Undercover Flatheads
by Tim Scott
Lets talk about giant flatheads. Not just a few run of the mill 20 or 30-pound cats, let’s talk about 40s, 50s, and 60’s. There are lots of areas that can potentially hold big flatheads for brief periods of time but only a few spots on a river will hold numbers of superior-sized cats year round and during nearly any water level. Eighty-percent of the spots I ply for big flatheads hinge on seasonal behavior, current velocity at the time I’m fishing, and also how heavy or light the flow has been the week or even a few days prior. Lengthy periods of high water at the right time (which is the beginning of the flathead prespawn, beginning about June 1st) will bring numbers of flatheads into tailrace areas, behind current breaks such as bridge abutments, and wing and closing dams within a few miles of the main river dam. High water episodes enhance flathead upstream movement and gathers fish in predictable areas such as the scour hole for example. If the river stays at moderate flow during the first part of June, flatheads will simply trickle in and big fish can be few and far between. Without heavy numbers of big fish to dominate niche areas within the tailrace areas, flathead fishing for trophy cats in traditional prespawn areas can be lackluster at best. These areas can still produce a few monsters but I’ll spend too much time on flatheads under 40 pounds with an even slimmer chance at landing a true giant.... read more

Pond Basics
by Bill Hamilton
Until the last five years or so, my cat fishing adventures were primarily limited to local man made ponds and strip mines, as opposed to the large rivers and backwater systems that this publication normally focuses on. This was because I was not after, nor for that matter knew about, the giants that were lurking off of boat ramps not more than an hour away from the spot I write this article about. Another reason I usually opt for the short and easy trip is because we were raised on this type of fishing and we were looking for those classic “eating sized” stocked pond cats. You know the type, two to three pounds and look as healthy as the day they were put into the lake. This is where the river cat fisherman and the lake cat fishing should differ. Unlike a river system, the owner stocks lakes or ponds with fish, thus the genetic structure in the habitat is very consistent. On a river system, it is unclear if the two to three pound cat your holding has the genetic potential to become one of those 50 or 60 pound cats you read about in the other articles here. That being said, this is how we go after those “tastes like a walleye to me” catfish.... read more

Making the Day
by Shawn Johnson
If you’re busy like me, you don’t have endless hours to spend fishing. Between work and family time, I have to get out when I can. So when it’s time to catfish, make the most out of your time on the water. Through fishing smarter and using better time management, you can maximize your catch throughout the day and have more fun fishing trips. First of all, a vital element in fishing smarter is flexibility. You need to “listen to the fish”, as Tim Scott likes to say. You should adapt your fishing tactics to the activity level of the fish, and the specific fishing situation that day. Catfish aren’t always in a feeding mode, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t targetable. When the bite gets tough, and it will, tailor your approach to that day’s conditions. Paying close attention to the details will also help you improve your trips. Another vital factor in all this is time management. If you can spend less time on unproductive spots, and get more baits in front of more fish, you’ll have more action. ... read more

Hot Spots for Record Breaking Cats
by Aaron Gibbons
Talk to any catman long enough and you’ll hear stories of huge barbled fish that lurk in the depths of ancient waters. Accounts of catfish weighing more than 300 pounds and reaching six feet in length are the more believable of the rampant urban legends associated with Americas most mysterious fish. According to common lore, these giants could gulp down 20-pound carp as an appetizer or possibly even swallow an unlucky diver who ventured too close. Of course, some of the eyewitness accounts are so out of proportion they are laughable but could there be reasonable medium ground where expectations of landing a catfish that weighs more than 150 or even 200 pounds become a reality? There have been multiple reports of fish over 130 pounds being caught with alternative methods. In one account two Arkansas men caught a 139 pound 14 ounce flathead on their set lines. ... read more

Lowhead Cats
by Alex Dolebeare
Listening to the never ending roar of torrents of water pouring over the waterfall-like structure, I often reflect on life as I sit next to the rods. I’m abruptly snapped out of my pleasurable trance after noticing a slight bobble of one of the rod tips. Minutes later the rod butt slowly lifts off the ground teetering against the forked stick as a flathead backs up under the plunging cascade. I lift the rod and the hook sets into the mighty denizens mouth. I think, “Wow low-head dams are a great places to fish”. Moments like these can be had all across this country on many small and medium sized rivers that have low-head dams. Low-head dams are structures built to hold back the flow for agricultural, industrial and anti-flood uses. Lucky for us catfishermen, these structures are also the stopping and gathering points for almost all the rivers fish species at some point of the year. Catfish can be found be below these dams year round but the highest catfish populace occurs during the pre-spawn, spawn and first part of the post spawn period. ... read more

Tackling Up for Big Cats
by Aaron Gibbons
The rod bowed hard pulling it down in a powerful surge as 20-pound line peeled off the spool. I winced as the big cat took the rig deep into the massive log jamb. I couldn’t put any more pressure on the flathead or risk snapping the line and there was no stopping the inevitable. Just a few seconds into the fight, my line was snapped with ease. I might as well have been using dental floss to stop a runaway bus. The familiar sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach washed over me as I contemplated another repeat of earlier events. Flathead fishing is seldom easy while fishing big wood from shore but this was getting ridiculous. I’ll admit that losing that fish and others so easily left me wondering how big it really was and the experience left me placing baits out and away from good cover the rest of the evening. I’m fairly certain that any flathead fisherman worth his salt has experienced this same series of events culminating in frustration and eventually a plan to tackle up for big cats. ... read more

Attracting Channel Cats
by Matt Jones
The origin of cheese bait stretches back way before my time. Just how far may surprise some of you reading this. During my intense research for this article I discovered that the origins range as far back as 20 million years, give or take a few. Due to recent discoveries it appears that early cave dwellers attracted some early sub-specie of today’s catfish with a form of cheese, which they would obtain from the milk of herbivorous dinosaurs. Letting it ferment, softening it up with water and soaking it in ... read more