The tiny eyes and flattened forehead make this catfish easy to identify. Their coloring is light brown and has some black or darker mottling of the back and sides. The belly can range from pale yellow to creamy white with smooth, no scale skin. The mouth has barbels around it and the back and fins have sharp spines.
Flatheads are sometimes called shovelheads, mud cats, Johnnie cats, and yellow cats.
Their usual habitats are the large rivers. They mostly like cloudy water and currents that move slow and can be found in some canals, lakes, rivers and reservoirs.
The flathead cats like warm water temperatures ranging in the mid 70s to the low to mid 80s. They spend their winters with large groups of flat heads mostly in large bodies of water that have sufficient cover that will break down the current. Once they find their ideal spot they just lay at the bottom of the water while silt accumulates to cover their body. They will stay like this until the warmer waters of spring begin.
These cats are picky eaters and like to feed on live bait such as fish, although they will sometimes eat crayfish or clams. They do not like to eat rotten food so be sure and use live bait. Sunfish are one of their favorites and makes this a popular bait to catch the flat heads. Some of the larger flatheads will eat carp, other catfish, and even largemouth bass.
Night time is when you want to fish for flatheads because night time is their feeding time. They just leave their resting spot at night and after feeding will return immediately.
If you are fishing in the deeper water these cats will give you a hearty fight so you will need a strong line. A lot of fishermen prefer a trotline instead of using the standard rod and reel. Also, many like to use catfish noodling where you catch the cats with your hand, but although exciting, it can be dangerous also.
Flathead catfishing can be a challenging sport with lots of excitement and action and also some good eating. So for an exciting fishing adventure you can try your hand at catching these cats.
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