# Central ohio flatheads



## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

I'm interested in hearing confirmed reports of flatheads in central ohio waters. The scioto and it's tribs are a given up to the first dam. But what about past the first dam? I can confirm oshay, Griggs, and above Greenlawn flatheads are reproducing in low numbers. What about Buckeye, Indian, Deer Creek, Alum, Hoover, Knox, and rivers above the first dam from the Scioto?


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## Net (Apr 10, 2004)

Hoover flatheads
http://www.ohiogamefishing.com/community/showthread.php?t=72517&


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

Buckeye- Yes
Deer Creek - Yes
Hoover - Yes

I'de be interested to see if any are in Alum Crk. Res.

There are flatheads in a lot of the 'dinky' streams here in Franklin Co. Up to the first dam, that is.


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## symba (May 23, 2008)

Caught this a couple of months ago directly below Griggs. He surprisingly hit a chicken liver. My first and only flathead.


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## crittergitter (Jun 9, 2005)

I have never heard of a flathead coming from Alum. Doesn't mean they aren't in there, but I have never heard of it. 

Hoover has all kinds of HUGE catfish. If I were a cattin man, that is where I would go in central Ohio. 

CG


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## Joey209 (Oct 17, 2007)

I wouldn't even try for them at Buckeye.I've lived close by that lake and fished it for over 20 years and I've only caught about 10.All under 15 lbs.There used to be a lot of biiiiiiig ones in there though.Its just too shallow and too muddy to hold a good population of flatheads.


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## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

thanks for the replies, anyone else have a report? I'm not looking for water to target flatheads, just interested in what waters hold a population. I've never heard of one in Alum, but would think that it's capable of holding them. I'm interested in figuring out why MWCD lakes produce flatheads so much better than impoundments in the scioto and miami river watersheds.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

It's mostly about spawning habbitat.


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## supercanoe (Jun 12, 2006)

Yes, but some of the lakes mentioned are very similar in depth, structure, habitat and feeder streams as many MWCD lakes.


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## misfit (Apr 5, 2004)

spawning habitat is just a piece of the puzzle.i think the major factor is the streams impounded in the mwcd were home to good populations(for various reasons) before the dams were even built.many central ohio lakes are in stretches that most likely didn't hold numbers of flatheads in the first place.
example.........alum (the creek itself)is not known for flatheads.big walnut has always held a small population,which is why it produces more flatheads.
as for the mwcd lakes,dillon,nor the river above,unlike the others,really doesn't hold much of a population,but directly below the dam and on to the muskingum,the river does.
my thoughts on that is they never really made their way up past dillon falls(a natural barrier) in any numbers before the lake was built.i believe the fish in the spillway and immedidately downstream are decended from flatheads that were stocked there after the dam was built,by members of my family,because we used to transplant them from the muskingum just before and after the dam was built.


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## striperfreak (Apr 30, 2004)

there were reports on here last year and some bass tourneys at griggs where i heard of quite a few flatheads caught, many while bass fishing. In april i witnessed a 30-40lb floater at oshay boat docks. If anyone targets them they are very quiet about it.


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## Fish Slayer (Mar 6, 2007)

Super Canoe, I've caught flat heads in Deer Creek and its resevior. I don't know how big the numbers are, because I'm not really a cat fisherman. One guy claims he's caught 30 to 50 pounders in there, but I didn't see it with my own eyes. I have caught some nice size channels when the Bass, Crappie, and Saugeye are slow.


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## fishslim (Apr 28, 2005)

Was up a trib off Scioto last weekend found a skeleton of a huge flathead was picked clean skeleton was 40" with no tail was sad sight. Here is one i got last year in Oshay res. In August on a crappie jig.


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## striperfreak (Apr 30, 2004)

uh, theres your answer, nice flathead..........


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## striperfreak (Apr 30, 2004)

oh yea, i used to fish deer creek in the 90's and caught plenty of flatties. I was witness to what i guess to be a 55 lber taken below the spillway..


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## marinescco (Aug 21, 2007)

So far I have caught two out of the Scioto this year. One was below Oshay, and I just caught one the other night below Griggs. They weren't 40", but still a descent size. They are out there, you just have to work hard to find them, and have a lot of patience.


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

marinescco said:


> ..... you just have to work hard to find them, and have a lot of patience.


Or just throw large, noisy crankbaits in pursuit of saugeye


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## marinescco (Aug 21, 2007)

Right now you would probably have more luck doing that. A couple of days ago a guy caught an 18" channel using a plastic worm.


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## GF John (Jul 12, 2008)

I caught 2 flatheads out of Knox Lake this spring on minnows while crappie fishing.They were 16" to 18".


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## Mushijobah (May 4, 2004)

marinescco said:


> Right now you would probably have more luck doing that. A couple of days ago a guy caught an 18" channel using a plastic worm.


I did that below Griggs a few days ago. Thought it was a big smallie!


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## Hootyhooo (Aug 9, 2008)

They are definately in the tribs but for the big boys I reccomend the big water (Scioto downstream from greenlawn dam, Muskingum river ect). They love to hide in the log jams with current running near or thru it. I've caught em on crankbaits, but I've had







far better luck using large live bait.


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## trofybassinassasin (Aug 4, 2008)

Just came from bass fishing today at the Greenlawn reservoir. I was walking back after fishing and a guy had hooked what looked to be no less than a 25 pound flat head. He was using a chartruce Mr. twister grub. They say everything in there hits on those. I caught a pretty nice 3-4 pound my bass on top water wounded zara spook. But the big flat heads have been caught out of there all year everyone said.


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## Lake Erie (Jun 20, 2008)

As these posts say, there are probably flathead catfish in all Central Ohio rivers, and some of the streams.

Your best bet to get info on populations is to call ODW District one here in Columbus and ask for a fisheries person:

D1 Headquarters
1500 Dublin Road
Columbus, Ohio 43215
(614) 644-3925

They know the fish populations. Hint - don't ask about where to catch them, everyone asks that. You'll get the "generic" answer they usually give. Ask instead about population studies and recent projects. Show an interest in the fisheries perspective (their trade) and you'll get much better and usful information.

Lake Erie


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## MinnKota (Jul 24, 2007)

Hooked into a 5lb + Flathead on a Norman Crank Bait last year at Griggs. Nice fish, but not a Bass


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