Structured Flatheads

[Catfishrollo]

Lets talk about flatheads... We catch em from wood and rock. What do you all prefer to look for? Both hold awesome fish. Is one better than the other? Give your insight!!!! rollo

[Catfish Troy]

I prefer log jams the bigger the better. I saw on here someone refferd to as root balls usually an outside bend current close to bank or right on the bank. I'll call it a cave of sorts or better a under cut swiming in wills creek as a kid some of these undercuts never did find out how far they went up in.

[mexicanthreat]

Id appreciate insight on baits for each structure too. ive always targeted channels. this year is a first for flatties. so the more info the better. but when i have accidentally caught a shovel it has always been in a rock pile. and a friend of mine who catches alot of em while trolling can usually call when a flathead is about to strike using his finder and watching structure. its usually around Rock ledges or gravel spots

[Smoothkip]

I fish a lot of wood structure. I position baits at the head and along the sides of the jam. As for baits I will use about anything that's lively. My favorite flathead baits would have to be Hognose suckers, green sunfish, and shad. I anchor up and away from the structure and cast back towards it. 90% of the time when I'm fishing I'm casting right off the bank.

[Seanstone]

Wish i caught enough of them to give my advice....down here flatheads roam with unicorns and leprechauns. Lol. I'm going to search remote skinny water this spring in hopes of developing a pattern. I was going to look for the obvious log jams, but maybe i'll keep an eye out for large rocks too.

[Skyline1506]

we fish a lot of timber but good boulders and gravel bottoms are great. i like hard baits around rocks. bluegill, rockbass, smallies. fish that live in the same habitiat as the rocks around them. a few local lakes that have concrete slabs along rip rap banks and massive boulders along the shore lines. we will put out a big spread and cover as much ground as possible. we look for rocks in lakes and timber in rivers typically of course that can change. a nice gravel beach on a river bend or rocks lining an outside bend is hard to beat. get a 12in smallie (new this year lol) on the gravel flat and you will usually be in for a fun night

[banksidebandit]

I usually look for where there is a few nice logjams close together and fish a nearby flat or creek mouth at night. In the day I drop it right in the logs. Never really targeted rocks much but seems like a few other ppl have luck that way so I'll plan on giving that a try.

[ducky]

I fish lakes 100% of the time now, and over the years I relied on creek channels more than cover, although when both merge it can be a fantastic spot. Out of the 30 or so spots I have in many different lakes very few have both structure and a creek channel, but out of those spots Proply 90% has a defined creek channel, that shows I prefer the channels more than structure.

[Catfishrollo]

Very good info. Ducky! rollo

[katfish]

A lot of rock structure in our lakes is rip rap. This tends to
attract immature flathead that target crawdads before learning
to catch fish.

I tend to search out soft bottoms and submerged timber
that spells security cover for more mature fish. As I learn a
lakes structure better I sometmes zero in on pathways
(creek channels) leading between security cover and
feeding areas.

If I have located home security of a monster flathead I will set
up near it and hope to have baits in front of flathead when
they leave their homes and return as they hunt.

In prespawn I can put baits in shallow bays where active
males patrol and find/defend nesting sites. These fish are
very mobile and quite active as they search out nesting
sites and watch for rivals and receptive females.

[Catfishrollo]

Great info. Robbie!!! I agree, the creek channels are a very important find when searching for lake flathead, and where to setup to intercept them. Some of these creek channels may only vary in a few feet in depth from the surrounding area or flat sometimes it seems. But they seem to a highway for moving fish for sure! Great info. Guys!! Thanks for sharing your insight, keep it coming!! rollo

[ducky]

A lot of our lakes are silted in, and creek channels may only be a foot or less difference, but even that can make a flathead naturally follow that creek channel, I use my depthfinder when looking for creek channels, sometimes the channel may only be a six inch difference but it will have a harder bottom than the rest of the bay and show up on the depth finder, I cant explain why but one of my favorite spots has a creek channel that is only a foot different from the bay but the creek channel makes a very sharp bend almost running back into itself and we drop baits in that area in the channel and in the "island" area around the channel i have had some of my best nites there.

[hunted]

I fish lakes also. I also look to channels, shallow water, coves more than likely, with shallow water. Or target banks with some sort of structure, where the fish may come out of the channel and feed at.

[Catfishrollo]

Mar 23, 2013 21:32:07 GMT -5 ducky said:

A lot of our lakes are silted in, and creek channels may only be a foot or less difference, but even that can make a flathead naturally follow that creek channel, I use my depthfinder when looking for creek channels, sometimes the channel may only be a six inch difference but it will have a harder bottom than the rest of the bay and show up on the depth finder, I cant explain why but one of my favorite spots has a creek channel that is only a foot different from the bay but the creek channel makes a very sharp bend almost running back into itself and we drop baits in that area in the channel and in the "island" area around the channel i have had some of my best nites there.

[Catfishrollo]

Thats what I was getting at Ducky! rollo