# My first flatheads



## nicholasburnsworth (Oct 23, 2007)

Well I know the Ohio River is a lot different form targeting flatties in the lakes, and they weren't monsters, but still fun to catch none-less. 

My first one I caught was a smudge over 20 and the second one I caught in the first half an hour into the tournament was 23.


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## smoothkip25 (Nov 17, 2008)

Congrats on your first flatheads! It becomes an ADDICTION in time if your not careful! LOL!


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## katfish (Apr 7, 2004)

Looks like a fun time.

Kip is right. Flathead becomes addictive and costly pursuit. You 
spend months thinking of ways to have 45 minute fights with 
big flathead.

Winter is worse when you think about tactics, locations, baits and read 
of other flathead fishermens success and wonder if the way you fish 
can be improved.

We spent 3 times as long going over tackle and equipment than we 
do fighting fish. It is so long between bites that we have severe 
anguish if we lose a fish. But we always release them anyway

If you caught 20's without trying hard just think what might happen if 
you got serious.


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## Fisherman 3234 (Sep 8, 2008)

Congrats on the nice fish Nick! Flatty fishing is definitely something special!


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## nicholasburnsworth (Oct 23, 2007)

I was addicted long before these two fellers showed up. I started fishing cat tournaments a few years ago and the first flathead I saw in person was at Mosquito, a 35 pounder. At that time I realized two things, they don't just exist in the Mississippi like I was told as a kid, and that I wanted to catch one. The first year I was just focusing on learning about channel cats. The second season I had several "too excited" premature hooksets. This year I haven't had enough time to dedicate to just flathead, being that I live 2 hours from good flathead waters. I did however learn of a local lake that has a few nice ones that have been caught, so I did give it my best a few times. I did hook up with one by boat guessing about 20-30 lbs. and it ran straight into a brush pile in about 7ft of water. I tried to get it to back out for a good hour or so to no prevail, ended up cutting off. I checked the brush in the morning to make sure it wasn't caught in a mess, no fish was good news for a change.

-Robby, hope not to sound creepy but I've been reading you posts and reading up on your website for two years now. I've learned a lot from great guys like you willing to share enough info to help those that want to learn and venture off on their own. Hell you've got years worth of study into them that you share. Thank you!

Shortly after catching these two, I was planning my next flathead adventure in my head. I plan to be heading SW in the beginning of September.


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## katfish (Apr 7, 2004)

> -Robby, hope not to sound creepy but I've been reading you
> posts and reading up on your website for two years now


Nick
Teaching others to catch flathead is exactly why I have that
website. There are way to many tactics and techniques to list 
them all but I try to give basic insight to flathead behavior and 
then get fishermen to develope whatever it takes to catch 
flathead where they fish.










You will probably notice that successful flathead fishermen openly
discuss tactics and tackle (very seldom specific locations) I guess
in a way we all hope that Ohio recognizes the trophy potential of 
flathead and follows other states with programs that will promote 
the fishery.


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## ducky152000 (Jul 20, 2005)

> You will probably notice that successful flathead fishermen openly
> discuss tactics and tackle (very seldom specific locations) I guess
> in a way we all hope that Ohio recognizes the trophy potential of
> flathead and follows other states with programs that will promote
> the fishery.


Robby just hit the nail on the coffin, I too hope people injoy flathead fishing and catch and realese there flathead, I also hope someday ohio will realize that flathead fishing is very important to alot of anglers and the odnr helps keep our fish in ohio lakes, My main goal that i would love to see is dropline and juggers only alowed to use as many droplines or jugs as we are with fishing rods or make it fair and let us use as many rods as we want, its sad to see 50 jugs set out around me and im leagaly only allowed 2 poles, I guess the worst part about it is MOST (not all) of the dropliners and juggers keep all the fish they catch, and most rod and reel anglers are CPR guys! congrats on the fish nick!


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## Fisherman 3234 (Sep 8, 2008)

ducky152000 said:


> Robby just hit the nail on the coffin, I too hope people injoy flathead fishing and catch and realese there flathead, I also hope someday ohio will realize that flathead fishing is very important to alot of anglers and the odnr helps keep our fish in ohio lakes, My main goal that i would love to see is dropline and juggers only alowed to use as many droplines or jugs as we are with fishing rods or make it fair and let us use as many rods as we want, its sad to see 50 jugs set out around me and im leagaly only allowed 2 poles, I guess the worst part about it is MOST (not all) of the dropliners and juggers keep all the fish they catch, and most rod and reel anglers are CPR guys! congrats on the fish nick!


Very well said by both Robby and Ducky!


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## throwitback (Jun 10, 2010)

nice fish nick, i just realized that you had them posted on here. you must have been on the fish to be able to get them 2 days in a row


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## nicholasburnsworth (Oct 23, 2007)

Skip, we were on them for awhile but the wind had picked up and the bite seemed to come to a halt so we figured we would try behind the BH Island. We found some nice 35ish holes there the day before and though they would get us our limit of channels. The island provided -0- relief from the wind. Two 5gal. buckets weren't enough to slow the drift. That was the beggining of the end. We realized that we probably should have ventured south of Belpre in search of deeper water, or just stayed on our first location and worked it a little harder.


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