There may not be any flatheads in there, but.....Try fishing it at night, they may come in there at night searching for small baitfish in that shallow water, throw a bluegill out there at night and see what happens, because if they are there you will eventually get one doing this. About the spoonbill tho, they eat plankton, so you really wont be able to catch them with bait, You will have to snag them if it is legal, thats how they catch them around here. Check your state regulations on doing this because it may not be legal in some states. Goodluck
Flathead catfish and spoonbill
Hi all.About a month or 2 ago i went behind my house 2 a wooded area which is kinda big for living in the city.Well,neways i found a pretty nice lake.The lake is a runoff which is connected 2 a marina that goes into the Ohio river.So i thought there may be some nice cats in there.Ive caught some decent channels but i was wonderin where 2 find the flattys if any are in there.The lake isnt very deep the deepest maybe 7-8 feet?If anyone knows where 2 find the flattys plz post up.Theres also plenty of trees and coverage hanging into the water.
Ok ok i know this is a catfish site and im a catfisherman thru and thru but i just got 2 ask if anyone knows how i can catch a spoonbill?I mean,theres this monster in here like 3 ft long and some other smaller ones,id like 2 hook into that bad boy.Anyone have ne knowledge on SPOONBILL?I heard u have 2 snagfish em but i see them jumping out of the water for something on top of the water so i thought i may be able 2 hook em if i try what they are eating(whatever that is) Plz post
Ok ok i know this is a catfish site and im a catfisherman thru and thru but i just got 2 ask if anyone knows how i can catch a spoonbill?I mean,theres this monster in here like 3 ft long and some other smaller ones,id like 2 hook into that bad boy.Anyone have ne knowledge on SPOONBILL?I heard u have 2 snagfish em but i see them jumping out of the water for something on top of the water so i thought i may be able 2 hook em if i try what they are eating(whatever that is) Plz post
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spoonbill?.........maybe its a gar and not a spoonbill
Nah Dave definately spoonbill.I can see those suckers bills perfect.They jump so high and so much.
and if i were 2 snag fish em,how do they do it out there?I mean seems hard 2 me 2 pinpoint where the fish is gonna be and throw my line out there?
and if i were 2 snag fish em,how do they do it out there?I mean seems hard 2 me 2 pinpoint where the fish is gonna be and throw my line out there?
I use a big treble hook I would look for the treble hooks with the weight molded onto them but gars jump alot also I would see when the spoons are ussually in your area this really really seems like gars though ....trys this go to the gar forum and try wait they say to catch them .....if im not mistaken the water has to be cold (prolly wrong though) lol
If there are flatheads there, then they most certainly are able to be caught. Find a shallow area such as a flat that is close by to deep water. Flatheads are structure oriented...brush piles, rock piles, log jams, ect. They also like creek channels and drop offs. If you pursue them after dark keep in mind they are on the hunt for food...roaming about in search of anything they can find to eat that doesnt eat them first. If you are after them during the day, keep in mind that you have to hunt for them as they are laid up near structure waiting in ambush for some un-suspecting bluegill or what have you to swim too close and get their day ruined. As for bait...black perch or punkinseed (NO...not the vegetable...punkinseeds are a species of bream) are my two favorites because of their endurance on the hook. But any type of baitfish will work...better alive...but freshly cut will also work. Nightcrawlers or hellgramites are also viable options.
As far as spoonbill...the water temperature is not a factor concerning their potential survival. The water temp as well as the water levels do trigger the spawning run however. Spoonies eat microscopic plankton and other little bitty wiggly stuff you cant see that is in the water...therefore it would be difficult (impossible) to fish with bait for them. Which is why they are snagged. Be sure to check your state regulations concerning the legality of snagging. Here in Kansas and also in neighboring Oklahoma and Missouri spoonbill snagging season co-incides with the spawning runs in the spring and only in certain bodies of water....not statewide....and not just anytime during the year. Three feet is a baby spoonbill....they get much larger than 36". It's not uncommon here to see 80, 90, and even 100 pound fish...with an occasional fish getting up over 120 lb....and sometimes even bigger. It's not uncommon at all to see spoonbill breaching the water and going airborne...although I have no idea what prompts them to do so. I have seen them on Grand lake Oklahoma doing just that. You hear of asian carp spooking and jumping in front of boats on the Mississippi river and hitting fishermen...could you imagine getting pelted by a 70 or 80 lb spoonbill while going 50 mph across the lake in your boat?
