# 6/3 fish ohio GMR



## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

So I set the alarm for three am thinking I'd get a bit of fishing in before work. Little did I know it would feel like October out there this morning. The wind was whipping and and it was cold. And I'm thinking this was a very bad idea. Two hours later and no strikes and it seemed like an even worse idea. But fish were everywhere just not biting. Twice I nearly gave myself a heart attack spooking fish out of very shallow water in the dark. And fish were swirling everywhere so I kept at it. Just after daylight Wham! the vendetta rod bent double and line began coming off at a serious rate. Just as I began to worry about how much line I had it turned. And back and forth it went. A smallmouth rod is not ideal for a big cat. I put as much pressure as I dared but I've learned with a crankbait you cant put the pressure on them you can with bait. The smaller trebles with pull out. I finally began to gain more than I was losing and eventually grabbed the big protruding lower jaw of a Flattie just a bit over 42 inches. I guess it was a good idea to go out in the cold after all


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## ghurlag (Apr 27, 2013)

Holy crap! I can't even... That's nice!


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## SMBHooker (Jan 3, 2008)

MONSTER ALERT!!!! 


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## yakfish (Mar 13, 2005)

Wow what a fish! I have been trying hard to find one of those and haven't been able to yet. I guess I need to set my alarm for 3am!


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## Riverbum (Jan 27, 2013)

Supernicefantasticgiantcatfishman!!!!!


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## msgraham (Jun 19, 2012)

Holy crap that is awesome! Nice job...

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## Lostleader (Apr 19, 2013)

Wow

Nice fish

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## timcoll (May 11, 2013)

nice fish!


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## fishdive (May 12, 2013)

nice fish! so what did you do with it?


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## whodeynati (Mar 12, 2012)

Awesome fish! Makes me wonder what you could catch if you actually went there and targeted flatheads. This makes me want to try the GMR, instead of the Ohio River. 

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## deltaoscar (Apr 4, 2009)

Fantastic flattie OSG. I can only imagine that fight on 8# test. 

Great way to start the week.


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## Dandrews (Oct 10, 2010)

Nice One!!!



oldstinkyguy said:


> Just after daylight Wham! the vendetta rod bent double and line began coming off at a serious rate.


I'd say it was somewhere about 6:35ish


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## BornWithGills (Feb 26, 2006)

deltaoscar said:


> Fantastic flattie OSG. I can only imagine that fight on 8# test.
> 
> Great way to start the week.


Completely agree I haven't caught that many river flatties but enough to now the would be he'll on wheels for a bass rod. I tip my hat to you sir.


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## Alex_Combs (Mar 20, 2013)

OSG sir, you are THE man.


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## backlashed (Mar 19, 2011)

Great fish, sure made the trip worthwhile in spite of the cold.


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## HOUSE (Apr 29, 2010)

Shizaam!!! Did that thing spit up baby ducks or car parts? What a beast!!!


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## JimmyMac (Feb 18, 2011)

whodeynati said:


> Awesome fish! Makes me wonder what you could catch if you actually went there and targeted flatheads. This makes me want to try the GMR, instead of the Ohio River.
> 
> posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


Done it hundreds of times at both dams and allover the GMR over the years. Personally the biggest I've seen was a 41lb flathead. The one Oldstinkguy has there is a dandy for the GMR in any location. Honestly though it seems fishing lures at the dams is just about as effective as live bait. All the biggest ones I seen last year came off lure fishing..


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## BMayhall (Jun 9, 2011)

JimmyMac said:


> Done it hundreds of times at both dams and allover the GMR over the years. Personally the biggest I've seen was a 41lb flathead. The one Oldstinkguy has there is a dandy for the GMR in any location. Honestly though it seems fishing lures at the dams is just about as effective as live bait. All the biggest ones I seen last year came off lure fishing..


I'll 2nd that, I have also caught a ton of shovelheads and channel cats on lipless crankbaits and shallow divers. And agree the bigger ones i've seen have came off of crankbaits.


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

I think live bait is best for flatties by a little bit. I've never caught a half dozen on one trip with lures but I have with bait. I think the biggest problem is presentation. You go fish below every dam on the gmr and there's guys up on the platforms with surf rods. Since those rods with cast a hundred yards thats what everyone does. Right out in the middle where most of the GMR looks like a pool table. Shovels are in deep water or up under something when they are inactive. When it gets dark they come out to play. They are big time predators and are cruising the shallows or right up in the fast water below the dam looking for something to kill at 3am. If, when it got dark all those guys weren't allowed to cast further than twenty feet and were quiet ten times more flatties would be caught. Lures catch more only because they are fished where the fish are. My dad and uncle were old time river, not paylake, catfishermen and they would sometimes put a rod a ways down the bank at night with a bluegill hanging right under the rod tip in shallow water for shovelheads while they fished for channel cats. Same reason limb lines are deadly for shovelheads in rivers. You guys have seen me catch several decent shovels in the last couple years on lures at night. They have all been fairly shallow to right on the bank. If you want a big fire and camp while you catfish put a rod shallower down the bank a ways where its quiet and it will be the one that catches the shovels.


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## Britam05 (Jun 16, 2012)

Great advice OSG. I have yet to catch any catfish bigger than 3 pounds. I don't usually target them but perhaps this year I will at some point


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## BMayhall (Jun 9, 2011)

I caught this one 2 years ago 10-15 yards right off the bank. It was 8pm and and storms clouds were moving in. Then a couple days later my buddy caught one just as big on the same lipless crank but his was a morning flattie.









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## JimmyMac (Feb 18, 2011)

I agree with that osg, I always see those guys too. I never cast more than 20ft from the bank at the dams. 

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## Matulemj (May 29, 2012)

So what kind of crank did you actually get it on? That thing is a monster!


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## Bhunter527 (Aug 23, 2012)

Nice hog!!


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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

Matulemj said:


> So what kind of crank did you actually get it on? That thing is a monster!
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


A rebel with a square bill. Its an old plug so I dunno the model. It seems like the square bills have a longer lifespan in the river than those with rounded bills, I think they bounce off rocks and wood a bit more without hanging up.


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## Stekor (Mar 25, 2012)

oldstinkyguy said:


> A rebel with a square bill. Its an old plug so I dunno the model. It seems like the square bills have a longer lifespan in the river than those with rounded bills, I think they bounce off rocks and wood a bit more without hanging up.


That's some good info on the square bill actually. I saw aa bunch of rebel cranks with square bills marked down dirt cheap locally here a few days back. May have to go pick up a few today!

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## fisherFL (Oct 23, 2012)

Hey OSG is this what you mean when you talk about lipless crank baits because I have a couple of these but they have a lot of diffrent shaped ones in stores now









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## oldstinkyguy (Mar 28, 2010)

Fisherfourlife said:


> Hey OSG is this what you mean when you talk about lipless crank baits because I have a couple of these but they have a lot of diffrent shaped ones in stores now
> View attachment 76629
> 
> 
> ...


Thats exactly the kind of lure I'm talking about. I lose a ton at night so I buy whatevers cheap and big. ( no jokes about BA83's momma please)


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## senger (May 24, 2013)

Every other thread has this guy holding up a big fish...get a job already!

(wow, super fish dude)


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