Anyone target flat head exclusively ? Daytime bites preferred? Fish brush piles and structure ? Any other tips ? Looking for something to keep me busy when the walleye bite slows down . Is there enough in the pool to target or lots of channels to weed through . Always been intrigued by big flats.
Thanks
Sheepshead cut bait, run and gun approach works pretty darn well for what your looking to accomplish.
Pool 4 has a good population of flatheads.
As fishblood said. Fish a spot for 30 minutes and if no action move. Fish structure man-made or natural, and don’t hesitate to fish shallow, a few feet of water can hold big fish. Also if you want to up your odds a little fish the wisconsin side of the river so you can fish 3 lines and can virtually use any fish for bait as long as it’s caught on same water body and meets size requirements and you don’t have more than your limit.
Sheepshead cut bait, run and gun approach works pretty darn well for what your looking to accomplish.
Pool 4 has a good population of flatheads.
FBRM – more I look through your posts and see your posts on here you seem to spend a lot of time on the river ! Very informative . Gonna give flatheading a try this weekend after the last few 2 weekends of nut kicking pepin handed me . I’ll let you know how I do . Thanks for the help . Sorry for the late reply to my own thread .
Yes I do. No problem, I enjoy helping others get some fish slime.
Yes I do. No problem, I enjoy helping others get some fish slime.
Yeah I release all cats so no worry there . You guys bump or back bounce here ? My roots are from western IA bumping blues in the Missouri River with limited success . Thought about trying it up here . Current really rips there though ! Lots of traffic on pool 4 too . So that would get annoying on the weekends .
You feel cut sheep is just as good as or better than live bullhead ?
I haven’t heard of anybody bumping or bouncing up here but I have wanted to try it.
I haven’t heard of anybody bumping or bouncing up here but I have wanted to try it.
On the Missouri I have a 112 lb terrova at 7-8 power and it’ll only slow me to 1-1.5 mph . At 10 power it won’t bring my boat up river . The current is ripping , but when those blues bite it’ll rip
The rod about out of your hand , there’s no question if they bite . It’s a blast but I didn’t know if it would work for flats , seem like they like structure . We used to pick up channels doing this also but they don’t interest me as much as the big boys.
I’ve bumped some, have caught a few channel cats.
You feel cut sheep is just as good as or better than live bullhead ?
If your running and gunning, yes absolutely.
I’ve bumped some, have caught a few channel cats.
<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>isu22andy wrote:</div>
You feel cut sheep is just as good as or better than live bullhead ?If your running and gunning, yes absolutely.
I’m sure now that I’ll want some this weekend I won’t be able to catch any haha . I usually catch them on crawler harnesses and cranks . What do you do ? I think fresh is better than frozen but sometimes that can be a time constraint .
To catch sheepshead?
Split shot and piece of worm fished from an anchored position.
Small sheep will be slack edge of current or in a seam. Bigger be on the current side of seam or even into the current.
Only time they’re a bugger to catch is when current is so low they suspend.
Yes sorry sheep head . I assume they would be easy to catch , but You know how it goes sometimes .
Been out fishing flatheads lately ? Any luck ?
Pic is a MO river blue cat .
CF6EC500-3572-4625-8E50-F5E961142F79.jpeg
I have never bumped for catfish, but on pools 10 and 11, every late May through June we vertical jig for flathead with custom made 3 ounce jigs and green sunfish. They hammer the jig! Gotta 6’3″ Legend Tournament Musky rod and a 6500 C3 with 65 pound power pro.
I have never bumped for catfish, but on pools 10 and 11, every late May through June we vertical jig for flathead with custom made 3 ounce jigs and green sunfish. They hammer the jig! Gotta 6’3″ Legend Tournament Musky rod and a 6500 C3 with 65 pound power pro.
Interesting – you just jig up structure or the main current channel ? I need a Wisconsin license to fish Wisconsin regs right ?
Your in Rochester. So all you need is a mn license to fish the Mississippi border waters with Wisconsin. Only time you need a Wisconsin license is if your fishing Wisconsin inland waters.
Follow the rules of the side of river your on. Wi side a mn resident can use 3 lines for example.
I’ve never had much luck catching monster flats in the daytime. I fish strictly at night and I fish only live bait. Monster flats will not travel for dead or cut bait. If you want small flats the use whatever. Bluegills work but I use big crappies and big bluegills if possible. I see a lot of comments recommending cut bait. I guess that’s fine for small flatheads. I guess I should clarify what I consider monster flats. 40, 50, 60 lbs and above. 30 and 40lb,ers medium id say. I’m 64 years old and have commercial fished from age 12 to 18 with my uncle in pool 11 on the Mississippi and fished here all my life. I know these fish. Ile also let you in on a little secret, there are flatheads in the Mississippi river a lot bigger than 60lbs
Correction, I bait with big crappies and big bullheads, bluegills if I have to.
Monster flats will not travel for dead or cut bait.
I tend to agree, which is why they are easier targets during the day. You go to them.
At night. They wander and you hope they go to you.
I’ve only caught 3 flatheads between 49 & 54 lbs.
Two during day on cut.
One at night on live.
Seen plenty of 40# daytime on cut.
30# yuuuuup.
This is a pool 4 thread, what you’ll see in pool 11 is a bit different for sure.
To each their own.
I have never bumped for catfish, but on pools 10 and 11, every late May through June we vertical jig for flathead with custom made 3 ounce jigs and green sunfish.
Do you have a picture of this jig you would be willing to share?
Here’s a few custom jigs using a Do-it ear ball mold (4 biggest ones)
Screenshot_20230331_175002_Snapchat.jpg
Mold mod
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<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Steven Krapfl wrote:</div>
I have never bumped for catfish, but on pools 10 and 11, every late May through June we vertical jig for flathead with custom made 3 ounce jigs and green sunfish.Do you have a picture of this jig you would be willing to share?
65236FB4-DDDF-4C18-BA6A-06268695B166-scaled.jpeg
The jigs above are three ounces, I make for Flathead jigging. Bought a bulk of big stainless steel jig hooks while on vacation in south Texas on the Gulf and found a mold. For rigging, I hook a bluegill or bullhead through the mouth, like a minnow, and then I bite off a little piece of ringworm and slide it on the jig hook above the bait, it keeps the hook from pulling out of your baits. I find the stainless hooks to be great as they don’t bend like brass or copper hooks.
I find the jigs work best in late May, through middle of June, when flatheads are getting hungry, I usually find the best place to use them are adjacent to scour holes below dams, just like vertical jigging for walleye. I got a pic of a 42 pounder I got a while back, I’ll try and find it.
I find the jigs work best in late May, through middle of June, when flatheads are getting hungry, I usually find the best place to use them are adjacent to scour holes below dams, just like vertical jigging for walleye. I got a pic of a 42 pounder I got a while back, I’ll try and find it.
Very interesting – I’m always amazed at the many different ways to catch fish. Thanks for sharing .
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