# Finally caught my first flathead!



## ztmdodge (May 10, 2013)

Well after fishing at 6 different lakes for 3 months. Driving for hours and hours. Fishing for over a hundred hours I finally got my first flathead. It was storming pretty bad today when I got to the lake. I could't see hardly see 50ft in front of me on the drive down to tappan. Luckily that meant no one else was out fishing so I was able to pick what ever spots I wanted. I fished a shallow bay I have fished 3 or 4 times before. This was the first day I used an inflatable raft to row my baits out. Turned out pretty good. I finally caught my first flathead on a line that was about 100 yds out. I fished from about 5 till 3am. About 930 suddenly line was screaming off one of my reels and I set the hook and I finally a my first flathead on the line. After a short fight I had it close to shore but I was fishing on a steep rock bank but the water was up high and I have a big net so I couldn't net the fish because my net kept hitting all the rocks so I set down the net and tried to reel in some more line but the handle was just spinning (apparently somehow when I set down the net I disengaged the reel) so in the heat of the moment not knowing what happened to the reel I thought I lost the fish. So I grabbed the line and pulled in about 10ft by hand and felt the fish was still on, I pulled in the rest of the line to get the flathead close enough where I was able to grab it by the mouth and just pull it out of the water. It wasn't a bad fish for my first one. 39 inches and 27lbs.


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## Scioto jetsled (Jun 26, 2008)

Nice one!

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## hillbillybelownewphilly (Nov 16, 2006)

27lbs is a great first flattie. Congrats!


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## M.Magis (Apr 5, 2004)

Congrats. The first one is the toughest, and the one you'll most remember.


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## plumber78 (Jul 17, 2013)

Congrats! Nice Fish! I am going out this weekend again in hopes of catching my first.


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

Thats a nice one and even nicer for a first. Good job.

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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

Congratulations, doing it by your self is even more rewarding!


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## PCT (Aug 9, 2011)

Congrats!!!!!!


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## ztmdodge (May 10, 2013)

Oh yeah it was awesome hearing that reel going because i knew after 3 months i finally had a flattie bite. It was the best feeling ever to set the hook and finally have a fish on and a decent sized one at that. And it's always cool to watch a good fish like that swim back into the depths to fight another day. I'm going out to tappan again tonight for another 12 hours. Now I'm chasing one over 40# haha.


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## Perch-N-Quackers (Jun 26, 2011)

Nice!! I'm still working on my first. What type of bait did you use?

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## ztmdodge (May 10, 2013)

I caught it on a goldfish. I use bluegills a lot too but the goldfish stay alive way longer and are much more active on the hook. I once used the same goldfish for 3 seperate fishing trips before I caught a channel cat with it haha on the third trip i was casting it out there and it had 5 hook holes in it and it was still going strong, if you can get the big 4-6 inch ones they are tanks. I also like to use rock bass when I can catch them. And I've heard israelis are awesome bait but the only place i know that sells them is all the way at salt fork lake. But tappan tackle sells goldfish and some nice green sunfish that are huge. Last time i got them they were all 6-8 inches. And the sunfish are only 90 cents a piece. Cheaper than the goldfish.


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## katfish (Apr 7, 2004)

Congratulations on your first flathead!!

The flathead have been tough to catch this year. Patience
and persistence is usually they key.


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## smoothkip25 (Nov 17, 2008)

Congrats on your first Flathead!


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## Fisherman 3234 (Sep 8, 2008)

Congratulations on your Fish Ohio Flathead!!!


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## SmittyN330 (May 17, 2013)

Great job! I caught my 1st flathead out of Seneca when I was 5, but it was only about 15 lbs or so. Congrats!


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## Josh h (Aug 14, 2011)

You put your time in and made your own luck. Nice job


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

100 yrds is a short fight with a flatiie!?!  You must be playing that down a tiny bit? 

Nice catch and great effort. 




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## ztmdodge (May 10, 2013)

smbhooker, it really wasnt a huge battle but my gear i far oversized for fish that size. And i only had 100yds of line out because I fish from shore so I was fishing from the mouth of a bay but used an inflatable raft to drop a line diagonally way down the bay.


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