Best Time for flatheads?

[Roadkillwarrior]

I have been fishing the wabash river in Indiana for a long time. Caught almost every species there is, "life is like fishing the river, you never know what your going to get" I know Im an idiot. I was wondering when the best time of year is for trying to catch flat heads. Also I wound like to know a good rig. Ive tried fishing on bottom with a barrel sinker witha blue gill for hours and hasnt worked yet. I know the spot holds alot of cats because we set out bank lines and almost never come up empty. We keep the bait close to the surface so should I try keeping the bait up high off the bottom and is there a good rig for that? Thanks for any help

[mauser06]

i just started getting into flathead catfish this passed summer. i dont know about down there but they can be caught anytime...fish gotta eat. i hear right before winter there is a "Fall Feast" and catfish feed VERY heavily through aug-fall. last summer i spent nights down the river fishing from the bank. up here we are at the northern end of their range..though its extending and growing daily..we got big cats but they arent as common as southern areas. my rig was my trusty sliding 3 way rig..i'll try to explain it. i tie it all at home. helps when fishing at night..

i start by tying my hook to the leader. i use pretty hefty line for my leader and its 14-18inches long. tie the hook to one end and a hefty barrel swivel rated for atleast the lead stregnth. then i will use LIGHT line..cheap 4-8lb test...about 3-6 inches long. i tie one end to a bank sinker that will get me to the bottom and KEEP me to the bottm..and the other end to a small barrel swivel. i will then thread the main line through the swivel on the sinker...then TIE it to the swivel on my leader w/hook.

i like that rig ALOT for all my bottom fishing from the bank. the fish can take the bait and not feel my 1-4 oz sinkers. and if my sinker snags on something the light line will break..saving me valuble bait and expensive hooks.

my bait was live creek chubs. blue gills are supposed to work great..but i figured theres tons of creek chubs in the Ohio river..not many blue gills..creek chubs seemed more natural...and easy to get. i used a minnow trap baited with bread and oatmeal in it to trap them. for bigger ones id take a light rod and reel and use bread balls or pieces of worms and fished for them. i know of creeks FULL of them so they were easy to get. id set the traps in the morning or the day before i knew i was fishing the next evening and would pick up the bait before i went cat fishing.

i also experimented with cutting the chubs. id slice tails off, crush a bunch of small ones with rocks and use those etc. big live ones worked the best for the BIGGER flat head i caught. crushed ones caught more big channel cats than flat heads. the bite can be slow. just gotta be patient. i fish 2 rods and just wait patiently. ive waited well over an hour for a single hit.

hopefully i can gear up with better gear this year and try getting some BRUTES. once you get a couple 10+lbers youll be hooked. the power of these fish are amazing. the runs they take will shock you if youve never caught big powerful fish..here in PA there aint much to compare to a flathead IMO..maybe muskie but they are even harder to find here..Knots are extremely important. lubricate the knots with spit and get them TIGHT..i cant remember the name of the knots i use. i didnt expect them to break me off..i fished 20lb test main line and i think 30lb leaders..i had a couple break my off..knots didnt fail..they broke the line. i also check the leaders every time i reel in..they tend to get knicked and frayed sitting on the bottom rubbing on rocks and such..

heres some pics...


my biggest...look at the bricks in the back ground for a size comparision..no camera man that night..like many nights..hard to find anyone to sit down the river all night with you unless you let them have a fire and beer..







i generally set up as the sun is going down. i usually do alright for an hour or 2 as dark settles in..then it dies..then seems to pick up later around 10-midnight. one night im going to stay pretttty late and see what later times brings. my biggest fish and hits came later out of nowhere..no bites for hours then bam a rods bending over and a biggun is on. i dont like fires because they give off alot of light and i hear they are sensative to it from what i read..i use a lantern and position it behind me a few feet..keepts the bugs away from me and gives me a work station to work when needed..flashlights are a must..keeping gear ready and inline is critical to night fishing..dont wanna be fumbling around with loose hooks, kicking stuff over, forgeting expensive gear at the river etc...

im not an expert...but it works for me...good luck