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Wintering Flatheads... Why the Concern?

hanson

By hanson
in Catfish

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hanson Grand Master

hanson

Posted
Posted

A very good friend of mine filmed this video on Pool 4 of the Mighty Mississippi River using Marcum's new 825c underwater camera. The footage is unbelievable and gives you an idea what happens to our beloved flathead catfish during the coldwater period. They indeed "stack up like cordwood" and remain fairly inactive as the video shows.

Why am I against winter snagging? The footage makes that pretty obvious.

Thanks Brian for allowing me to post the video. Its a great educational tool for all us catfisherman.

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fishcast Rising Star

fishcast

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Wow! I heard they stack up big time, but I didn't know quite that literally, I guess that really proves it. I didn't know flatheads were that dormant either, I don't think I saw a single gill flap from any of those flatheads.

Thanks for putting the video up

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aanderud Grand Master

aanderud

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That video is super cool. I guess those channels were pretty active yet, eh! Never thought I'd see a school of cats like that. The flatties were definitely not too active. I actually feel sorry for them for getting snagged while they're trying to sleep! No challenge there.

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I Da Man Collaborator

I Da Man

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Just heading out the door an saw this.

I lost my password almost a year ago and when requesting one...it never made it to me. Nope not in the junk mail folder either. I tried my old browser and guess what...it remember it...but I still don't know what it is. Oh well.

Dark is right once the run off starts they will be gone for the summer.

They did move from where they were two weeks prior although not that far. We timed the "breath" of a gill movement on one fairly large...30ish flat. One breath every six seconds.

Two weeks prior to this footage, we could see a tail curl slightly, an eye move once in a while. But they were still stacked on top of each other and the camera bouncing off their back didn't make even their dorsal stand up.

The fish that are on camera might be one third of the flats that were down there. Sliding down stream with any type of hook close to the bottom would almost certainly guarantee the angler a flat.

The WI and MN DNR don't think snagging or commercial netting of these fish is a problem. Well, snagging is illegal already...but once snagged it's funny how they end up on the bottom of the boat legally hooked <whistle>. Netting? Well, I don't even need to go into that!

Somehow WE have to find a way to close the season and realize what a true trophy fishery we have...in our own back yard.

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Shack Grand Master

Shack

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Posted

Crazy,

By what I have read about Dark30 over the last year, is he has three intrest's (at least what I have)

Morals (mushrooms), hunting for agates (nice pretty rocks) and catfish cool.gif.

Oh, I forgot about white bass grin.gif.

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harvey lee Grand Master

harvey lee

Posted
Posted

 Originally Posted By: shackbash
Crazy,

By what I have read about Dark30 over the last year, is he has three intrest's (at least what I have)

Morals (mushrooms), hunting for agates (nice pretty rocks) and catfish cool.gif.

Oh, I forgot about white bass grin.gif.

Walleyes too.

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Larry FlatCaster Mentor

Larry FlatCaster

Posted
Posted

 Originally Posted By: harvey lee
 Originally Posted By: shackbash
Crazy,

By what I have read about Dark30 over the last year, is he has three intrest's (at least what I have)

Morals (mushrooms), hunting for agates (nice pretty rocks) and catfish cool.gif.

Oh, I forgot about white bass grin.gif.

Walleyes too.

He has some others... but you will have to dig in old off the track post to find out. whistle.gif

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I Da Man Collaborator

I Da Man

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"HansonsMYhero"

No...that's my newtrophy.gifHSOforum!

I still don't recall what it was since it's "remembered"...I think it was either..."IwannaMannySlap" or "DarkKissMeNext".

Umm...you have to see the video to understand the humor in either of them passwords.

Tyler...bring some home made cookies and I'll make sure you get the plastics that work... whistle.gif

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DTro Grand Master

DTro

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Wow, I Da Man, Avatar and everything. I'm impressed.

Seriously, thanks for not only taking the time to document this, but also being so gracious to share it. That Marcum 825 sure rocks doesn't it?

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hanso612 Rising Star

hanso612

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I have seen fish stack up like that in the fall as well. My experience has been that flatheads hole up like that during the day and forage at night. I have had success fishing holes in the early dark(until midnight or so) and then again just before first light. Most of my good holes are dead in between. I have better luck on feeding flats during the wee hours. I have always assumed that what I was doing was trapping not fishing and flatheads coming out or returning to these holes where easy pickens-out on the flat they were to hard to target consistantly(like waiting for a rabbit to find a carrot in your back yard.

This pattern doesn't hold for me when the males are on eggs.

I have seen fish hole up as early as August. Is it possible that the fish in the video move and feed at night just like my fall St. Croix flatheads? If they are totally dormant, I think we would see more silt on the fish in the video, any thoughts?

How to protect these fish? Finding and closing of areas seems a sure way to tell the world were all the fish are during the rest of the season. I think they are still there most of the year.

I like open and closed season, but would hate to see fall closed too- if, as I suspect, the fish are holeing up as early as August. That's four months of the best open water fishing.

I would like to see all 20 to 60 pound fish be catch and release and a limit per year on number over 60. The big ones are toxic to eat so no reason to keep one except for the wall.

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