new to flathead fishing

hey everyone been reading everyones posts for about a year now.I have been pursuing flatheads for the first time last year and i am stumped help!now i said stumped not skunked.I have a few questions in regards to some areas and ideas i have about them.Im fishing the pecatonica and rock rivers in the rockford rockton area since last year.ok 1:day or night 2:depth/cover/or bottom substrate for example if have depth and cover but the bottom is mud should i exclude this area? at night do i fish tight to these areas or do i fish a flat that is shallow but in proximity to these things ? i could go on forever !But anyways i fished 06 every few days for the entire year only to boat 8 fish what am i doing wrong!!!!

For a newbie you are doing quite well. Lots of us get skunked on a regular basis. You can get them during the day if you can find their resting area and hit them in the head with the bait. They are much more aggressive at night. Usually if you can find the deepest water around that has some wood or large boulders that is the resting area. Fish right in there during the day. At night move to shallow area with cover for bait fish. I often do best fishing weeds in 7 ft of water near resting areas. The Rock river has lots of big boulders in there if you can find those on a bend in deep water. This is always a good spot to try.

Sounds like you are doing everything right. What are you using for bait?

I started out early in the year using suckers from the bait shop with no luck not even channels.got my first one last year on my last sucker that had died and i sliced him up a lil.it was mid june behind an island in about two feet of water he smaked it as soon as it hit the water! then i started uising creek chubs in the 6 to 8 inch range which produced all my others but one that i got on a warm mouth sunfish. This is almost daily fishing various times day and night all year differant spots and could not get enough fish to get a pattern.I was getting some outstanding channels compared to the way i had always fished for them before i deffinatly figured them out by fall and could get at least one channel out of 20 each time i went out pushing 10 but it was pure chance on the flats.And thats what my heart is set on when i go!!

also the stretch of rock near me is more sand and gravel flats with very lil in the way of large rock there are guys that get them but they dont speak more then what a picture tells.

In areas that seem the same a difference of a foot or two in depth can make a difference. I have fished similar areas and when I go there try right were the drop from the shore meets the normal bottom depth. They will cruise the shore line sometimes for miles on this contour.

If you can use sunfish or blue gills I think they work the best, bullheads are a close second. Creek chubs are popular but I haven’t used them.

ok thanks!the creek chubs have been the number one choice bait for channels ill have to try to concintrate on bluegills for the first couple months.

Rivers are all a system of pre rapids, rapids and trail races. Outside bends where the current hits the bank always produce a good cat hole. If you can find wood piles with deeper water concentrate there. The nice thing about skinnier water is you don’t have to wait as long. If you don’t get bit in 10/12 minutes head to the next likely spot. I only sit longer than that on the big river and I only wait for fish in a couple spots that are know transition areas.

Some guys here have decent luck on suckers I believe later in the year. I like a bait that “makes noise” by struggling and swimming. I think suckers are a quiet bait. I think they are just as content sitting on the bottom without moving when hooked, while a bullhead you can usually see moving from your rod tip. I agree with the order of preferred bait given above. Of course at times usually later in the year, they seem more willing to take cut bait.

They are tough to pattern fish. I think it is more just finding likely areas, fishing at the right time (night) and waiting.

How long do you fish a given spot? What would you say your average catch per night was, like every other night or 1 ever few nights? What was the average size fish you caught and what was the biggest?

Like I said, from what you said it sounds like you are fishing the right areas. There’s plenty of other people on the board who know a heck of a lot more than me, so hopefully they’ll chime in.

I’ll leave you with this article.

Theres alot of good advice given here. If I may add one thing… Explore and fish as much water as you can. There are many excellent catfish spots that no one fishes because they dont look like the traditional spots they hear about. Don’t be afraid to sit on a spot that doesnt look like much. I dont mean spend all night on it without a bite, but try it for an hour if the classic spots arent producing. You have little to lose and alot to gain. One of my favorite spots is an area most if not all fisherman wouldn’t even bother fishing, but I took the time to fish it and I will never have to compete for that spot because no one else fishes it. To me those are the best spots.

Good luck!!

Tim

ok i would say my average sit time on a spot was 30 to 45 minutes.average fish catch for flatheads about 1 a month fishing about 15 days out of the month average is about 8lbs and biggest is 44lbs.

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ok i would say my average sit time on a spot was 30 to 45 minutes.average fish catch for flatheads about 1 a month fishing about 15 days out of the month average is about 8lbs and biggest is 44lbs.

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Ohhh to be able to use sunfish!!!!
Welcome to the site mate. Sounds like you’ve got a good start. I say keep up what your doing, don’t be afraid to experiment, your learning curve will go up exponentially if this is your second season, and not afraid to try new things.
Oh yea. I would recommend the advise of one of our fellow moderators of the St.Croix forums, Steve Demars AKA Comachero 15. Keep a detailed journal if your not already, you would be surprised at the patterns that start to emerge

thank you that is excellent advice i will start a journal with date and conditions

well went out yesterday to try for some channels and not a bite ???differant baits and lots of locations not even a nibbler but still looking forward to next outing!

We were out on Monday too. Tough bite. We only found one location that we pulled 6 channels out of. Little guys.

The waters a bit cool yet…but this week should be good.

Don’t forget to try the tributaries this time of year.

Congrats everyone sounds like they are starting to go for you guys.Unfortionatly i have not shared the same luck .i have been out twice a week since my last post and not a run yet.Not really sure what i need to do ?Havent heard much about anyone else getting one around here yet either.they are not fished for heavily in rockford area though.

Sorry to hear that, but keep on it and keep trying. When you land that first one it will be magical.

I am also waiting for my first one. Maybe this Saturday if it doesnt rain.

Let’s go. Does your wife want to go because Michelle wants to get out too. All signs point to a good night of fishing Saturday. Warming water, whatever this moon is, will be setting early.