. That is the money you AREN'T spending on a boat. Motivation? :-)

I never thought of it this way! But you are correct. Add in prop costs throughout the year, just normal wear and tear, plus storage in the winter. It all adds up. Although, this is a monthly payment that I enjoy, and choose to make voluntarily. I have my boat paid for, but it still costs me a lot to keep it, I am always buying something for it, aka anchors, lights, life jackets, oil changes, this winter I am redoing the carpets, updating electronics. Come to think about it, I think I spend more then I thought! I sure hope my wife doesnt read this!

[rushing]

Hello All,

If the weather cooperates, I plan to head out again tonight with a buddy via boat in hopes of changing my flathead luck for the year. I've spent easily over 200 hours on the river from shore and boat combined this summer without a single run and I can't help but think there's something I'm doing terribly wrong (that or I'm cursed). For the amount of time I've spent reading up tips and advice on this forum I might as well have a PhD in Catfishology, however I have no fish to show for myself. So, I'd like to share my tactics in hopes of somebody noticing any fatal errors that keep leaving me fruitless at the end of every outing.

*River: Minnesota (Carver, Chaska and Shakopee)

*Setup: 6oz coin sinker, bead, swivel, 7-inch leader, 5/0 circle hook

*Bait: live 6-8" bullie hooked under the top barbel near head

*Typical duration of outing: 5pm-1130pm

*Average time spent at spot: 30 min

*Type of structures fished: eddy's on bends (usually 12-15 ft of water), back side of downed trees with slack water (8ft) next to current, the deep side of drop offs (10-20 ft)

*Misc: don't have rod holders in the boat, so we wedge them between the oar and side of the boat with the drag set, so we can see bites (or the lack of).

Any advice??

Thanks

Keep trying...you shall be rewarded. Don't fish so deep, up-size your hook to 8/0 circle, use some lighter sinkers, and recast often. Don't focus so hard on catching a flat...focus on the enjoyment of being out on the river and the fish will come.

You also can't judge yourself by some of these rats on the board...some have golden fish catching horseshoes up their behinds. If you become desperate you could always fish cutbait and increase your chances of catching something.

BTW...last two seasons I have fished more out of boats than all my previous years combined....they have been my two worst seasons. lol

[Scott K]

This has also been my least fish year in a long time. Hours per fish are scary!

[EBass]

Even if you get bit you still have to hook it. 0-3 on Wed night. D'oh!

[pureinsanity]

This has also been my least fish year in a long time. Hours per fish are scary!

Ditto, Thats why i started chasing eyes. Ive been atleast productive and have caught a few eyes, some sauger, white bass, even a couple saugeyes! Big improvement vs my cat time ive put in Just not near as fun!

[Scott K]

I havent stooped to that level yet. Once water temps fall into the mid to lower 60's I wave the white flag. But until then, I have more fun catching a flathead every 10 outings, then a walleye each time. Although I will throw a crawler on and play with carp when it is slow out.

[skolvikesallday]

You shore guys should take $200-$500 dollars every month, throw on some money for insurance, put in $20 gas to that pot for every time you go fishing in a month. So lets say $300 (boat payment) plus $200 for gas for the month assuming you go 10 times a month (obviously rough figures). Divide the 500 by 10 times out and you can pay yourself $50 every time you get to a parking spot and are questioning yourself about hauling all your chit through the woods to a shore spot. That is the money you AREN'T spending on a boat. Motivation? :-)

or you could spend say $800 total on a decent used 16ft boat with a 25hp tiller. then gas up about every 5th or 6th time out ($15 in gas, 75 cents in oil)

this is what I do

you dont need a 20 footer with a $800 fish finder and a 150hp motor to go cattin

yes I'm very lucky that my boat is stored on the water in a boat house and I very rarely drive more than a mile or 2 to get to a fishing spot, but still, it is possible to fish from a boat without breaking the bank or taking out a loan