The Flats are jumping in the boat!

Looks like the summer flathead pre-spawn bite is on. My last 3 trips have been pretty good. Here are a couple of pics to tell the story. Both fish are King of the Cats upgrades for me – I’m still sitting on the top of the flathead board at 218 points but there have been a lot of big fish posted in the last week and the competition is heating up. I am heading to Florida for a week so I expect I’ll get passed on the leaderboard while I am gone. That will give me a good excuse to fish like crazy when I get back. See you on the water.

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Steve, you are on fire up there!! Tell mickey mouse hi for us. We will do our best to send pictures of big fish to you while you are away

Jeeze Steve. Big fish.

Nothing big yesterday but I have been having fun using the trolling motor flathead fishing

Nice way to get a bait in a flatheads face deep in a snag when anchoring doesn’t offer good boat positioning

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I have a stupid question.can we eat this kinda fish?

One wrote:

I have a stupid question.can we eat this kinda fish?

Can? Yes. Should? Up to you I guess.

yes u can but most of us flatters are catch n release

Steve u r on fire. If u carry that over to p2 ur winning it

One wrote:

I have a stupid question.can we eat this kinda fish?

I do promote CPR but……I will say that the small ones are actually very good!! Just like the one Andy is holding above. 4-5 pounders. The Bullheads are pretty good eating too. If you don’t catch any cats you can eat the bait if your hungry
Not joking either. White firm and tasty meat. I wouldn’t eat one much bigger than 5 lbs though. Will need pliers, a nail and piece of wood to get the meat off.

I’ll echo the last three gentlemen.

Mercury, PSB’s and other not good for a person stuff stays in whatever eats it.
Small fish pick up small amounts and when bigger fish eat the smaller fish the pollutants stay in the bigger fish until finally we get to the Flathead, a top of the line predator.

At my age, I doubt that eating some 20-30 pounders are going to bother my health, but I would never take a chance on feeding it to my daughter.

Mercury keeps accumulating and stays in a human until we die.

Mercury exposure at high levels can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system. High levels of methylmercury in the bloodstream of unborn babies and young children may harm the developing nervous system, making the child less able to think and learn.

But to answer your question, yes they can be eaten.

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Well stated and couldn’t agree more. I don’t want to be a thermometer that tells the water temp. A friends dad use to harvest bullheads and he’d smoke them and wow where those good.

Fried bullheads…yum! They are quite tasty for being so ugly. As far as eating a big flathead, muskie, or large northern…not recommended. Loaded with toxins. Unless you want to glow in the dark!

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Brian Klawitter wrote:

I’ll echo the last three gentlemen.

Mercury, PSB’s and other not good for a person stuff stays in whatever eats it.
Small fish pick up small amounts and when bigger fish eat the smaller fish the pollutants stay in the bigger fish until finally we get to the Flathead, a top of the line predator.

At my age, I doubt that eating some 20-30 pounders are going to bother my health, but I would never take a chance on feeding it to my daughter.

Mercury keeps accumulating and stays in a human until we die.

Mercury exposure at high levels can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system. High levels of methylmercury in the bloodstream of unborn babies and young children may harm the developing nervous system, making the child less able to think and learn.

But to answer your question, yes they can be eaten.

That should say something if BK won’t eat it, he eats SPAM!!

I’ve picked some eater sized channels thru the ice in the bayport area in past winters,very good eating especially in cold water.

Now I’m all about a channel cat dinner! Not only do they fight better then a walleye, they taste better too!

(I heard that spam comment Werm. )

Brian Klawitter wrote:

I’ll echo the last three gentlemen. <p abp=”399″>

<p abp=”400″>Mercury, PSB’s and other not good for a person stuff stays in whatever eats it.<br abp=”401″>
Small fish pick up small amounts and when bigger fish eat the smaller fish the pollutants stay in the bigger fish until finally we get to the Flathead, a top of the line predator.

<p abp=”402″>At my age, I doubt that eating some 20-30 pounders are going to bother my health, but I would never take a chance on feeding it to my daughter.

<p abp=”403″>Mercury keeps accumulating and stays in a human until we die.

<p abp=”404″>Mercury exposure at high levels can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system. High levels of methylmercury in the bloodstream of unborn babies and young children may harm the developing nervous system, making the child less able to think and learn.

<p abp=”405″>But to answer your question, yes they can be eaten.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

I’ll echo the last three gentlemen. <p abp=”399″>

<p abp=”400″>Mercury, PSB’s and other not good for a person stuff stays in whatever eats it.<br abp=”401″>
Small fish pick up small amounts and when bigger fish eat the smaller fish the pollutants stay in the bigger fish until finally we get to the Flathead, a top of the line predator.

<p abp=”402″>At my age, I doubt that eating some 20-30 pounders are going to bother my health, but I would never take a chance on feeding it to my daughter.

