i know a guy that caught a 40- pounder with a spinnerbait during the daytime. i guess anything is possible.

 

I have witnessed flatheads and trophy channels caught on jigs, while trying to pull bass out of stumps in the summertime. It seemed to be pretty effective. I plan on using jigs for targeting flatheads this summer.

 

i used to know of some guys who fished the ohio at meldahl with these huge spoons, like 6 inches long! never knew them personally but i talked to some folks who knew them at a park they stocked with the fish.

 

I catch flatheads almost every year up close to the bank with tube jigs while fishing for crappies below Truman dam. I figure they are just laying there and any thing that comes close there gonna eat. Jigs will catch any thing that swims.

 

i have caught a few channels on crank baits. caught a flathead and many bullhead on jigs. i have tried runnin cranks behind the boat a few times in the last 2 years but no takers yet.

 

I seen a guy today pull in a 15lb flathead while using a jig fishing for saugeye.

Dave

 

So it's not that uncommon of a thing to have happen. Though it seems that most of the time, they aren't being targetted when it occures. I'd like to try to target them with atrificials on the waters I fish, but there is soooo much structure that even trying to drift fish the place turns out horribly. But maybe I can use a jig and swimbait combination to probe the edges of said structure...hmmmm

 

you could try driftin and bouncin a jig around the cover. shoot why not put a gill fillet or 2 on a huge jig. i think that would give you the same thrill with the bennies of MEAT! another question i have pondered is the strength of artificials you know eyes hooks n stuff. you need to pull a big fish outa cover or its game over. i dont think the hooks are big enough or strong enough for the task.

 

I was going to start a thread on this topic but waited too long. Yeah, I saw the promo on the catching flatheads with artificials. Well, all I can say is that I have learned a lot about catfishing from the InFishermen folks. I have all of their catfish videos, catfish books, I subscibe to their magazine, I subscribed to their catfish magazine, I have sent in the money for this year's Catfish Insider, I watch all of their shows and I truely believe their high ranking staff members are dedicated catmen. I even believe the segment of them catching huge flatheads on cut bait is possible but I certainly never had much luck fishing for them that way. But, catching huge flatheads on crank baits may be over the top with me. I am taking a wait and see attitude, but I am highly skeptical before the show airs. It will be on at 4:30 PM CST on The Outdoor Channel Tuesday afternoon. I will have my DVR ready, I want to add this to my video library. But, will I believe it? I doubt it.

The Outdoor Network has a listing of their show times at www.outdoorchannel.com. I read their list daily so I can get any fishing show that might has a catfish segment taped.

 

The Ourdoor Channel recently changed their schedualling and the show will be on at 4 PM CST on Tuesday.

 

I have also caught a channel on a plastic worm. It was one of the new garlic flavored ones that are super stretchable. Makes me wonder if they would work on a trotline. Anyone tried it?

Ralph

 

I have caught a 15lb flathead on a 2 inch minnow lure while I was trying for bass. Kinda surprised me when it happened it was in shallow water near the bank.

 

I saw a guy catch a 38lber on a crankbait

 

I'd like to try to target them with atrificials on the waters I fish, but there is soooo much structure that even trying to drift fish the place turns out horribly. But maybe I can use a jig and swimbait combination to probe the edges of said structure...hmmmm

A lot of structure is the key to catching flatheads on artificials. There is no need for drift fishing. Get some bass jigs, put a pork trailer on them, then just pitch or flip the jig onto some stumps. The same technique as if you were bass fishing. Usually a couple of casts to a stump or rock is enough, if you don't get a bite, move on. You can cover a lot of water this way.

 

Every year I Jig for big flat using a 1oz jig head and some big sassy shad bodies, I posted this before on the old site, I hooked into A monster flat down on Kaw off of 435. The fish straighten out the hook.

 

Well, I've got a lot of things to try out this year. Yeah, I could see just probing the structure where I fish. TONS of trees, stumps, and adjoining deep holes. So much if fact, that most nights, even though I know the fish are there, it's sometimes hard to find the fish! But I was thinking that probing with an artificial will allow me to cover more water, or more accurately, structure, to find these scattered fish.

 

i would think the storm swim baits would work excellent for the flatts, they look very realistic and you can jig them or troll them i would say jig near heavy cover and hold on!

 

I used those also. And they do produce.

 

my uncle caught a 33 pounder with a deep diver bass fishing during the spring.
then my neighbor caught a 50 pounder with a dead frog he found fishing. no kidding, i saw the fish myself.

 

I watched the show. He caught a flathead by running a crank bait through a wintering hole flatheads were using. I saw them do the same thing with jigs a couple of years ago. I personally question the ethics of catching flatheads at that time of the year. I wonder of the fish struck the lure or was just snagged by the treble hook? I personally am against hogging for flatheads during the summer also but that's just me.

 

there's not very many fish i can think of that wouldnt take a jig,flatheads will take them all summer long if presnted right

 

Absoluty right, I alway carry a jigging ploe with me.

 

my dad and i use to troll for largemouth at santee back in the early 80s and we never caught any flatheads but we sure caught alot of blues and channels. sometimes we would hit a hole and you catch them on every passthrough. i tell you if you catch a 20-30lb blue trolling it can put alot of stress on the old bass rod. i guess thats why i love to catfish now.we used rebel wee r's ice blue in color.

 

If you're to jig fish for big flats i recommend that you find the owner jig heads, regular one are just to weak.

 

i make my own jigs, i moditfy the molds to fit a 5/0 gamatsue hook in a 3/8 jig head,and also in a 1/2