Cutbait Flat…

Set up on a great looking spot tonight with a cooler full of lively bluegills. As is my habit, I worm-fished it first. The boy caught a few small channels and I nailed the sheephead along with one mooneye. I always enjoy the mooneye bonus as I have a cutbait rig set up to hunt channel cats in case I get a mooneye or small redhorse. I tossed out a small chunk of cutbait, then got antsy and added a second chunk to my hook. Shortly thereafter, as we were trying to get bluegills placed, my cutbait rod started to bow. I reared back on it and thought I had one heck of a nice channel cat. The bulk of the fight took place directly under the boat – it wasn’t long before the flathead showed herself, a beautiful 30 pounder. Very nice fight on my “light” rig – 30 pound Fireline on a bass casting rig I caught in the river a few years ago.

Here she is:

We sat around for a couple of hours and watched our bluegills in anticipation, but the cutbait eater was our only catch…

Happy Hunting,

Matt

Nice cutbait flatty, a pleasant surprise, I’m sure!

I’ve caught 3 flats on fresh cutbait this year, a 36, a 27, and a 15. Wasn’t so surprised with the 36 on cut because I was using a jumbo sucker head and knew if something took it, it would be decent, but the 27 and 15 came off of 1″ tail portions while trying to catch channel cats and I thought for sure I wouldn’t get anything over 5 on those little pieces. Go figure…

Matt…that picture is a “wall hanger”!

Cutbait…about the time you have them figured out….

I believe it’s Jeremy99 that uses a chunk of cutbait above his live bait regularly with success.

Forgot to mention that I also had a bluegill smashed by a channel – left the tell-tale broken spine. My son said maybe it was opposite night.

I agree with Brian, that is a great pic.
Sounds like the Flatheads are laying low right now. I fished pool 8 all night Wednesday. The largest was 8 pounds with 6 more in the 4 and 5 pound class. Where did the big’ens go

cool pic. Opposite night? oh the good ole days……….”yes means no and no means yes, cuz its opposite day!” haha

anywyas, i remeber our first flathead ever came off of a ball of crawlers and my biggest ever came of dead sucker

I have caught many flats on cut bait over time.. I cant think of many over 30.. but that is probably strictly coincidence.

It is very rare, and usually not by cloice that I target flats with cutbait.. it happens only when my bait has died and I have no choice, or no bait is available of respectable size.

Some areas I still fish under normal water levels used to require a 70-80 yard cast.. needless to say, unless your going to put a suit of armor on your live bait, they are not going to live… that location I have caught many flatheads on cut bait.. but with the higher water levels this year, a short cast was only needed to reach the current seam.. so live bait was used and produced the best year we have ever had there.. a couple fish were still caught on cut bait, but very few.

I have messed around some with cut stragegicly placed for flats out of the boat.. it usually tied me into channels.

I will never say cut doesnt work.. it does. I will say that I have much more confidence in lively bait presentations with Minnesota bait restrictions.. on a side note, I have the same confidence with a cut sunfish than I do with a sucker most of the time… too bad I cant use sunfish?

2 weekends ago the spawn seemed to end and the channels perked up on the Croix. Caught some dandies on cut, but I had a bucket full of bullies in hopes of nailing some flats. Evening turned to dusk and I caught a 14 and 16 lb flat. Both on cutbait. Next a.m. I nailed a 30 lber. for a great birthday gift. Again on cut bait. My biggest flat, a 44 incher came from a mile further up, again on cut bait. I’ll continue to tote the bullies along, but still haven’t caught anything on them.

You guys think…that after/during spawn they prefer and easy meal compared to chasing a live bait? Like pike after ice out?

Inquiring minds want to know…

The best thing about cut bait is that if you find a fish already dead you don’t have to kill one of gods creatures, he has already taked care of it.