Last night was a new experience for me.
I had the pleasure of fishing with two flatheaders on P1 on the old Mississippi, Dave S and Ralph B. Both of these fellows are stand up catters, with a passion for flats and a fantastic working knowledge of “inner” city cat fishing…Maybe I should say they are “river smart”. 
Dave is one of those rare types of catters, that has more fun putting you on fish and watching you get into a fish than landing one himself…
Once I found out the location we were going to fish, I scratched my head and said “Really?”. I actually worked less than a mile from this downtown area a few years ago…which kinda made me mad…because all the fishing time I could have had….If I only knew then what I know now….as the saying goes.
It just seemed very odd to be standing under street lights with my truck parked 15 feet away fishing for flats. No headlamp, no 2 million candle power light or GPS to guide you back to the launch. I didn’t even have to worry about loosing my anchor in a snag… Just a comfy lawn chair to keep the dogs happy. (wish I would have brought mine along…but my bait cooler made a good stand in)
Sometime around 9:30 Dave left to the Dairy Queen. I was thinking when was the last time I could take time out to run to the Dairy Queen or a Pizza Hut? Just don’t happen from a boat miles from a launch. We had a few inquisitive folks stop by asking what we were fishing for. Once fella spotted the decals on my truck and inquired about how to get a hold of James to “teach him how to catch a walleye on P4”. Glad I had some IDA business cards along…
The night started off slow. Not a run until around 11 pm.
Around 11, the feel of a nice fish felt good in my hands again. First flat of the year…I got that “religious feeling again! The three of us all guessed the weight of my little icebreaker and we agreed on 8 lbs. (first picture), she turned out to be just a hair over 8. This was to be my largest fish of the night. I would end up with 3 for the evening.
Big fish honors went to Ralph. He landed a flat that weighed just over 17 right around midnight. This fish looked like 22…we all were fooled by the size.
All the females caught were heavy in the lower end with eggs. Dave made the comment that it looked like they maybe spawning early this year.
We pulled the plug around 3 and after a bunch of “thank you’s” I headed the 19 miles back home with a new experience and new friendships under my belt.
Dave and Ralph opened my eyes to a great-untapped fishery. Urban Cat Fishing … no boat expense unless you call a $20 lawn chair your boat.
Thanks again guys! 
. All I had left were Starburst and Copenhagen! 
