Flatheads tonight hopefully

[Delawareriver]

Thinking about trying for some flatheads tonight if anyone wants to join me for a few hours. Hopefully I can grab some fresh bait on the way home and I'll post up hoe I do.

[Eskimo]

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Cool. Are they actively feeding yet? This site lists the current temperature in Trenton as 14.7 degrees C. I converted that number to 58.5 degrees F.
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?01463500

Let us know how you do.

.

[River Renegade]

Good luck tonight hopefully you brought tons of chicken livers for those cats! ;)

[Delawareriver]

.

Cool. Are they actively feeding yet? This site lists the current temperature in Trenton as 14.7 degrees C. I converted that number to 58.5 degrees F.
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/usa/nwis/uv?01463500

Let us know how you do.

.

They been feeding for awhile, really once the water hits 50 it's game on. Actually come June or so they tend to shot off for a month or more while they spawn.

But with the water temp dropping over the last week it probably wasn't the best of nights to try. Mix it up with a few cut baits and smaller live baits thinking they are probably a little turned off. Not much to report, had a suspected flathead mouth a live bluegill, and a fat channel cat caught on a piece of cut bait. Getting ready to call it a night

[Delawareriver]

Good luck tonight hopefully you brought tons of chicken livers for those cats! ;)

If your using livers or other typical channel cat baits you will not catch flatheads consistently if ever. They like live bait 90% of the time with fresh cut fish taking a few fish as well

[River Renegade]

If your using livers or other typical channel cat baits you will not catch flatheads consistently if ever. They like live bait 90% of the time with fresh cut fish taking a few fish as well

Flatheads do go for livers/other channel cat baits. My friend has caught them using those. And i was with him fishing, plus taking his pic.

[Jigman13]

Flatheads do go for livers/other channel cat baits. My friend has caught them using those. And i was with him fishing, plus taking his pic.

Lol

Pics or it didn't happen!

Livers would never be my go to bait in any River system. The eels and smaller fish would demolish the bait constantly. with a 5-6" bluegill or rock bass only something substantial can really get that down the ol hatch.

[Delawareriver]

Flatheads do go for livers/other channel cat baits. My friend has caught them using those. And i was with him fishing, plus taking his pic.

When you catch 30 flatheads in one night then I will say that's consistent. I've caught probably close to a thousand flatheads on the delaware and Schuylkill and every single one was on either live bait or cut bait. Yes I've heard of one here or there caught on odd things but typically they are the less than 5lb skippers. Never heard of a 30-40lbers caught on anything but live or cut bait

[FASTEDDIE29]

When you catch 30 flatheads in one night then I will say that's consistent. I've caught probably close to a thousand flatheads on the delaware and Schuylkill and every single one was on either live bait or cut bait. Yes I've heard of one here or there caught on odd things but typically they are the less than 5lb skippers. Never heard of a 30-40lbers caught on anything but live or cut bait

Truth!!!! No livers here! Bleh! Nothing but schoolie Stripers, Channels and Eels on that crap! Live bait, cut bait! YEA BUDDY! I CANT WAIT TO GET BACK TO THE BIG RIBBER.................:D

[Andrushkin33]

I agree

Live bait or go home. On another hand I knew I was hoarding dem trout for something.

Andre

[DRiverRat]

Flatheads do go for livers/other channel cat baits. My friend has caught them using those. And i was with him fishing, plus taking his pic.

I love this sh*t !!!!!!!!!!!!! We got a ?newbie? a**hole telling the pros how to catch flatties. Hahaha This forum can turn to crap real fast like that.

[Delawareriver]

I love this sh*t !!!!!!!!!!!!! We got a ?newbie? a**hole telling the pros how to catch flatties. Hahaha This forum can turn to crap real fast like that.

Easy now, I'm not saying I'm better than anyone else or other guys don't know how to catch fish but as Forrest Gump would say

"I may not be a smart man, but I know you don't use liver when fishing for flatheads"

[skippy]

Didn't that same poster say a little while back that he bought all his live bait from Meltzers? Even though they have been closed!!!!

