Over the last years the August/Sept bite has always been on cut sucker. Sliced in fillet fashion and the crushed head. Never has a wad of crawlers out produced sucker.
Until this year.
What’s different this year from others?
I see more “river shiners” then I have in a very long time.
August Flow 2015:13k to 19
2010: 22k to 31
2009: 62k to 15
2008: 11k to 4
Not what I was expecting.
Much more fun stomping on the head of suckers isn’t it!
It adds to the whole experience when customers hear the cracking…
Would you be able to elaborate a bit more on why a possible abundance of shiners would make worms more attractive?
Scratching my head on this one…
No clue. Just that it’s happening at the same time.
From about 10pm until sunrise the area around the docks at everts is teaming with minnows… and gar. They are there every year but more so this year.
I’m scratching my head on why sucker isn’t working better.
I noticed this on my last trip with a friend on Pool 2. We couldn’t get Flatheads to take a lively Bullhead, we couldn’t even hardly get anything on the worms. Then at another spot by an island we noticed all the river shiners being schooled up (around 11pm). We saw there were a LOT of Walleye’s and other predators smashing them on the surface in less than 5 feet of water. But they wouldn’t take a small live bait set on a weightless rig right in the foray of their feeding frenzy. So odd…I have yet to catch a catfish this season 
hopefully that changes with tomorrow’s trip.
The abundance of minnows I have seen on the surface of Pepin at the south end of the lake has been tremendous. They range in size of 1″ to 1/2″. I don’t know what they are but they’re everywhere. Can’t help but think it’s great for the future?
Caught my 3rd baby flathead this year at lunch today. On worms, actually all on worms now that I thunk about it. This post is mysteriously right for all pools….. 
Funny you bring this up BK. I have had 11 Flatheads on Crawlers in the month of August. Of course, I have been fishing crawlers a lot more this year than most years in case one of those bottom suckers swims by. At least half of the fish have been over 25#’s with a couple pushing 40. All the while, the bullheads sit there swimming around and the cut bait gets hit on rare occasion. Keep in mind, this is all happening near fairly deep water. Put a crawler on in 15′ or less and commence freshwater drum cranking!
I forgot how much fun it was to take people up there, throw out a crawler and wait to see what happens. We have had some great days and lots of laughs. 25’+ water has produced: Shovelnose Sturgeon, Lake Sturgeon, Channel Cats, Flatheads, Mooneye, Walleyes, American eels, Drum, carp, smallmouth buffalo, Redhorse and a white bass that hit the bait while I was reeling in. You have got to love this river! All these fish have come on a “Gob” of crawlers.
^ That’s what I’m talking about!!
Ironically last night at an undisclosed location, within 5 minutes of setting up I had a really big Flathead crush my big Bullhead. Next I tried cut bait, then I tried crawlers, no dice. Tried another Bullhead and it got crushed too. Both fish were lost under the boat due to the hook going into the Bullhead and not tearing out of them into the Flathead’s mouths.
hook going into the Bullhead and not tearing out of them into the Flathead’s mouths.
Hate it when that happened.
I caught my first flathead on a crawler. He may have only been 1/2 a pound, but he was my first.
Check out bait bridals
59″ Lake Sturgeon on crawlers within 15 minutes of anchoring on a disclosed location…P 4. 
Photo coming in a moment..
I caught my first flathead on a crawler. He may have only been 1/2 a pound, but he was my first.
Hey I did too! Caught my first Sturgeon AND first Flathead on a crawler in Stillwater almost a year apart from each other. Funny part was while both firsts were less than a pound, within a week of each fish I caught my personal best of them. PB Flathead was high 40 pound range, maybe 50. PB Sturgeon was 52 inches and melted the drag on my 5500 C3 reel.
Mike and Meg Schmalz of Brownton, MN with Megs first Lake Sturgeon at 59″ and 45 pounds within 15 minutes of anchoring.
I told her that would be the largest fish of the trip…and possibly her life.
IMG_23191.jpg
Nice. The sturgies appear healthy this year? I can remember seasons when they seemed skinny.
Rbr, at the time I had no idea there were flatheads in Minnesota. I caught mine right about the time there was an uptick in flathead chasers.
I may be wrong, but I think flathead chasers in Minnesota may have increased exponentially right around 2005.
and continues to grow…
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