Catching Cats

[poutpro]

I have never really targeted catfish, but recently moved and am right by the Mississippi. What are the best tactics for getting big flatheads. What type of tackle should I use. I really dont know anything about catfishing, so even the basics would be appreciated.

[DARK30]

What part of the Mississippi did you move to? There aren't too many flathead catfish north of the twin cities area. I'd say the best thing you can do if you want to target flatheads is gather information like books, videos, and do some surfing around the net. Next thing would be get together with someone else who can show you around and teach you first hand...maybe hire a guide.

I spent most of my hours fishing them from shore so equipment varies a little but what exactly everybody uses for tackle depends on that person.

Generally,

You'll find Mr, Flathead moving from dusk till dawn (fish shallower) and camping during the daylight hours (fish deeper cover)

Use live bait that's kicking......suckers, chubs, 12" bullheads etc

Be patient. If they are hunting, they will find you. Be happy with the smaller ones cause the really big ones over 40 pounds or so don't just jump out of the river.

[FishTracker]

Dark30,

Looking at the regs, the size for bullheads is still the same as last year, bullheads not over 7 inches is allowed. See below taken from the online 2005 Fishing Regulations, page 8 of 98 off the online pdf file. Note the placement of the semicolons.

"Minnows– members of the minnow family, Cyprinidae, except carp and goldfish; members of the mudminnow family, Umbridae; members of the sucker family, Catostomidae, not over 12 inches in length; bullheads, ciscoes, lake whitefish, goldeyes, and mooneyes, not over seven inches long; and (6) leeches. (Note: border waters may be different)"

I was also hoping for the change since I'm also an avid cat fisher. I've caught some big channels on live bullheads but still hunting for my first flathead.

FishTracker

[LEECH21]

I think Dark was just kidding.

[MNRiverRat]

ya, ya, 12" bulheads, ya, ya.........

[poutpro]

I moved to SCSU and will fish below the St. Cloud dam. My dad's cousin Jeff Nodsle told me that he has fished there with Dave Genz, and they caught big cats. I guess I dont know if they were talking channels or flats. Either way I think it would be fun.

[Papa Grump]

Once you get into the St.Cloud area it is pretty much Channel cat country, but I have heard of ocaisional Flatties being caught below the dam.

[poutpro]

what size tackle do you guys use?

[Dennis Steele]

Looks like you'll be fishing mostly channels. The fish in that area run on average around 3 to 4lbs but you could tangle with a fish better than 15lbs. I'd get riged up with a good long rod for casting distance as well as for using circle hooks.

An 8 or 9ft rod to start would be a good choice. A surf rod is a good choice as well as a Berkely Reflex and they shouldn't run you more than 30 bucks or so. For casting distance I would go with a spinning reel rather than a level wind. Okuma makes some fine reels that are affordable. I wold look at reels in the 30 to 50 model # size.

I would spool up with 20 or 30lb line. I prefer super lines with Power Pro being my favorite.

The Missy near St Could is pretty rocky so I would stock up on 2,3,4oz bell sinkers. These you would tie to a 6" to 12" dropper line in front of a 12" to 24" leader. The dropper should have a smaller lb test as your main line so that when you get snagged up you can break free without loosing you whole rig. YOur going to go through a LOT of sinkers!

To your leader, tie a Gamakatsu 4/0 to 6/0 circle hook. I think they are about the best choice for price and quality.

With circle hooks you do not set the hook. Just let the fish turn away from you without setting the hook. The fish will hook themselves. If you don't have confidence in circles or keep forgetting NOT to set the hook then give Eagle Claw kahle style hooks a try. Same set up. When a fish bites, let him turn and follow with your rod tip untill your rod is cloe to horizontal then whack him with all you got.

For bait there are a lot of options.

The mainstay is cut bait. Just hunks of sucker or any other large baitfish. Size depends on the mood of the cats but a 1 1/2' steak of sucker is a good all around size.

To locate cats, find current edges along drop offs near the deeper part of the hole or the back end of holes. You'll be able to tell where these areas are becasue the water at the surface will change slightly. Either two currents will meet or there will be smooth water next to turbulent water. You may also want to try the top of gravel flats or where the gravel is deposited below a scour hole.

Hope this was a little help....

[poutpro]

Thanks for the in depth lesson Dennis. Where does a guy have to go to catch flatheads? After seeing pictures of those, a guy really is enticed to try and hook into one of those beasts.

[Dennis Steele]

The best bets for flatheads in Minnesota would be the Missippi below the Twin Cities or anywhere along the Minnesota River.

If your going to target these, your going to want to beef up the tackle. Line anywhere from 50 to 80lb test, sinkers from 3 to 5oz or better (depending on the size of the bait) and hooks from 7/0 up. I would also choose a good level wind reel with a clicker or bait alarm or a offshore spinning reel with a line or bait feeder function. (2 drag system for letting the fish run on a closed bail)

Bait will change also. Big cut baits like half a sucker work in the spring then move on to live baits as the water warms. Bullheads up to 7" and 9+" suckers or creek chubs.

There are two schools of flathead anglers as well. Those who fish the wood and those who prefer not to. I prefer not too but starting out you might be best finding the thickest snags near deep water and placing your baits in front of them. Most flathead fishing is done at night.I have my best success an hour after sunset to around 1:00 am or just before sunrise.

[korn_fish]

Poutpro -

I'm one of the wood guys Dennis is refering to .

I didn't hear if you were shore fishing or in a boat. Dark does a lot of shore fishing many different river stretches, he might be able to point you to some good starting points. The farthest north I have done any shore fishing for cats is around Belle Plain.

