Anyone know of a place to get early season bullheads for bait?

[Tim Ellis]

Anyone know of a place to get early season bullheads for bait? I'm looking to see if i can find some for early season flatheads.

[hanson]

I would personally hold off on using the bullheads for awhile.

-Number one, they are hard to find.

-Number two, suckers work effectively well with the cool water temperatures.

Just for reference, the earliest flatheads caught in the "metro" area last spring was May 21 by myself. Got 2 under 15 pounders that night. I heard of a couple getting caught down towards Mankato a little earlier than that but it was generally mid-May when they decided to start eating.

The year before, that magic date was May 4th or 5th, somewhere around there anyway.

It is believed that 50 degree water temp is the "magic number" but we were well into the upper 50s if not 60s when we finally got one last year.

So... what I'm saying is don't go nutso fishing flats early. You may burn yourself out and get frustrated. During the early season, suckers work very well because they'll stay alive in those cooler water temps. Bullheads are good bait when you can start to find them later. Don't rule out a big cut sucker either.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Hanson,

I think MPLSPug caught one a little earlier than you last year

I know I didn't

[hanson]

Ryan-

I think you are right, I do recall that now. It wasn't too much earlier though.

[catnipmn]

5/5/06 29 lbs and 12.5 lbs 55.5 deg water can't wait

[Tim Ellis]

If your fishing the main river channels i agree, kind of, but the back channel areas warm sooner so the bait fish enter these areas and the flatheads follow. It is not uncommon to catch 20+ record class flatheads (40 lbs +) in these areas and most were caught in April. I'll use suckers or creek chubs if i have to but last year bullheads were the ticket early on.

[hanson]

We'll be waiting for pictures.

I don't doubt they can be caught that early, I just haven't seen it in the last couple years. It seams like everyone I know who fishes flatheads started to see action around the same few weeks last summer. That includes guys fishing the Minnesota by Mankato, guys fishing the Miss in the Cities, and BrianK fishing P3 of the Miss.

We're constantly learning and I would love to start catching flats next month if possible. Sounds like this may be another little piece of the puzzle to learn about. Let us know how things go.

[honky kong]

the next month and a half are gonna take forever to pass. just thinkin about all the flatties waiting have us catch em...

[Catfishunter]

i will be down as soon as the steelhead leave the streams, can't wait. for steelhead that is then it's cat time.

[Tim Ellis]

Historically i have found, more important than temp or date, that the numbers of flats increases as the spring water levels start to level off but when the current in the main channel is still at a high volume. My belief is the baitfish and cat's move to these areas for the warmer water and to avoid the strong current thus it creates a positive feeding environment. I know its a little different but i am going to start using some new techniques including a technique i learned from the blue cat guys down in the Santee Cooper area of using planer boards, floats, and the electric trolling motor. It's similiar to the last couple summers using a lot of floats at night for mid-summer cats when they turn to feeding on schools of shiners thus are tough to catch using conventional methods. I'll keep you posted. I thought it was really cool when my friends down at Santee Cooper told me when they first started using planer board setups for blue cats feeding on suspended baitfish the big blues would hit the planer boards floating on the surface and then shortly after would engulf the bait & hook. Amazingly aggresive!