Best Bait for Flatheads?

Discussions around the best bait for any species of catfish can become...well...spirited. There are literally hundreds of baits to choose from when selecting fare for channels and blues. The choices for flathead fishing are more limited, but everyone seems to have their own favorite and are not afraid to tell you about it. My initial forays into flathead fishing were thwarted by the Minnesota DNR. You see everything I read, heard or saw told me that the absolute top bait for flatheads is a live green sunfish...hands-down winner, no need for debate. Problem is, a person simply cannot use a live green sunfish (or any other sunfish) for bait in the state of Minnesota. After considering the idea of moving to a more catfish-friendly state, I decided to try some other baits.

Apparently bullheads are an acceptable bait in Minnesota. I saw several posts on message boards reporting flathead catches on the upper Minnesota River on bullheads. Easy to catch (just go walleye fishing and you're sure to catch a boatload), and very durable; this is a very good bait alternative. The problem is, I have not had consistent results catching flatheads on bullheads. The bullheads I do fish with are of the 7-8 inch variety.

Another bait alternative is suckers, or sucker minnows. I really enjoy fishing with big suckers as here in Minnesota you could potentially hook a big, toothy fish as well. I've had some success catching flatheads on suckers, although I've honestly caught more flatheads on chunks of sucker than on live suckers. The biggest problem with suckers is acquiring the bait in the first place. If you happen to live next to a stream that is loaded with white suckers, you're in business. If you have to buy them; you'll soon go out of business. They are not terribly plentiful in the waters I catfish, so the only time I ever really fish with them is when I catch them on my "bait rod" (more about that in a minute). A typical bait sucker for me is around 10-14". Any bigger and I usually use them for cut bait.

About my "bait rod"...I typically carry a medium-light action spinning rod spooled with 6-8 lbs test mono, rigged with a #2 aberdeen hook, a 3/8 oz slip sinker with a splitshot between the hook and slip sinker. This is my bait rod. I bait this hook with night crawlers or angle worms or doughballs, or whatever I have on hand and use it to catch my baitfish. Remember that in Minnesota, you're only allowed one hook, so I cannot simultaneously fish for bait and catfish. This makes my baitfishing time very important. The faster I can catch acceptable bait, the sooner I'm angling for whisker fish. Here in Minnesota, the list of things you cannot do is MUCH longer than the list of things you can do. In fact on a local radio personality's talkshow, one of the taglines is "from the state where nothing is allowed". The list of things you cannot do includes "Using whole or parts of game fish, goldfish, or carp for bait...". So, no carp or goldfish either. Of course I generally catch 5-6 carp for every sucker that I catch. And since I'm not actually on the river to carp fish...but wait. What are these extremely plentiful rough fish that are easy to catch and nobody really pays any attention to?

This brings us to the final flathead bait to be discussed here. The lowly sheephead, or freshwater drum. I began using sheephead as a "last resort" one day when I hadn't had time to go to my bullhead lake, and I could not catch a sucker no matter how I tried; of course I was catching a sheephead every 3 minutes on the bait rod. I had successfully used sheephead for cut bait, but would a flathead eat a live sheephead? I decided to try it out. I put a 12-14" fish (that's about a pound and a half sheephead, folks) in a bucket of water and motored to the predetermined flathead locale. It was about 3:00 in the afternoon, and I rigged this giant sheephead on a 14/0 circle hook with a 3 oz bank sinker. I figured he'd slip my bait clicker so I clipped off half of his tail with my side-cutter. Then I pitched him up near the brush I was fishing. A flathead picked him up in less than 10 minutes. It ended up being my biggest to that point, at over 40 lbs.

I believe that flatheads are not terribly picky eaters. The best bait is fresh bait, the fresher the better. It needs to be lively, and it needs to be well rigged. Otherwise, any legal bait in the appropriate size, placed in the right location will do the job. I don't think sheephead are any better than any other baitfish, but availability is their key to success. Use whatever bait is readily available, and spend more time with your bait in key flathead locations. Spend less time worrying over the which bait to use.

My Experience With Circle Hooks

I first started using circle hooks in the summer of 2001 after reading an article in In-Fisherman. My original plan was to test them on catfish, and migrate them into my overall fishing arsenal for everything from crappies to muskies. In part, my plan worked.

I am [un] fortunate to live within 40 minutes of a Cabela's store...well, actually two of them now. I was able to walk in and peruse the selection of circle hooks to judge sizes and get a feel for their overall physical dimensions. Had that not been possible, I would have doubtless mail-ordered several wrong-sized hooks before settling on something that works.

With circle hooks, size is more important than with a standard hook. You really need to pay attention to your bait size and your intended quarry size. I think generally you are better off going too big on a circle hook, rather than too small. In addition to this, circle hooks generally run smaller than regular hooks with the same size designation.

I started out targeting relatively large (5-15lbs) channel cats on the lower Minnesota River. My first hook choice was about a 2/0 Gamakatsu. I had some hook-ups and some misses. I understood that I was still under a bit of a learning curve so I didn't get too concerned about the misses. The biggest problem was that the 2/0 hooks with the somewhat odd bend were simply not big enough to hold my typical cut-bait offering. The exposed gap was very small and I was forced to hook the bait VERY close to the end.

