Flathead Catfish Being Released

Submitted by: WVBowHunter (Jim Pauley)

4 flatheads being released to be caught another day.

Please practice C.P.R. on big catfish!

Catch - Photo - Release

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Memorial Weekend Conclusion

First I want to apologize for no rod success to Ripper and his Boss James, Mike and Pat. I'm not real sure what happened up Knawl creek, but we just couldn't seem to get any bites, maybe there was too much activity and a lack of bait fish---I will be going back thou to find out what broke my 250 lb test power pro and stole my big river hook.

Upon taking Mike and Pat out on Monday Morning and talking with Dave at the Docks I found out that Burnsville Darrel hung a 35 lber on Sunday night--bout all I could get out of him was it was a short trip and mid lake. So upon taking my other nephew and his finance back up the lake, I ran up an arm that I hadn't fished for a couple years to check it out and see if anybody had latched onto that spot. First thing I noticed was all the crappies and gills that were showing on my fish finder---much much more than the depeleted knawl creek area (now I wonder who coulda done that). So I dropped off their lite load and hid it in the bushes and took them back around to Knawl creek whereas James and his boss Dave were just about packed out and told Tracey my other nephew that we were moving---he said how did I know that was going to happen.

Anyway about 2 in the afternoon all the gear was transported over to the new spot and we got busy setting up and making ready for the nite. Rain moved in shortly there after so we got the tarps out and got the sensitive stuff under cover of the tarps and started making ready for the evening and all night rain as they told me that was what to expect down at the marina. So you end up doing everything three times moving it around and all and getting the weed eating and brush moved around for the night.

We got busy catching gills and a Musky fisherman from Glascow, WV (up the Kanawha River from Charleston) and his family came by as I was building my spread. He had to ask -- are y'all Katfishing and I laughed and said we're trying as we hadn't had much luck the last few nights. He asked what have ya got there $2500 in rod and reels, of course I had to laugh and tell him it was a lot less than that as most of it had came off ebay. He said that his wife loves to catfish and he loves to catch big fish---I noticed that he was using an Abu 6500 and told him that he had all he needed for the big boys. After about an hour of talking and telling him about Katmasters he was all ears and then confided in me that he had seen a good sized cat up the asphalt from where we were setting up. That was the direction that Jeremy got up ended by a cat a couple years ago while using a water snake for bait.

I also got to thank Katman (Pat) for something he said back at the docks which was a bit of information that I had heard before, but never really used and that was by hooking up two of those little green gills together they tend to fight and disturb each other all night long---more wiggling going on. Finally about 6 to 6:30 the rain ended and we had worked hard all afternoon collecting only the little green gills as most of our bait from the night before didn't make trip and those that did just wasn't up to being scrappy enough, so we set up our spread. I put all my bait casters on the sunken road end and saved the spinning reels for the deeper channel where I had less hopes of finding a good flathead. Knawl creek had already shown me with the bush bobs that they were feeding shallow from 3 to 6 ft so I was gonna wear that old asphalt road bed for my last and final night.

Every pole we had out got a double dose of green gills and the first volunteer --- a respectable 3lb 12 oz channel volunteered well before dark. It wasn't long after the sun was down that another one of my short run poles was a jerking and getting some what of a run when I set the hook and pulled in a 4 lb 4 oz little female flathead.

I'm think great, I'm set up on the little guys by now and was a little disappointed. I made recast with the two spent poles along side the old road bed some thing I seldom do, but figured what the heck, then kinda moved poles around on the spread so I would know which of the remaining poles were long, mid, and short run. True to form about 10 minutes after I stretched out on my cot I had a little run and I got there and waited for the little kitty to get both them gills in his mouth. Well the wait was shorter than I expected and I gave another gar flying hookset as I had a log behind me and was unable to do the run thing. Dang I musta missed and caught some brush pile I was thinking as I had it moving toward me, but it was heavy. My nephew had walked up behind me with my net and asked me if I was going to need it as I speed reeled the log down the old road bed hoping not to catch on something else. I kept watching for limbs or something to pop up when she decided being dragged down this asphalt wasn't any fun and I realized that I had a whopper. I think speed winching really saved my butt with my best flathead on a pole yet. My nephew used my big net like a fly swatter and pinned her down to road then dragged her the rest of the way in. 43 lbs 7 oz

Well with the hoops and hollers that brought my other nephew and his fiance off the cots to see what had taken place. We got her on a stringer and along side the boat when I hear another Penn started motor boating and I set the new land speed record for a fat man and high hurdled the log. I crossed his eyes and began trying to burn him down the asphalt as well, but he ran off the road and into a tree or two, but I kept burning him in knowing that if he got wrapped it would be all over. With a little more instruction and deeper water trace got the net under this one and hauled him out---22lb 15 oz

Wow we was pumped up now two nice flatheads within 15 to 20 minutes of each other. We all finally made our way back to the cots and stretched out, but everyone was on edge and looking at poles and thinking they heard a tick of a reel or a bounce of a glow stick, but nothing else really happened till about 4:30 am when Michael rousted me out of dead sleep telling me that I had another pole getting a bite. I was a lot less graceful coming out of the cot and getting down to my last pole on the roadbed, but sleepy or not I made ready and after a couple minutes this one started moving out slowly, I gave him 4 or 5 feet and hit him, and then hit him again as this was the longest pole out down the road bed and must of had at least 10 trees to my left. I got Michael to clear the poles that I had cast out earlier while I went back into super speed winch mode again and he cooperated rather nicely staying on the road the entire time. My new record of 4 flats in one night ended with a 27 lber. Well that was it, the last road bed bait and none of the other creek channel poles twitched the entire night. We kinda slept in after day break and packed up from another year of Flatheading on Memorial Day Weekend with a couple more days throwed in this year for good measure.

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