USCA-RECLAIMED-ACCOUNT

Originally Posted by Bigcatpat

Trying to get a little input on what you guys think of this subject.I,ll just start by giving you what I think.For me all my flatheading revolves around classifying flats into 2 different types,Homefish or Travelers.These are the two catagories that work for me.I consider homies the fish that are either directly in their favorite lairs or very close to them.I consider travelers all the fish that are moving,either to feed,go to other spots for more favorable conditions,etc.I base all my flattin on this system.The 2 exceptions are wintering cats and spawning cats.I got all my spots I fish down to a certain time I fish them.If i,m fishing early,1/2 before dark to say 10,I try to find the holes where the fish call home during the day,and fish right around them waiting for them to come out and start feeding for the night.If there,s enough food right around these spots,i,ll fish right there all night.I only got a couple spots like that.Most of the time i,m after travelers,the hard part is trying to figure out where they,re going and why.It,s my opinion that they,re following the baitfish as they head in shallower to feed during the night.I try and figure out what routes they take as they spread out.This has been through a lot of trial and error and admittedly some luck.Every flat I catch,the 1st thing I ask is why was he there,was he at home or on the move,and why.Most of my holes that produce year after year,I can usually attribute to what bait was there and why it was there.Below dams,I have found that most of the big flats i,ve caught are holed up close to the dam during the day and evening and spreading out and heading downstream during their nightly jaunts.I fish close to the dam early and then move down as the night progresses,trying to intercept them.The tough part,s in the big pools between the dams,I can figure out where their holing up during the day and catch em early,but figuring out if their goin up or downstream is tough.I,ve followed quite a few radio tracking studies,and it seems like there aint much rhyme or reason to which way they,ll head on a given night.When i,m trying to setup for these fish,I usually fish close to the main channel.I believe they follow this til they come to where they want to cut in towards some shallow hunting grounds.I,ll try and be setup in the channel at these spots during the mid night hours,say 12-2am.Keeping track in my logbooks over the years has helped in bearing this out.Being shorebound right now makes this a little tougher,but I feel by doin a little thinking before I leave the house,it helps me during the night.I,ve found spots where the only way to get 1 is to be in the channel and catch em traveling during the night,seems like ya can,t buy 1 at these spots earlier.I though this might help some newer flatters help pick some spots out for themselves that they,ll be able to repeat their success on.Just my opinion only,take it for what it,s worth.It did take me quite a few years of long nights to figure this out though.The 2 exceptions I mentioned earlier,wintering flats and spawning flats.I always start my flattin in the beginning of the year right by what I consider their wintering holes.Took a little doing to find the deepest holes in each pool,but it pays off in the spring.Those areas are where i always find my first flats of the year.I got some areas where they have everything they want for spawning too,lot of crevices,big boulders.and rubble.Took me a while to find these too,but the spawning flats and those that are real close to spawning,show up at these spots like clockwork evey year when we get close to spawning temperatures.It,s been a long,cold winter and I thought i,d get some fellow USCA,ers take on this subject.This system just seems to make it easier to stay on the flats consistently,I aint saying the poke and hope system won,t work on some nights,just not as consistent.