<p abp=”403″>Mercury keeps accumulating and stays in a human until we die.

<p abp=”404″>Mercury exposure at high levels can harm the brain, heart, kidneys, lungs, and immune system. High levels of methylmercury in the bloodstream of unborn babies and young children may harm the developing nervous system, making the child less able to think and learn.

<p abp=”405″>But to answer your question, yes they can be eaten.

To me this sounds like a scare tactic from a Guide that is worried about his species exploited? Ya, there are studies done but for the response you gave about eating one? These are about as clean of a fish you could eat.

Can you get all the bad stuff from handling a flathead catfish? You wouldn’t know. There has been no money allocated to that study yet.

Go ahead and eat them. They are the fish that are left out there, and are great eating.

I’m sure Brian and I will discuss to disagree!

If I’m not mistaken, BK is a retired catfish guide.

Thank you all.

chamberschamps wrote:

If I’m not mistaken, BK is a retired catfish guide.

Next year Chamber. This is my last year guiding. Then I’ll be able to fish for them as much as I want!

Riverruns, being cantankerous is a sign of mercury poisoning.

I can’t say we have ever caught the same flat twice but there is this tagged sturgeon that I have a relationship with…. She has put some mighty wide smiles on at least 4 peoples faces and that wouldn’t have happened had she been harvested.

Whether I guide or not, it takes 20 to 30 years to replace a big flathead. That’s a long time to make dinner.

Good question One!

PS the guys down South say “the bigger the better tasting” and “the belly meat is the best part”.

Brian Klawitter wrote:

PS the guys down South say “the bigger the better tasting” and “the belly meaat is the best part”.

Happiness at 375 degrees!

Catch n release does wrk and I know of plenty of flats that have been caught more then once. One of those flats had very distinctive scars from spawning and was caught 2wks apart in the same spot and was a PB for both lucky anglers hittin the scale at 46. if it was kept by the first angler the second Angler wouldn’t ever had his personal best and she would’ve never had a chance to Spawn with her great genetics
If I get a chance I will find the pictures.

It is legal to harvest them, to each their own. I would recommend the smaller ones

Ya it is the best part Brian, George an old boy I know never needs a flashlight, hes always glowing and still jumps at the chance to get his hands on some thick belly meat, it is good, at 84 he might as well.

So using bullheads for flatties are no secret but wondering if the source of those buggars are? Anyone willing to share their favorite bullhead hole in the east metro? Colby Lake in Woodbury isn’t bad but last week all I could really catch was 3″ Young of the year bullhead. Just doesn’t seem right to be asking about how and where to catch bullheads…but like any other overabundant hunted species when you want them, they get scarce all of a sudden. Thanks for the tips!

Ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lie’s . I would tell a person where to fish before, I give up my bait spots.

Ray I asked that same question 10 or so years ago.

I was given a pond in Stillwater and some in Rochester along with a Mpls lake. I can’t recall the names of any of them. LOL!

Sure miss Bob Moores’ Bait Shop. Always had live bullheads.

I would suggest using suckers this time of year. Not only for ease of obtaining but half a smashed 6-7″ sucker might get hit more then a live bait for the rest of the season.

Thanks for the advice on the suckers Brian! As long as Flathead catfishing remains a niche sport in MN, I doubt we’ll see bullheads popping up in any baitshops anytime soon. Heck, they’re having a tough enough go selling fatheads! Will keep searching…just can’t spend more time fishing for my bait than the real thing don’t ya know…

4 Seasons in Red Wing carried bullies this summer. I doubt they have any now. There was a place in Mankato that carries them but I don’t recall the name.

We just don’t have anyone locally that’s been selling them.

I hate fishing for bait. So many other things I can do with my time. When I first started fishing flats I built a bait tank out of an old freezer. I could hold 250 to 300 bullies, but using around 25 per night they went fast.

With the AIS laws getting tighter and tighter, bait is and will be the biggest pia for flathead fisherpeople in MN. <sigh>

Brian Klawitter wrote:

There was a place in Mankato that carries them but I don’t recall the name.

Kathy Winkler
3rd ave, N of kato

Cut sucker Flathead out of the St Croix while fishing for sturg.

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Ray PM me and I can point you in the right direction for bullhead in the East metro. Flatheads are on the chew right now, seeing some great fish being caught.

Yeah they were hungry last night.
In 2 hrs: 3 channels, 2 sturgeon, 4 flathead.

The flatheads went 4 in a row. As I released the first, my second rod was doubled over, as I releases the second, my third rod was doubled over. Literally back to back to back. A few minutes after landing the third and casting all 3 lines back out I had a fourth flat. Good times.

2x 15#
1x 20#
1x 40# &44″ picture attached.

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