hey guys,
don't know if you have flatheads in the UK or not, but they're serious fighters and very tasty. here's a pic of a thirty pound flathead i caught at three am. i blacked out the face to protect the not so innocent.
take care,
wildman
wabbiter
theres a good few steaks in that mate
steve
hey wildman nice fish how do you go about catching them.
mayfly
Holy s- - t ive seen flatheads gettin caught by rexxie but NEVER EVER have i seen one that size........UNBELIEVABLE...
Tidal_wear
Whats the fight like mate?My biggest cat was 70+lbs and I fried in the sun bringing it in as it emptied 100 yards of braid from the reel several times
Wouldnt mind having a ***** at a flathead though
fish
we get catfish over here ,dont think its the same type though! if you killed one here youd get lynched! theres no wild ones and theyre all stocked into fisheries for the sport.
nice fish though,what bait did you use?
Gareth
fish wrote:
theres no wild ones and theyre all stocked into fisheries for the sport.
Hmmm ! this might interest you Fish Mate.
There are known ferel populations of Wels catfish in the River Great Ouse, River Waveny and Oulton Broad, The River Soar, The Trent and the Thames. Blue channel catfish have also been caught in Oulton Broad, but the catches are so seldom as to indicate maybe only a few individuals.
On the subject of other alien species within our rivers; Pumpkinseeds are a regular occorence in here in East Anglia. Largemouth bass are also rumoured in the Suffolk River Lark around RAF Mildenhall, and I have caught what was possibly a hybrid Minnesota Golden Pike from the same stretch of River. Mine only ran to about 5lbs, but I have seen photos taken by an old work mate and friend, of two 20lb+ specimens (both in the same photo, and caught only moments apart).
In 2001 I caught three ferel sterlets from the weir pool at West Stow, on the same river Lark, and in one session, all on lures. A rumour of European Asp and Vimba, along with Largemouth Bass abound around Spalding in Lincs. If these populations do exsist it would not suprise me, as many small Dutch and German frieghters use the river. A population of Largemouths was accidentally transported from the great lakes area in the USA to the Dutch and German sections of the Rhine in the water ballast tanks of a freighter, and I see no reason why members of the same population couldn't have arrived in English East coast rivers the same way.
Other rumours include Musky and Paddlefish along with Amur Pike,and New Zealand river Eels.
wildman
tidal wear,
the flatheads are serious fighters, loads of fun to catch and very tasty. what type of cat was your 70+ pounder?
take care,
wildman
Tidal_wear
It was a Pla Buk mate,siamese catfish,they go over 250kg,I caught mine just outside Bangkok
fish
intresting stuff gareth,i hear theres a population of zander near me too!
Tidal_wear
Theres Zander a mile from me fish,tried for them often,never had one just loads of pike,in the end I used a method other than rod-and-line just to get a look at one Heres a catfish my eldest son caught at christmas,just under a kilo,tasted of mud
wildman
Steve, There’s a few different ways to take flatheads; limb lines, trotlines, jug lines, rod and reel, and some try to “noodle“ em (hand grab) during the spawn. My favorite bait for flathead is a 3-4” bluegill left alive and hooked below the dorsal fin with a 7/0 hook. Flatheads prefer to hunt so they like live bait. If using rod and reel I use a 1-2 oz egg sinker (depending on water) and an 18” spider wire leader connected to my 30 lb test mono with a large barrel swivel. I use ambassador 6000B reels with “bait clickers”. My flathead fishing is done in total darkness so the “bait clicker” or “bait alert” is a must on the reel. No need for a betraying light when using the bait clicker. Clicker goes off, turn the reel handle to lock it and set the hook and hang on! I use a 6’6” ugly stick rod with a heavy tip and it will handle anything. When setting limb lines or bush lines I use different techniques according to water temperature and depth. If setting a deep hole in the bend of a river I’ll use a homemade steel leader about 18” long with a 7/0 hook and 300lb test braided nylon cord. I’ll put a 4-5 oz egg sinker just above the leader to hold the bait down in current. I’ll lower the bait down till it hits bottom then pull it up off the bottom about 12” and tie the line to a flexible overhanging limb. The limb must be strong yet flexible. If I’m setting in shallow water I’ll use little or no weight and tie the line so that the bait is twitching just below the surface of the water. Jug lines can be set in ponds or lakes that have no trees or bushes to tie off of. Trotlines can be set at whatever depth you like with as many hooks as you like. I make my own trotlines as I don’t like the commercial ones. I set and run my trotlines by canoe, so there is no betraying engine noise.
Take Care
Wildman
steve
sounds like real good sport, if the fishing state side is like the hunting and shooting i see on 'youtube' you are lucky people to have sutch variety of fish and animals to hunt, do you do any shotgun shooting at all ? cheers steve
wildman
Steve,
We have a large variety of game but getting permission to hunt is very difficult here, so some just carry on.
Yes, I love shotgun and shot gunning. The shotgun is my favorite tool for feather but one must be very careful here do to the noise factor. Silenced shotguns aren’t to be had over here. With me it’s shoot and move or shoot and get out. I have a few different shotguns for specific situations; all have been modified to suit my needs.
I have an old folding 12 bore with 2 3/4 inch chamber. I use it for high risk areas where concealment is important. I shortened the barrel to 22 inches so the muzzle is flush with the toe of the stock when folded. This shooter fits easily in a rucksack or under a coat. I had screw-in choke tubes installed (rem chokes) to make the gun more versatile. I can use a skeet choke if after quail, woodcock, or bunnies in heavy cover. I can install a full choke for squirrels in tall timber, ducks, geese, etc. Or I can install an extra full extended tube for turkey and predators.
I also use a Remington 870 12 bore super mag with 3 1/2 inch chambers. I cut the barrel back to 20 inches and reinstalled the choke threads. It has tritium bead night shooting predators.
I have an Ithaca 37 12 bore with 8 shot capacity and 3 inch chamber bored for rifled slugs and has rifled sights. It has a 20 inch barrel, parkerized finish and flat oil finished wood, excellent tool for man or beast.
I also like using side by side 12 bore with choke tubes, extremely versatile.
I could write a book on shotguns and shot gunning so I’d better stop here.
how do you go about catching them.