After some experimentation, I settled on what is still my favorite circle hook for larger channel cats, a 5/0 VMC Vanadium Sport Circle Hook (model# 7384BN). I can't find them locally anymore, but you can get them online ( for example, see Jann's Netcraft ). I still have a package of 25 that you couldn't get from me if you tried. Anyway, they are the prefect size, and the round bend positions the bait better than most "circle" hooks that have a kahle-like bend. Granted, 5/0 may sound pretty big, but I've gotten very close to 90% hookups fishing this hook and have been very happy with it. I've also hooked the occasional 40lbs flathead that hammers my cut-bait as it spins in high-current areas.

For live-bait rigging flatheads, I'll typically use either a 12/0 or 14/0 Eagle Claw seaguard circle hook, depending on the bait size. I'll generally either harness the bait, or I'll use a rubber band through the nose to hook up the bait. My flathead baits are generally way too large to hook directly. I'll cover more on baiting options for very large baits in a later article.

I've successfully used circle hooks in smaller sizes while ice fishing with tip-ups. Using a 2/0 Daiichi with 4-5 inch shiners has proven deadly on northern pike. Using 1/0 or smaller with small shiners or large fatheads has put several walleyes on the ice for me. Circle hooks are a natural for tip-up or rattle-reel fishing because the hookset is otherwise so difficult with these fishing methods.

Tips for using circle hooks:

1. Use a hook that is big enough. With the bait attached, there should be plenty of gap left.
2. Make sure the hook point is exposed and will remain exposed. This means when fishing cut bait, be sure to remove any scales that may stick to the point. Sometimes I'll even trim away the leading corners of the cut bait to make sure it doesn't "foul" the hook point.
3. Like all hooks, keep your hook points sharp. A circle hook relies on a sharp point to do its work.
4. Do NOT set the hook. Just apply steady pressure until the hook finds home. On bigger fish, you can then lean back into them. When targeting larger channel cats, I generally just point the rod tip right at them and start reeling steadily. When I feel them solidly on the line, I raise the rod tip in a steady sweep.

What is a circle hook NOT good for?

1. Float (aka bobber) fishing. I have not been able to find a successful combination of float and circle hook that would consistently catch fish. I've tried various sizes/combinations for panfish and catfish. For fishing under a float, I prefer a standard hook.
2. Drift fishing. I have not tried drifting for cats using circle hooks (by the way, watch for an upcoming article on drift-fishing cats...I think my brother has had some success drifting with circle hooks). I have unsuccessfully tried drifting for walleyes and crappies with a circle hook. I was in a boat with three other guys that were hammering big crappies and eater walleyes while I kept missing fish on my circle hooks. I experimented with several sizes and weight combinations, but simply could not get consistent hook-ups. Perhaps I'll try this again in the spring.
   

Small Rivers

This past summer I spent a fair amount of time on a small river near my home. By small river, I mean most places it is easy to cast across. More of a creek, in most parts of the country; although I'm not sure there is such a thing as a "creek" in Minnesota...

Small rivers like this are ideal places to learn about the nuances of reading current and finding fish. Around here these small rivers get very little fishing pressure, and generally hold good poulations of fish. I've found that generally the fish run a bit smaller; but that doesn't mean there aren't quality fish available.

The reason I find small rivers to be excellent learning opportunities is that the relatively small geography (or would that be hydrograhy?) allows you to quickly ascertain if you're in the right spot. Contrast that to fishing the Mississippi, where you could "read" the river and be within 25 feet of the right spot, but never know it because you don't get a single nibble. I guess the feedback is generally quicker on a small river. Most spots can be eliminated with just a few bait placements.

The experience gained learning to read the smaller rivers can then be used to help dissect larger spots on larger rivers. The knowledge is almost directly transferrable. If you learn where to place your bait in relation to an eddy on an outside bend on a smal river, you'll likely be close to the right spot on a large river.

Something to Learn From Carp?

I have recently discovered a very large (and growing) population of North American carp anglers. I was investigating some new piece of gadgetry, and I stumbled across some very interesting web sites and online user communities revolving entirely around carp fishing. I was a bit surprised, and then intrigued.

See, I've caught my share of carp. Both accidentally and intentionally. As a teenager, we would chase monster carp on the St. Croix river in Wisconsin using doughballs made of 2 to 3 slices of Wonder bread. We specifically underpowered ourselves with light action rods and 6 lbs test. If a fish broke off...well...it was just a carp. Let me tell you, those sessions taught me a great deal about handling big, powerful fish. I've often fondly remembered those days of hot drag washers as I'm releasing a big cat...might not have landed it without all that practice.

So back to the websites...as I was browsing through all of the products and gadgets they have available, I was astounded. Here I am, a veritable cornucopia of angling lore and knowledge, and I have no idea what these carp guys are talking about. What is a rod pod? A bait boat? Hair rigs? Feeders? Boilies? Spods and catapults? What are these guys talking about? I guess a few years ago I could have passed it off as stuff "those Eurpoeans are doing". But now, it is hitting mainstream North American angling. See www.carp.com and www.carp.net or Google "carp fishing". You'll see what I mean.

The concept of spodding particularly got my attention as I thought "there must be a way to use this catfishing". I guess that is how I justify purchasing items that I have no real need for. All in the name of innovation, I suppose. So I'll be looking more deeply into the wares of the carp fishermen, and trying to find new ways to adapt some of their techniques and rigs to the world of catfishing. Did you know some carp baits have hemp seeds? Is that legal?