# poll Where would you go to catch a 40 plus fish



## neagles (Aug 11, 2006)

Just thought i would let you guys tell me where the best place to catch a 40 pounder plus.


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## chad4050 (May 24, 2007)

rocky fork ohio river


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## riverKing (Jan 26, 2007)

the big O, you can catch them over 40 in most bodies of water in ohio. but the ohio has a huge population compared to anywhere else


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## H2O Mellon (Apr 5, 2004)

Or, anywhere the Katfish & Magis go!


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## Chuck P. (Apr 8, 2004)

H2O Mellon said:


> Or, anywhere the Katfish & Magis go!


You have that right!


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## Fishman (Apr 5, 2004)

For numbers the Ohio River is impressive, but rivers as a whole have never convinced me as far as size go.

Going for a big fish? Try many of Ohio's state lakes. Sure the catch rate is a lot lower, but just seems the fish are a lot larger.


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## c-orth513 (Feb 1, 2008)

If you know where exactly to go, go to the Ohio River, that is prolly the best place for big cats in America besides the Mississippi.

If you aren't a cat expert, go to a paylake, you can learn from others.

Not really a big fan of cats in state lakes, they are super hard to find and not guarantee.


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## neocats1 (Oct 14, 2006)

The Ohio River first off and then most of the MWCD lakes


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## Joey209 (Oct 17, 2007)

I'm a Die Hard Muskingum River catfisherman.I've caught 40lb plus fish and I've netted 50lb plus fish and I've seen other people catch 60lb plus.I think it is very underfished and holds a big concentration of monster Shovelheads.......


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## tcba1987 (Jun 22, 2004)

the Ohio River ............Salt Fork Lake................Seneca Lake..................or the Tuscarawas River


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## wave warrior (Oct 2, 2005)

lots in the tusc-atwood or tappen...not that i fish for them but they are there!!!


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## pendog66 (Mar 23, 2005)

the fish tank at the Cabellas store


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## Joey209 (Oct 17, 2007)

pendog66 said:


> the fish tank at the Cabellas store


Your fish tank in a couple months


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## NorthSouthOhioFisherman (May 7, 2007)

MCWD lake
muskingum river
THE Ohio river 
although I havent fished the first two-Heard from tem nothing but good!


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## katfish (Apr 7, 2004)

> you can catch them over 40 in most bodies of water in ohio


I wish I would have known this sooner. I wouldn't have had to spend so much time finding them:B 



> Not really a big fan of cats in state lakes, they are super hard to find and not guarantee.


Kroger is the only place I know of that would honor a guarantee on fish.

I watched a Bassmaster tournament on the Ohio River at Pittsburg where the winning weight from the Worlds top professional anglers was a little over 3 pounds!

Flathead don't care how rich or good looking you are. They will feed on their own schedule and change feeding habits in a heartbeat. 40 + pound flathead are not common anywhere. Where they are available they are a small total of the whole population and you better wear your big boy pants to catch them and bring a lunch.

Seeing a picture of a big flathead caught in Buckeye lake does not equal the experience of actually catching the flathead. Most flathead caught over 40 pounds are not reported because the catmen catching them do not want to share the spots it took them years to find--even with family or friends.

I saw some boys taking pictures of 2 big flathead one morning. I saw them release the fish. At the dock I asked them how much they weighed. They kinda looked at each other and reported they didn't catch anything. Thats how I knew they worked hard to find those cats.


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## neocats1 (Oct 14, 2006)

c-orth513 said:


> Not really a big fan of cats in state lakes, they are super hard to find and not guarantee.


I assume you mean large cats are hard to find in state lakes, because a lot of our state lakes have some excellent populations of channel and flatheads both. Channels can be caught almost everywhere.


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## Fish-N-Fool (Apr 12, 2004)

My vote would be the Muskingum River itself; the MCWD lakes certainly have them as well, but for me it is easier to locate fish on the river. I saw some real nice fish from the river last year including the largest channel cat I've ever seen. 

If you have the time, camp out in some of the fishy areas in the MCWD lakes with large lively baits and eventually you'll find an active fish. You may have to C&R several large channels before you get lucky though.


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## 1catdaddy1 (Jan 29, 2007)

I would have to agree with the muskingum for Your best odds at a 40# +,plenty of other places offer them but the river gives them up frequently.


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## Garyoutlaw77 (Feb 3, 2005)

Any of the old Lakes in the Muskingum watershed - I have fished em all & have had catches up to #51 and some mongo Channels who think it's ok to pound my big baits.
My Dad just bought some land with a camper close to Blue Rock on the Muskingum River so plan to work on those giants


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## uglykat23 (Jun 13, 2004)

tappan or seneca both have been having really good catchs of 35 plus pound flatheads biggest i seen last year was a 56 pounder caught on a minnow by a 13 year old fishing for crappie, i still think it ate the crappie and not the minnow


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## Steel Cranium (Aug 22, 2005)

The biggest cats I've seen came from Wills Creek & Clendenning. Took a long time to wait 'em out and big baits for get their interest.


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## JUSTCRAZY (Apr 6, 2004)

Check back Saturday and we may have a surprise for all to see!


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## flattiesinohio (Sep 30, 2007)

the only place i ever caught a flattie and that is the muskingum river


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

> Check back Saturday and we may have a surprise for all to see!


go ahead and rub it in  

hope you guys did good,and wish i could've joined you


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## tim30409 (Apr 9, 2007)

Try Mosquito for Big Flatheads


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## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

There's an old movie starring Zachary Scott called the Southerner if I remember right. In it a poor family lived along a river and were always trying to catch "Lead Pencil." Lead Penicl was a big cat in the river and he was called that because his whiskers were as long as lead pencils. I think a young boy in the family foinally caught him but I can't remember if they kept him or let him go ?


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## awfootball (Aug 10, 2005)

Didnt know if any of you guys fish alum creek for cats but i was going to try to for the first time this year and didnt know if that lake had any Numbers or size of cats in it?


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

alum is a more known for channels than flatheads.


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## Joey209 (Oct 17, 2007)

misfit said:


> alum is a more known for channels than flatheads.


You'll catch Flatheads out of Alum,but nothing to brag about.I wouldn't target them.I'd fish for channels and 1 out of 15 or 20 will be a flahead


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## awfootball (Aug 10, 2005)

thanks for the info ill target channels


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