Top End Flatheads?

A couple years ago we had a long period of high water bringing alot of big flatheads up river going over the roller dam on the south end of town. They swam up to below the dam in downtown where the gates stopped them and there was a very good bite for a couple of months.

We caught alot between 20 and 30 lbs and seen a few that went over 40 while we were on the dam fishing. The guys we talked to said they seen or heard of some over the 50 lb mark and one of the older boys that fished the bridge alot told me about one that must have been huge.

He said a couple of younger guys in thier early 20’s were fishing with 80 lb test and a 10′ rod with a nice reel. He said they hooked into one that both guys traded off and on fighting this fish for an hour and a half. One guys arms would wear out then the other guy would take over. The old boy said he watched this fish go down river and then come back up to just below the dam and stay awhile in the fast apron current. The apron is where the water comes over the gates and hits this concrete apron slab, then flows out into the river. He said it did this a couple times then went back down river. After an hour and a half he said the flathead finially figured out he was hooked or didn’t want to be hooked anymore and kicked it down river. He said the pole pointed straight twards the fish, the line tightened and it broke like the crack of a 22. The old boy said these two guys said thier arms hurt from fighting this fish so if I and others seen flatheads on the bridge weighing around 60 lbs. that guys landed how big was that big one, 80? maybe.

While flathead fishing about 25 years ago on the upper Cedar above town I talked to a guy who fished out of a 12′ jon boat. I knew him and he fished flatheads all the time in the holes above town. He said he hooked into one that was a nice one. He went to the front of his jon and leaned over to pull it up off the bottom and he said the flathead didn’t like that and headed for the bottom and he said the front of his jon was going close enough that water started coming over the bow. He said he got back to the first seat so the front of the boat came up and then the line broke. I know it sounds like fish stories but I believe both of these guys, I knew the guy who fished from the jonboat. There are some very big flatheads around here.

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By top end I mean verified accounts of fish within the last 5-10 years or so.

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I missed an account of a 62

Each year I hear “accounts” of larger flathead.
The last fella reporting a state record wouldn’t allow
any of us (or a certified scale) to weigh it
He did keep it several weeks hoping to get
Cabelas to display it.

I found another account of a 63.

Nice catches Katfish, what river or reservior are you fishing out there. Around here theres alot of flatheads and some of the nicest ones come out of creeks that are within a couple miles of the rivers here. Do you hear of any nice ones coming from any of the creeks around you. Most of the rivers here in eastern Iowa have nice flatheads in them where theres deeper water and some of the reserviors, thier an eating fighting machine. Beings Iowa and Ohio are on the same latitude the growth rates are about the same and I see you have some nice fish there.

I’ve always wondered how many of the big fish we catch are recaptures. Here on the Fox the river is small and segmented with short stretches of river between dams. We have been working with the IDNR on tagging some fish and have recaptured a fair number of them since the tagging started, but some of the bigger ones we have caught are yet to be documented.

Moose
I assume some of the flathead I catch are recaptures.
One female we caught (over a 5 -6 year period) went from 38
pounds to 63 pounds. She was healthy when I released
her at 63 pounds but I believe she may have bit
on another guys line who didn’t share our catch
and release ethics.

I caught this 55 pound flathead and then again 6
weeks later. I identified it with the spawning scar
on its back.

Nice to be able to document such a recapture. Just goes to show how important it is to release these top end predators. Just to hard to replace such big fish.

Did the fish have any discernible marks that you were able to identify her over a 5-6 year period? Or are you assuming since it was the same spot and the fish got bigger and bigger? I am not doubting it was the same fish, just curious.

That is such an astounding growth rate, but not surprising. Especially for a fish that has such low metabolism and seems to spend 95% of its life sitting still on the bottom.

Just over ten years ago, but the WI state record was taken in my vicinity. 74lbs, 5oz.

Tri-county canal, south central Nebraska. Less than 50 yards wide, less than 12′ deep, 50-70lb. flatheads every year.

That particular fish was because of location.
Our lakes seem to have a surprising amount of large flathead. Even so, there may be only one or 2 large flathead for every 2 square miles of lake.

We are not sure if this fish fed rarely where we fished, or when we weren’t at that spot, or just moved in when it was to her advantage. But she was caught within yards of the same location each time.

The 55 i caught twice came from the same location and the scar from spawning made an individual ID easy.

We make efforts to document scars or marks or features of individual fish but many we only catch one time.