[Delawareriver]

Tried again. Bait was a challenge to get, took me two hours to get 7 sunfish as they would just not take my jig that usually they fight over. Anyways set up at 8pm and fished till 11. Saw the full moon pop over the trees. Didn't like that as I've never done well on full moon nig hr s for flatheads. Well action was consistent with a 6 channel cats making short work of my live sunfish, manage to save a few that the channel cats killed and used them cut bait, which yielded more channel cats. As I was cleaning up I heard my last rod click once or twice, cleaned up the other two rods waiting for a good take on the last rods that something was messing with. After 5 mins I figured it was most likely an eel or something that couldn't fit the half a bluegill in its mouth, started reeling in and good feel extra weight. Couple small head shakes had me confused as felt heavy but next to nothing in fight. Well 10ft from shore I got my answer as I could see the eye reflection shinning back to me. Sweet nice 23" walleye on cut bait. Just like what we were talking about on this thread, never know what you will catch yet doesn't mean I would target walleye with cut bait because I caught one on it one time

[dakota560]

Couldn't agree more regarding choice of bait. Flat heads love something moving but as others have said like all catfish they are opportunistic feeders and will also take dead baits and at times as Fast Eddie has proven soft plastics. Cut bait will take fish but your odds are definitely greater with live bait. I'm sure fish have been taken on chicken liver but for anyone seriously targeting flat heads livers wouldn't make the short list of preferred baits and would probably be at the end of the long list. Fished Wednesday night and Delaware like you said under the cover of overcast skies. Very dark night. Flat heads had their feedbag on, landed 8 and missed just as many. Biggest was 36 inches, fat and would guess 25 lbs. plus and two others I'd guess between 15 - 20 lbs. Lost a real big fish after a half hour fight, couldn't get her off the bottom and eventually line broke. All fish were on live baits, gills and yellow perch. When I ran out of live bait used the dead ones which had already been eaten and had a number of run offs. Hooked a large eel on a perch earlier in the night, cut it up but surprisingly no takers. Great night, the big girls are feeding up before the spawn.

[Delawareriver]

Couldn't agree more regarding choice of bait. Flat heads love something moving but as others have said like all catfish they are opportunistic feeders and will also take dead baits and at times as Fast Eddie has proven soft plastics. Cut bait will take fish but your odds are definitely greater with live bait. I'm sure fish have been taken on chicken liver but for anyone seriously targeting flat heads livers wouldn't make the short list of preferred baits and would probably be at the end of the long list. Fished Wednesday night and Delaware like you said under the cover of overcast skies. Very dark night. Flat heads had their feedbag on, landed 8 and missed just as many. Biggest was 36 inches, fat and would guess 25 lbs. plus and two others I'd guess between 15 - 20 lbs. Lost a real big fish after a half hour fight, couldn't get her off the bottom and eventually line broke. All fish were on live baits, gills and yellow perch. When I ran out of live bait used the dead ones which had already been eaten and had a number of run offs. Hooked a large eel on a perch earlier in the night, cut it up but surprisingly no takers. Great night, the big girls are feeding up before the spawn.

Awesome job. That's a great night for the delaware. I know I could get on some if I was willing to fish a little farther from home or break out the kayak and paddle to different holes but figured I would try a few new spots that should hold some flatties. Two nights ago it was shallower then I thought and couldn't get my baits into the hole, probably a good late summer spot but not so much what I like to fish in may. Last night's spot was a lot more what I was looking for but think the full moon messed me up. Ill give it a go again next week with some better baits

[BottomBouncer13]

How much weight have you guys been using? 1 ounce egg enough?

[dakota560]

BB,

depends on conditions but as a rule of thumb as light as possible to stay on bottom and not have the sinker rolling. I like using diamond sinkers anywhere from 1 - 6 depending as I said on current and depth.

Dakota

[henro]

What size and style hooks do you guys use?

[Delawareriver]

I typically use 2-4 oz no roll sinkers, to a swivel, 12-18" of 50lb mono and a gamagaski 8/0 circle hook snelled on to keep a good angle. Lots of different circle hooks will work just make sure they have a wide gap.

[Delawareriver]

How much weight have you guys been using? 1 ounce egg enough?

Did you get the pm I sent you a week or so ago

[jmurr711]

I need to catch a flathead