Flathead on a Fly!

[Dave_W]

While we're on the topic of FH catfish started in another thread, I thought I'd start a fresh thread and continue the FH talk....

I don't think we have had a PAFF angler post a pic of a fly caught FH from PA yet(?).

Awhile back, some guys were hot to nail this goal - my money was on Fredrick being the first to get a flattie on a fly. Since then, talk about this seems to have faded.

I get channel cats every year on flies and occasionally a bullhead. However, I have yet to even so much as see a FH on the Susky or Juniata. Once in awhile, I'll see a deep hole with woody debris and think to myself, "there's gotta be a flathead in there" and swing a streamer through the spot....

So, anyone gonna nail a FH on a fly this summer?

C'mon, be a hero and do it!

 

[SteveG]

Does it still count if the fly is pretreated with chicken liver?

 

[jifigz]

Dave,

I believe Klingy nailed one out of the Juniata some years ago near Mt. Union on a fly. If it wasn't Klingy someone did, I swear I'm not crazy. There was a pic and thread years ago. I believe he posted it as a response to a topic that I started.

And SteveG, I don't think having a liver on there is going to help much. More so the movement and action of the fly as opposed to the scent of the liver. I know someone who just bagged a nice one out of the Susky on a crankbait while bass fishing.

 

[jifigz]

If they had a higher concentration up here in the J I'd be all over it. But I still think that their numbers are rather low and they aren't in every "flathead looking spot."

 

[klingy]

I did catch a flathead on the J several years ago and posted it. Right under the bridge in mount union. Not sure if it got lost in one of the site meltdowns, or if it’s still floating around somewhere. I can’t remember what I caught it on.

 

[jifigz]

klingy wrote:
I did catch a flathead on the J several years ago and posted it. Right under the bridge in mount union. Not sure if it got lost in one of the site meltdowns, or if it’s still floating around somewhere. I can’t remember what I caught it on.

Thanks for chiming in Klingy, I thought that was you that caught that flattie near Mt. Union. I searched and couldn't find your old pic. And, if memory serves me correctly, I believe you caught it on a clouser. But who knows?

As a personal goal I'm going to start slinging some streamers at night and making this a goal of mine. I know of some good spots that channel cats use at night to feed so we will see if the flatheads use the same waters. I'm not very knowledgeable about flathead behavior and habits.

 

[larkmark]

No doubt it is possible. I catch them on spinning rod on plastic twisters quite often. I recommend a Clouser Minnow with a bit of weight.

 

[Dave_W]

Good stuff.

I had vaguely thought that someone had posted a photo of a fish from the Juniata some years ago but my memory was hazy and I had forgotten it was fly -caught by a Paffer.

For awhile, Krayfish was pretty confident that he had hooked one (or several) and there were other old reports. Since they're predators, it has to be possible to get 'em on a fly.

I guess us WWI ("warm water insurgents") will continue to give it a shot. I don't fish much at night anymore, but some folks that do might pull it off.

 

[Fly-Swatter]

larkmark wrote:
No doubt it is possible. I catch them on spinning rod on plastic twisters quite often. I recommend a Clouser Minnow with a bit of weight.

Not that I would, but....this!

And, that. :lol:

 

[krayfish2]

The last time I had good levels and clear water on the Susky was almost 2 years ago. DaveS and I did go to what I consider a flathead hotspot. Sink tip and big sex dungeons. Came up empty. I had horrible tendonitis that made it virtually impossible to even hold a rod.

The arm is better, the river levels are dropping and I'll get one this year. Caught quite a few channels on the fly but not a flathead yet. It's gotta be easier than catching a quillback. LOL

 

[Dave_W]

Okay, what we need here is a sunfish pattern.

I'm on it! Stay tuned.

 

[jifigz]

Dave_W wrote:
Okay, what we need here is a sunfish pattern.

I'm on it! Stay tuned.

If you seriously tie a sunfish pattern bring it to the WW Jam at my place. I will gladly make a few casts with one searching for a flathead in the dark hours.

 

[Dave_W]

jifigz wrote:
If you seriously tie a sunfish pattern bring it to the WW Jam at my place. I will gladly make a few casts with one searching for a flathead in the dark hours.

Well, here's a try from last night.

This is really a practice piece for a larger herring pattern I'm thinking about.

It's fun to experiment with patterns that imitate non-traditional prey species, like sunfish. However, if one were serious about getting a FH on a fly, a crayfish pattern would probably be more effective. The FH that are a reasonable size to be targeted by FFers eat a lot of crayfish and, I think, this is why spin guys tend to get 'em on tube lures and soft plastics etc.

 

[krayfish2]

Looks good Dave. I'm planning on using rust colored circus peanut, black dungeon or white silk kitty. If the dam river ever drops and clears up again, come on out in the boat with me and will try and run one of those things down.

 

[larkmark]

Fly-Swatter wrote:

larkmark wrote:
No doubt it is possible. I catch them on spinning rod on plastic twisters quite often. I recommend a Clouser Minnow with a bit of weight.

Not that I would, but....this!

And, that. :lol:

why not! Looks good!

 

[Fredrick]

Iceyguides caught one a few years ago , not sure why I gave up the chase one of the main reasons I bought my first kayak, I had a big one on but it got off . Pittflyguy caught a bunch of them but they weren't in the susky .

 

[TrtnBux]

Looking for teeth, just got gums.

 

[Dave_W]

TrtnBux wrote:
Looking for teeth, just got gums.

Just a note for our readers, that's a channel cat, not a flathead.^

However, this pic shows how aggressive catties can be - that fish ate a muskie/pike fly, nearly half it's body length.
This is common with bass, but not something many folks would expect to see from a catfish.

 

[jifigz]

I've had many encounters with channel cats before where I thought I had a big bass or something on then realize it is fighting like a catfish. Caught them on all varieties of soft plastics, clouser minnows, woolly buggers, crankbaits, and even a black jitterbug long ago. Definitely top predators and not just scavenger/bottom feeders like many believe..

 

[larkmark]

Have caught more Channel Catfish on top during White Fly hatches than I caught bass when fishing river after dark.