Flathead cat fishin’ is like chasing a trophy buck. The big gals–20 lbs plus–are territorial. Find a spot that just looks “fishy’. If nothing bites odds are an alpha flattie calls this spot home.

Fish that swim through a river monster’s lair have two options: leave or be eaten.

There are fishy looking area which are community feeding shelves. Usually smaller mud cats or big channels.YOu might tussle with the River King, but most likely 5-10 lb fish.

First step in flattie fishing is catching bait. Bulleads are best. Tough to find on pool 9. Perch are a solid #2. Less challenging, but sometimes tough. You can always find some 3-7″ bluegills. At least a half-dozen baits are needed before fishin’.

I didn’t have a guide trip yesterday or today. It is now 8:30 a.m. with pea soup fog in the valley. Fog will turn into a sauna by 10 a.m. , not worth the effort today, thus this blog.

I need to share the details of yesterday’s trip to minimize PTSD. The first five gills i caught were too big for bait–7-9”. Gills are transitioning from shallow water heavy weeds to rocks now, magic zone has been 9 fow. I’m sick of catching bluegills.

First two perch were too big for bait too. Then five from 5-7″ showed up. Houston, we have bait!

I usually fish a three way rig for flatties. 2-3 oz sinker on 15 lb. mono on a 7-10″ dropper. 80 lb. floro with a 5/0 Circle Sea Hook on a 24″ dropper w/ bait hooked between the tail and caudal fin. I usually clip off the dorsal fin and half the tail to provide the illusion its just an easy free lunch.

Yesterday I thought I would try a 1.5 ounce jighead, perfect when pulling three-ways for ‘eyes cuz I have never caught a walleye on a sinker.

The only place i can find these is Murray’s Outdoor Store in Guttenburg. Purple & perch colors are walleye killers. Figured a perch pattern with a perch might tempt a flattie.

Dropped the bait down at the leading edge of the hole. BAM! Let her take out about 5’ of 80 lb. braid on the clicker, engaged the reel, and leaned back.

She just moved along the bottom, annoyed. After a minute or so I leaned a little harder, moving her off the bottom maybe five feet.

Then the line went slack. I reeled in to find a straightened hook. Not bent. STRAIGHTEND.

Switched over to the salt water hook and dropped another 7″ perch down at the leading edge of the hole. Another pick up. Fish started taking line. I leaned back too quick, reeling in a skinned and chomped perch.

Three other high percentage spots produced no bites. The alpha cat must not have felt like dancing. Almost noon. Heat was making this quest more of a burden than a joy.

Tried on more spot. BAM! Let her click off a good 10 feet of line before leaning back. When she came off the bottom I knew it wasn’t very big. Eight pound channel cat. Oh, well.

Sometimes the fat girls don’t wanna dance or they just break your heart and swim away.

My life has two foci: getting ready to fish & fishing. Today will be a phase one blessing of another day on the planet. Main obective: find some 2 oz jigs with salt water hooks.

If this fat girl wants to rodeo Thursday morning, I’m her huckleberry.