Winter Fishing Without the Rod

By Brian Klawitter 0

I’ve always heard that they "stack up like cord wood" in the winter, but until I saw it for myself, I didn’t understand the true meaning.

Last weekend IDO members Stuart, St Croixer and myself headed down to Everts to look for some wintering flathead catfish. With a little time we found our quarry.

Our first pass caught us a few channel cats. Well, until we viewed the footage on the computer. Our first pass actually place us right on top of a number of flats…just that we were focused on seeing the channels that were closer to the camera.

You soon will see one of the unique characteristics of the flathead catfish. Their inactivity in the winter time. Many say that have caught these fish in the winter. I’m a believer of that…just not when they are in the mood captured by Marcum’s new 825c. These fish were bumped by the camera and nary a movement. Not a fin or a tail. I do think as the water temps or maybe even the stage starts rising, this fish move and feed to some extent.

As you will see, they are very open to foul hooking by an angler passing by.

With catfishing season just around the corner and bookings starting to come in… I have the FEVER!

For you non catfish guys:

Did we only see catfish you ask?

For those of you that fish in the deep water close to the Lock and Dam #3, I have a question for you.

What’s in this picture?

Saugers by the hundreds if not thousands!

It’s pretty dark in the scour hole. The sauger and walleye’s eyes light up like headlights in the night with Marcum’s two leds turn on. Amazing can not describe the sight. On viewing the footage at home, we found a mud puppy and many more saugers that weren’t facing the camera.

I think the guys would agree, fishing with a camera is just as much fun as fishing with a rod and reel.

Well, you be the judge…here’s a small portion of our underwater fishing trip on the Mighty Mississippi!

Video a couple of posts down.

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Brian Klawitter

• First Person to be Knighted at the Spam Museum by Sir Can a Lot. • Founded The Minnesota Catfish and Sturgeon Alliance. • Networked to change the MN's Bullhead Bait length laws for Catfish Anglers • Networked to allow the use of cast Full Bio ›

0 Comments

  1. Again, I have to thank Dean at Everts Fishing Resort, Eric R. Stuart, Jim B. and Jarrett for helping with these photo’s.

    It was a true team effort!

  5. really cool pictures!!!

    thanks Brian….and thanks MarCum for the great pictures!

    those cat’s look like they are all dead? you sure that is’nt where you fish all the time Brian? unbelieveable!!!

  7. BK’s video added to the report is no longer working. I’ll add that video here. The pics are one thing… the video is even better.

  8. Thanks Brian, one of the most interesting reports I have read. Thanks for the glimpse into the world of wintering catfish. Did the camera have a microphone on it? Wondering if you could here snoring sounds down there.

  9. That is cool to see them all piled up. It is amazing to see them in there winter habits. It really is cool. so at what temp do they leave the huddle?

  10. Very cool video!!! Its incredible that those cats are not moving at all — not even a twitch of a fin. How are they maintaining position without moving now and then?? Is there no current in these areas?

  12. ohhhh I just watched the video oh man wooow

    Your right james the video is way better

    Man there were some tanks down there.

  17. Awesome! We ran into a school of them this weekend, I wondered what it would look like down there. Thanks for answering my question!

    What do you think the reason is that they school so tight?

  20. Great pics and video, guys. I could see myself playing with the camera more than fishing, if I had one of them on board.

  21. Good stuff, Brian. Be careful to avoid tangling your camera in the logs when you’re looking at those cats!

  22. Quote:

    Did you happen to notice one that was looking like a hundred pounds?

    That is what I was wondering allso. It would be nice to either prove or disprove all the stories one hears about monstrous cats below the dams on the Mississipi.You know the ones ….divers have seen……..Never go back there….

    Thanks Brian and crew.

  25. Quote:

    That is cool to see them all piled up. It is amazing to see them in there winter habits. It really is cool. so at what temp do they leave the huddle?



    The general consensus is that 55 degrees is the magic number for flatheads. They then migrate, some for miles, eating everything they run into along the way.

    I suppose I should actually watch the video before commenting.

    That one at the 3:31 mark looked pretty big, unless the one beside it is a baby, which it could be because it looks less stout than those bigger fish look.

  26. Excellent job BK!
    I have a pretty good idea (I think! ) where those pics came from, and it seems they go back to that spot every year. Two years ago we sat down there for a half a day staring at the camera! Although the video was not nearly as good!

  30. Great stuff, BK !! Remember this one from November ’06 ?
    I think I recognized her at about the 3:05 mark.
    WKW

  35. I would guess the channels huddle together until they are big enough not to be bait! I’m not sure if it’s just a winter thing or they do it all year…no clue. But the clear winter water of the Mississippi and a good camera is sure helping me to under stand the areas I’ve been fishing.

    I’ve often wished the Corp of Engineers would draw down a couple of areas so I could see what I’m fishing it. Using the camera is the next best thing! Heck it might be better!

    I’m sure the flats move well before 55 degrees although that’s seems to be the start of the active bite. I know, I know…the walleye guys will argue with that statement!

    John we just pluged a video camera into the back of the 825c…that’s it.

    Someone asked how they could stay on the bottom without moving. To see what kind of current we were in…look at the “channel cat ball” clip. Look at the river bottom and how fast we were moving…that was just a couple hundered feet from were we filmed the flats.

    Water on the sides and bottom of the river move much slower than the mid section and the top of the river…that plus you can see that they were all behind something. It might not have been on camera, but there was always some type of obstruction ahead of them to break the current.

  36. The image quality is amazing!

    Looks like I need to list the B&W camera in the classifieds…

  37. Nice jhob Brian. I had a chance to dive and see these fish about 6 years ago. What an eye opener. I know of 3 spots with flats and several with Channels but only one spot that have both in it. I do not think it is the same spot you are in because there was no wood in the spot I know of. Are you by the barge rock 1/2 mile below the dam? I could see some wood moving in there. Any way very cool. Chris

  42. That is just so cool! I’ve gotta tell ya, I imagine fish acting like this in our canal system out here. Probably not the numbers like those flats, but I know they’re there.

    And that video…probably the best I’ve ever seen for cats. Some of those big ones really got me excited!

    Real cool stuff, BK!!

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