this is the former "Olive Pits" thread. Good info without a michigan home ought to go here like this quote frok Vic on 7-29-05: "THERE ARE NO FLATHEAD CATFISH IN BELLEVILLE LAKE(OR ANY LAKE FOR THAT MATTER) OR ANY REGION WHERE A RIVER RUNS THROUGH THE AREA IN SOUTHEAST MICHIGAN. DNR WILL STAUNCHLY SUPPORT THAT CLAIM AS WELL. APPARENTLY, BECAUSE OF LACK OF KNOWLEDGE, LOCALS IN THIS AREA BELIEVE THAT SOME HAVE BEEN CAUGHT IN THE HURON RIVER SYSTEM. CAUTION: THIS IS NOT A FLATHEAD.LOL. FOR STARTERS, THE FISH THAT IS BEING CALLED A FLATHEAD HAS A FORKED TAIL. YET, IN SPITE OF THIS INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE LOCALS ARE STILL HOLDING ON TO THEIR DISBELIEFS.LOL. FLATHEADS HAVE SQUARED ANAL FINS AND THEIR LOWER JAW PROTRUDES BEYOND THEIR UPPER LIP. IF YOU CATCH SOMETHING WITH "WHISKERS", SQUARED TAIL, AND A LOWER JAW THAT DOESN'T PROTRUDE IT IS A BULLHEAD.LOL. BROTHERS IF YOU ENCOUNTER ANY OF THESE MISINFORMED FISHERMAN, EDUCATE THEM IMMEDIATELY. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT. P.S. THERE ARE NO BLUE CATFISH IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF MICHIGAN, SO DON'T GET EXCITED IF YOU "THOUGHT" YOU CAUGHT ONE. HOWEVER, THERE IS ONE WAY TO REFUTE ALL THIS INFORMATION. TAKE A GOOD PICTURE! NO FUZZY, UFO, LOCH NESS, SASQUATCH IMAGES PLEASE.LOL. CLEAR, CRISP, DISCERNABLE IMAGES ARE PREFERRED. THANKS AGAIN FOR YOUR SUPPORT" If you have anything that wont fit anywhere else but belongs in our fine state's site, leave it here and we will find it! Sal
How to use the toothpick method for hooking gills: Grab the gill in your hand, and stab em 1 inch deep with a round toothpick right where the back-meat rises from the skinny part of the tail to the back of the dorsal fin, parallel to the spine but about a quarter inch above it. Break off the excess of toothpick. Get a 8/0 or 9/0 hook and run it around that toothpick. Now when you cast you wont rip the gill in half. Furthermore, sinch you're not disturbing the spine, air sac, or lateral line, the gill will live all night. Channel cats and flatties bite different. A channel cat will sneak, quick-grab, and go, Stopping a short way away to reasess the meal and finish chewing. A flathead will sneak up, whip its tail to create a vortex of water where the fish cant escape from, then take in all the water and the fish, letting water out of the gills and smashing the fish in its mouth. It will then run a few yards, then it will try to start swallowing. When a cat strikes, let it have an extra 10 feet or so of line. Then when the line goes tight again, Set that puppy hard like you want to bust its lips off. (remember, you have to bust through that toothpick before actually setting th hook) You should never miss more'n 20% of your strikes if you follow that rule. Flatheadds have a lot of bone in their mouths. You really have to rail on it to hookset it.
Have you ever tried nostril rigging? Its a saltwater technique that, like many other salt water techniques, applies to catfishing pretty well. You need: A loop of dental floss tied with a square knot that would be a circle about 1"-1.5" in diameter, and a piece of fine wire about 6-8" long, folded in half. I'm talking fine wire like the stuff that comes with rubber float stops, single-strand guitar string fine. Fold the wire in half and flatten it out so the fold is pretty pointed. Stick the fold in one nostril of the bluegill/sucker/bullhead/etc and out the other. Put the dental floss loop halfway through the wire "loop". Pull the wire, and the floss with it, back through the snoot of the baitfish. Pull one end of the floss all the way through, so you have a loop of floss sticking out of each of the nostrils. Now put your hook (circles are my favorite for this) through both of the floss loops. Twist the hook several times to tighten the floss, then pass the point of the hook under the twists. You now have an unharmed lively baitfish tied to your hook. I saw Larry Dahlberg do this on TV recently, and I can't wait to try it out Friday night- so long as the thunderstorms stay outta Grand Rapids. Good fishing. Tony
You are the offocial smart $$$ here, aren't you? Ever try it? Ever try bullheads? (In-Fisherman says they're deadly on BIG flats) Ever try the Grand River DOWNSTREAM from Riverside Park in GR? Anybody?
Uh... yes I am. Actually I am the unofficial smarta$$ of the entire BOC, I just havent been formally named as such. I havent tried bullheads but my buddy did with great success. Take off thier spines with wire cutters- they bleed more and the cats find them to be easier to swallow Never tried the grand there.... but when you do try it and if it works out, post info about it on the grand river thread in the rivers section on Michigan threads, ok? Good luck out there bro! Sal
You got it, man. The thunder will have to be ringing in my ears and the lightning standing my hair on end to keep me from spending Friday night in the boat. It's a full moon that night, you know. I hate to fish this close to civilization, but the water's so dang low right now its the only place I know I can motor. Count on a full report. A 30 pound flathead in Michigan may be old enough to remember DDT and PCB. Let the big ones go. Bless your offspring with fish to catch, not contaminated food.
Hey I'd love to butt-in and join ya but I gotta be in Marquette Friday night to pick up my 4 wheeler. If you want others to go, go to the short notice section andd post a query there- maybe other folks would like to get in on it- if you want em to. The fellas Ive met from Michigan are a creal cool bunch. You may really enjoy it. Sal
I would like to officialy dub sal as sr sal the official smarta$$ of the entire BOC want to second that vic or sparky