As far as spoonbill...the water temperature is not a factor concerning their potential survival. The water temp as well as the water levels do trigger the spawning run however. Spoonies eat microscopic plankton and other little bitty wiggly stuff you cant see that is in the water...therefore it would be difficult (impossible) to fish with bait for them. Which is why they are snagged. Be sure to check your state regulations concerning the legality of snagging. Here in Kansas and also in neighboring Oklahoma and Missouri spoonbill snagging season co-incides with the spawning runs in the spring and only in certain bodies of water....not statewide....and not just anytime during the year. Three feet is a baby spoonbill....they get much larger than 36". It's not uncommon here to see 80, 90, and even 100 pound fish...with an occasional fish getting up over 120 lb....and sometimes even bigger. It's not uncommon at all to see spoonbill breaching the water and going airborne...although I have no idea what prompts them to do so. I have seen them on Grand lake Oklahoma doing just that. You hear of asian carp spooking and jumping in front of boats on the Mississippi river and hitting fishermen...could you imagine getting pelted by a 70 or 80 lb spoonbill while going 50 mph across the lake in your boat?
LoL...Ouch thatd prolly kill someoneCatcaller said:could you imagine getting pelted by a 70 or 80 lb spoonbill while going 50 mph across the lake in your boat?
lol yea catcaller thatd be crazy,thxs 4 the info ill go out tonight and give it a try,also there is kinda of a small channel where they water gets like 2 to 1 ft deep i do most of my carp fishin there.Ive also finished just outside the channel and caught some decent channels and one good one that took out drag on my beach rod but got snagged up.Theres like a tree(s) there.Would this be an ideal place 2 try for the flattys?
well im about 2 get out of here.Want to head out early 2 catch some bait.Ill post later tonight with the results,i seen a earlier post on BOC about fishin with frogs?anybody try that?
Try any bait native to the area you are fishing, frogs, crawfish, etc...frogs work well for cats around here, they like the leaopard frogs...goodluck, im also going out tonight ill post results on here too.
Dave, you are correct that spring = cold water....but it's not cold water that triggers the spawning run...it's the gradual warming of that cold water that makes it all happen. However...even when the water warms to the correct temp...they still must have the proper water level to be able to make the run upstream. This past spring is a prime example of this. The water temp warmed to the point of a guy actually being able to wade in the river even without wearing insulated waders...but the water was too shallow for the spoonbill to make it past the two rocky fords (riffles) to make it to the low water dam where they cannot make it over...therefore concentrating them to the point where it's much easier to snag a spoonbill....rather than being in open water and wearing yourself out trying to find the schools. We went downstream of the fords to deeper water and there were spoonbill everywhere there...but nothing upstream of the shallow stuff.
I don't know if Indiana even has a paddlefish season, but I would suggest you check with your state regulations. A 3 foot spoonbill is a baby, here in Missouri where I fish they must be 34 inches measured from the eye to the fork of the tail and the season is only for 47 days.
k yall thxs 4 the spoonbill tips,i just got back from fishing and nothin 
.A carp snapped my line on my ultra lite.And i had a big cat wether that be channel or flathead on a bluegill head,felt pretty big but the hook came out seconds after i set the hook so i didnt get 2 see him.
.A carp snapped my line on my ultra lite.And i had a big cat wether that be channel or flathead on a bluegill head,felt pretty big but the hook came out seconds after i set the hook so i didnt get 2 see him.I got a 7 lbs channel cat on liver
is it better to fish the up current side of a wing dam or the lower side and does day time have an effect, and will blues school up in the summer, the other day i saw some blues hitting shad on the top, never seen this till then, has anyone.
i have seen blues hitting shad on top, and have caught two or three on a pencil popper while striper fishing.
on those spoonbill, make sure you won't get in trouble for catching them. some states are pretty strict with those fish. like on the red river between ok and tx, if you catch one on the okie side in season, it's okay. but if you catch one on the tx season anytime and keep it, it's a huge fine.
on those spoonbill, make sure you won't get in trouble for catching them. some states are pretty strict with those fish. like on the red river between ok and tx, if you catch one on the okie side in season, it's okay. but if you catch one on the tx season anytime and keep it, it's a huge fine.
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