Dedicated to My First Flathead

Sure, he ain’t the biggest fish, but boy did he start me on a journey. Before him I had no idea flatheads were in pools 1 or 2. Before him, I had heard how hard they were to catch because most were caught by accident when fishing for other species. The reasoning I READ (Yes, this was in a fishing mag or book) was that they sat on the bottom and didn’t really move much and would open their mouths up and gulp prey that swam in front of their face.

Anyone else want to show us your first Flathead and show’em some respect? I’ll never forget that little guy and he sure tasted good. For reference, I have probably used bullhead bigger than him for bait. He may have been about 3/4 of a pound.

No, I didn’t eat him! You didn’t fall for that, did you?

The great catfisher I was with…told me to hold it by the mouth..after dropping it once…I said to self…”this cat guy’s nuts if he thinks I’m going to put anything of mine in it’s mouth!”

Fifteen pounds of future in that fish. Changed my life…(can’t sleep at night during the summer!)

Every winter has been torture since.

My first.
Had seen two others boated on my boat. And 2 others lost on the other boat with us. Had to wait till the next time out to get this one.
35 inches 22 lbs. I just compared my newer digital to the spring deliar, the deliar is 1.5 to 2lbs off in the heavier range. So actually this one could have been a tiny bit heavier.

It was almost 10 yrs. ago now, I wish I/they had digital cameras back then, It was 43″ long and a fat prespawn fish…low to mid forties for weight. I remember foolishly thinking how easy this Flathead thing was going to be…..

Thank You Fishhead!

#1

I dont have a pic of the 1st one I cought ” I was walleye fishing anyway ” but the 1st year I started targeting them this was the biggest one I got. We had fished for them before but that year I wasnt going to fish for anything else once july hit untill I cought a big one. Two weeks later I caught this one and about a dozen before. 43″…. Of course no scale but sure it was close to 40 lbs.

I will check my journal on this one…. I was fising a cutbank and it was pretty close to the same time of year as now.

I cant remember my 1st flathead.. I cant even remember which river I caught it on

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I cant remember my 1st flathead.. I cant even remember which river I caught it on

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The memory is what goes first when you get older……right BK?

2 Birds with one stone.

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Sure, he ain’t the biggest fish, but boy did he start me on a journey. Before him I had no idea flatheads were in pools 1 or 2. Before him, I had heard how hard they were to catch because most were caught by accident when fishing for other species. The reasoning I READ (Yes, this was in a fishing mag or book) was that they sat on the bottom and didn’t really move much and would open their mouths up and gulp prey that swam in front of their face.

Anyone else want to show us your first Flathead and show’em some respect? I’ll never forget that little guy and he sure tasted good. For reference, I have probably used bullhead bigger than him for bait. He may have been about 3/4 of a pound.

No, I didn’t eat him! You didn’t fall for that, did you?

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Pug, is that even a fish? Looks like something I coughed up.

Yep, he’s a cat. He’s laying on top of a rock. Not the best picture, but it was the best I could get with him thrashing around.

My first flathead was a little fella about 4-5 lbs. from the Minnesota river right at the bridge in Chaska. I was trying to catch a walleye when this thing smashed the bejebus out of a spinner/leech three way rig. Don’t recall year, but it was before I had any kids.

I remember thinking to myself that the pattern on its body was one of the best camo patterns I had ever seen (duck hunter in me was taking note at that moment).

Pug, did you catch that out of a nuclear waste site or what?

I hate to show this kill picture but, it means a lot to me. I know they are not flatheads This picture is from the first night I had actually planned too dabble in cat fishing. My Dad was all up for it at first, but as you can tell from the pic, he was dog tired by 4:00am the next morning.
It is a trip we both talk about to this day. We were catching nice channels all night until we couldn’t take it anymore. The fish were caught on Beef Liver and crawlers off the main channel. It was an area I had been eyeing up for weeks. Gave it a try and it worked

After that I was hooked on cats

Love ya Dad

From my first cat, I knew I was into something special. I have been chasing channels for about 15 years. So this year I made it my goal to catch a flathead. I booked a trip with BrianK and boated a 15 and 30. Needless to say I was totally hooked on them. My boat smells like a dead bullhead and has been blessed by dents from me getting alittle to close to some deadfalls. Here is a picsthat I like from my time spent chasing channel cats in winter.

Here is where it all started….the first hit on the “cat pipe” was all it took.

I am noticing a bit of a disparity between my first and everyone else’s. Yes, that is self pity

It really doesn’t matter what your first looks like, there will aways be a place in your heart for her….

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It really doesn’t matter what your first looks like, there will aways be a place in your heart for her….

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Got that right! It was also pretty fun seeing Audemp reel in his first. Nothing beats seeing someone catch their first flathead. The best is he has that serious look when we took the pictures, but he was all giddy when the cameras were put away.

“I was as happy as a little girl” (Deeter)!!

It did kind of echoed when I screamed didnt it?

Well Im off to feed some oversized cutbait.

Yea he was pretty giddy after the pics I get the same way everytime I catch one.

When I first met my GF, she commented on how I have the most genuine huge smile in every pic I am holding a fish in. I told her that it is the only time I am truly the happiest man in the world oops yea I still hear about that one, and it’s been almost ten years.

See what you get when you try to be honest!!

Well just keep catchin em!!

You think we should start a thread of the best lines our girlfriends and wives have used on us in relation to our fishing?

I just got the old, “If you only cared about other things as much as you do fishing” line the other day! Thank God she doesn’t hold it (The fishing) against me. I still have the time she caught one to use on her. She was as giddy as a school girl!

I don’t think we have time to write down all the “lines” we’ve gotten from the other half. I could go onand on and on……………………………………….till my fingers were bleeding from typing

“Why do you need another one, you already have 5 in that color?”