Small Flatheads – Big Bait

The last three nights of flathead fishing I’ve been amazed (again) at what a true preditor the flathead is. I’ve had numerous flatheads around twenty inches just crush 7-8 inch chubs and bullheads. When I get em in their some of their bellies looked like someone shoved a softball down their throats. Add PO’d beavers, curious raccoons, bats, herons, deer and it dont get much better, except when my first grade daughter got her first look at a flathead were we debated who was bigger, her or the fish……..

We had trouble with beavers on our last outing. At night they kept slapping their tails on the water surface to signal danger in the area (and is that ever annoying). Do you think fish pick up on that and go somewhere else or stop feeding? I think it might affect fish activity because while the beaver was around we only got one fish in several hours. Once things got quiet we started getting more bites.

I really havent thought about it but I’ll try to make a mental note of it. I will say that my two biggest flatheads of the year have come after I’ve been making a heck of a rucuss in the boat. Everyone talks about how flats are very light sensitive and spook easily. Then I go and read about other people that take wooden sticks and splash them around in the water to attract some species of cats. Who knows???