They make some good videos as well. One of the better old-school vids is Catfish fever. Gives basic channel and flathead info. Another one that just came out and is even filmed on the MN river, is "A day on the river" which focuses on Flatheads. Both are more "wood" oriented, but touch on wood and non wood styles.

Another thing, try yo attend one of the Cat Gatherings, or better yet. If you can make the drive a couple of times durring the summer, Look into joining the Belle Plain cat League.

[DARK30]

My folks used to live a short drive from the dam at SCSU. When in the area, I focused mainly on the walleye and smallmouth from the dam down around the first or second bend. There are some fine spots in that area! You might try lobbing a fresh piece of cut up below the spillway on the east side of the dam....course not during high water.

Yes, I was just kidding about the 12" bullhead. Truthfully, You wouldn't need such a large one anyway. A large flathead will grab a 5-6" chub just as fast as a 10-12" sucker. They will also grab a 2" shad rap if they can see it. Flatheads will lay and wait for prey ambushing it as it gets close. They will also however become very aggressive in chasing it down when they are on the move in clearer water. I plan on focusing a little more this year on catching flats with artificial baits including plastics when the river cooperates. Live kicking bait set in key locations will always be the best choice but I've caught way too many of these "predators" while casting for walleyes for it to be a "fluke".

Like I said in the above post, there are different approaches concerning tackle. My favorite rig for bank fishing flatheads is my 7 1/2 ft E-Cat rod, a Penn 320GT2 spooled with 65# Power Pro, a fresh, lively 6-8" creek chub or wild sucker impaled behind the dorsal fin on a Gama G-Mag worm hook. I don't use a leader because I like the all the terminal weight on the end of the line. I run through the weight and tie directly to the hook.Lead would include at least 3-4 oz and up to 8-10 depending on the bait and the current. Remember, there is no such thing as a "no roll" sinker. The no roll that has become so popular lately is a great weight in that it is "streamlined" and is very stable while in the water being cast and retrieved. They will move in the current, especially from shore.

[Mudcat21]

Went to SCSU for four years and fished the dam a lot. Great spot for channel cats. Fish the campus side of the dam. I would use big gobs of crawlers. Used a 6 1/2 foot heavy action rod, Abu Garcia 6500 reel with 50lb test line. I would run a three way swivel with a good sized sunker. Spring time the current can be pretty swift and you need a heavy sinker.

[poutpro]

When will the catfish start biting below the SCSU dam? Would anyone be interested in going down there sometime to show me the ropes.

[Fisher Dave]

I remember a opening day fishing trip just upstream from clearwater that turned into a 3 walleye during the day, and a fast and furious, non-stop channel cat bite starting at sunset and it went until dawn.

The river levels are pretty low.. I dont know if I would trust trying to run it with my 14' and 10 hp if it doesnt come up some.

If you know anyone else that boats and is familiar with the river there.. we were a couple miles upstream I would guess. We went upstream to the super shallow stretch(100 yards long maybe)... got through that, and went upstream to what appeared to be an island.. we took a channel to the hard left and parked on the tip of the island(downstream side). The depth near shore was pretty deep where I motored onto shore, the lower unit wouldnt hit.

Sorry for the vague description, but a person who knows that stretch should know exactly where I was.

If we get some water later in May or after, I might be up for a trip.

[dragon master]

Ha Dark you know where I could get one of them there E-Cat rods

[RalphTheNoober]

hey jeff, nice meeting you the other day.maybe fisher dave and i will see ya out there again. good luck with the monster, i told dark30 i'm going to catch him first. that's if fisher dave gets him.

[poutpro]

I was out trying to catch channels last weekend and was unsuccessful. I really had no idea as to what I was doing. What type of structure do I look for this time of the year? What types of bait do I use? I was just using some powerbait catfish balls that I pikced up before we went out. I am very new to catfishing.

[Dennis Steele]

I soaked some frozen cut bait in a couple spots just for giggles this weekend, also with no luck.

There are some areas that you can get into some cats and they should start feeding good as the temps start to rise.

Early season I like to find areas of slower current where debris collects.

Or I'll target holes just downstream from areas that game fish are targeting minnows, especially when there is a little current flowing up a break.

Warmer side channels or creeks with ample depth is also a place I would try.

[Dragon Fish ll]

Im looking for a Wels Cat Fish! Got Ssum? Dragon Food?

[Dragon Fish ll]

Hey Ralph it was cool fishing with you too. But that dragon above your post is a different one Im the 1 catching Fish two ll

[Dragon Fish ll]

I want to explain what I meant by wels catfish and Ssum. after fishing around Russians for sum years I learned thats what you call a catfish in russian. As for Wels I think this little pic can explain the rest. Sorry Ralph but looks like these guys already caught it . PS. Will the divers please go back down and find my Lure? Wels Cat

[RalphTheNoober]

HEY JEFF I DID GOOD TODAY..CAUGHT MY BIGGEST CAT 30 INCHES AND ABOUT 15LBS. NEXT TIME I SEE YA I'LL SHOW YOU THE PICTURE. OH! NOW THAT I GOT YOUR NAME RIGHT, I'LL KEEP IT IN THE ADDRESS BOOK. SEE YA,

Quote:

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THEY JUST KEEP GETTING BIGGER..

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[Ed Carlson]

Cuts are starting to show promise here on the Red and it's tribs. The late pop-up frogs are finding it a tough time to make it to shore...LOL.

I seen one poor frog harassed by a herd of ferocious Mooneye as she was trying to make the trip to the bank.

She looked like Selvester the cat trying to make his way through the dog pound in a Sat mornig comic.

POP..."Oh Joy it's spring"...Uh-OH.....DOWN...DOWN BOY...DOWN....DOWN...Arrr.Arrr.Arrr!!!!!

Man it must suck to oversleep when your a frog Eh.