Targeting Prespawn Flathead

PHOTO CREDIT: HUNTER W.

Pursuing flathead catfish takes dedication, perseverance, and very often the patience of Job. However, for the next 30 days or so, the odds are tipped slightly in anglers’ favor as fish begin the annual prespawn ritual. During this time, fish begin actively seeking nesting areas and can bite aggressively. Although flatheads typically bite best during evening and nighttime hours, during the prespawn period they can also be successfully caught during daylight.

Just like in real estate, successfully catching flatheads is all about location, location, location. While researching for this article, I was astonished to learn that, contrary to blues and channels, biologists have proven that flatheads establish and maintain small home territories in a given body of water.  

To test this theory, researchers captured and tagged flatheads and relocated them several miles from capture sites. In every telemetry study, more than 95% of captured fish navigated back to the home area where they were originally caught. Further, flatheads seldom, if ever, exhibit any significant migratory patterns, and knowing this gives anglers an advantage. When you catch flatheads in a specific stretch of river or area in a lake, mark these on your GPS, because it’s very likely you can consistently catch them in the same places every year.    

In some river systems, flatheads are known to stay within a city block and less throughout the year. In large reservoirs, this territory can sometimes be as large as 10 acres. However, no matter the location, the primary driver for prespawn flatheads is cover, specifically thick brush piles, log jams, and rocks. Flatheads also prefer deep cut banks with washed out cavities and caves they can back into for both spawning and loitering. Typical honey holes include impenetrable structures with moderate water depth and access to deeper water. Conveniently, the same man-made structures implemented on your favorite lake for panfish and bass can often be hotspots for flatheads.

In Iowa, major interior rivers, their tributaries, and downstream reservoirs are home to flatheads. In West Central and Central Iowa, the immense Raccoon and Des Moines river systems provide ideal flathead habitat and fishing. Moreover, the dams below Saylorville reservoir, including urban dams in the Des Moines metro, and Red Rock reservoir, are legendary for leviathan flatheads. Further east, the Skunk, Iowa, Cedar, and Wapsipinicon river systems as well as Coralville reservoir are popular flathead fishing destinations.  

Due to their homebody nature, locating prespawn flatheads is pretty straigthforward. Start by fishing areas where you’ve caught fish in the past. Unless high water or flooding have changed a stretch of river, chances are the structure that attracted flatheads in the past will continue to produce fish.  

On new stretches of river, review maps and prioritize spots with several snake-like bends in a row. Often these areas will include cut banks, log jams, root balls, and rip rap added to stabilize deep curves. All of these are attractive areas for nest-seeking prespawn flatheads. Once you find a stretch that looks promising, use Google Earth, onX, or other outdoor GPS applications to take a closer look and validate what’s available above the water. Focusing on areas with multiple subsequent structure features will maximize efficiency, opportunities, and odds of success on a given stretch of river.

Depending on the time of year and river size, accessing prespawn flathead honey holes can be challenging. In West Central Iowa right now, water levels are extremely low on the Raccoon River and its tributaries, and some areas can only be accessed via jon boat, canoe, or kayak. To make matters worse, sometimes ramps and pull outs can be few and far between. As a result, when researching new areas to fish, make sure to do your homework and bring an appropriate vessel. If you must fish from the bank, make sure to review the Iowa trespassing regulations and call ahead for permission when in doubt. There isn't a flathead swimming that’s worth an expensive trespassing ticket or butt-chewing from an angry landowner.  

The final piece of the prespawn flathead puzzle is bait. While some anglers only fish for flatheads with live bait, they can also be caught with cutbait. This is especially true during prespawn when fish are burning calories actively seeking nesting sites. For example, over the Memorial Day weekend in Northeast Iowa, a close friend and his son had great success catching eater-size flatheads up to 10 pounds using freshly caught and cut green sunfish. They also caught a whopper estimated at 25-30 pounds on a lively palm-sized green sunfish. The bottom line is, don’t be afraid to use cut bait for flatheads, especially if your live bait doesn’t survive. However, if live bait is what you want, and you’re embarking on a long float or overnight trip, there is no better way to keep your bait fresh and lively than by investing in the Whisker Seeker Tackle Bait Shack.

The best bait for flatheads is what you can find in creeks close to home. I already mentioned green sunfish, and they’re an excellent choice due to their toughness. “Sunnies” will often outlast a similar sized bluegill or crappie. Large creek chubs, shiners, and bullheads also make good flathead fodder, and bullheads get the nod from lots of folks due to their rugged stamina on the hook. With all that being said, use whatever is easiest to catch near you, and always make sure to include a couple magnum-sized live baits if the waters you fish have trophy flathead potential. In these cases 8-9” or bigger live offerings can be just what the doctor ordered for a personal best prespawn flathead! Make sure to check the Iowa regulations for what fish can be caught with a casting net vs. rod and reel for bait.  

Presenting heavy live baits for flatheads requires specialized gear, so leave your panfish and bass rods at home. Stiff, medium heavy to heavy power fishing rods from 7’6” to 9’6” with appropriate-sized spinning and casting reels are ideal for this type of fishing. Catching flatheads in or near cover requires maximum leverage, and having the right rod and reel for the job is crucial.  

For terminal tackle, anglers can use various catfish lures and rigs for prespawn flatheads or keep things simple with a slip sinker and large catfish hook.  Current speed, water depth, and bait size all impact the amount of weight required to keep lively baits anchored. So make sure to pack a variety of lead and use sinker slides for quick and easy weight changes that don’t require re-rigging. Finally, make sure your hook is big enough. While 8/0 and 10/0 hooks may look like overkill, they are critical for maximizing chances of hooking up with large flatheads when using big baits.

Once you’re on the water, there are a couple options for presenting baits to prespawn flatheads. One is to cast slightly upstream of likely haunts, teasing the fish out of cover with a struggling bait fish. Another “up close and personal” method is to tie off your vessel to a brush pile, log jam, or root ball and drop a bait vertically, into the “lion’s den”, right on top of the fish. Regardless of the method, strikes can come hard and fast, and hooking up and battling one of these river monsters is one of the biggest thrills available in freshwater. During prespawn it’s important to give each hole 15-45 minutes, depending on your patience level, but make sure to keep moving to find active fish.

Flathead catfish establish relatively small home territories, and this fact can make fishing for them predictable compared to other game fish. As with any apex predator, there are a small number of trophy fish available in every stretch of river or reservoir, and it takes many years, sometimes decades, for fish to reach their full potential. As you and your buddies head out to catch a prespawn giant, please be conservation-minded and limit the harvest of trophy fish. Practice catch and release on the largest fish, and it’s likely you or your children may continue to experience the thrill of catching them year after year in the same areas. Flatheads do make fantastic table fare, but just like they say at your favorite buffet, take what you want but eat what you take.  

Good luck and tight lines!