# Flat Heads in Buckeye Lake



## Shaun69007

Surprisingly enough I managed a real small flat head in Buckeye Lake yesterday. I know... I know there are no flatties in there but I'm a pretty avid catfisherman and that was in fact a small flat. I did manage some nice Channels out of there. A buddy and I fished until we got the beer thirst and headed over to Copper Penny. Managed to run out of bucket space so all in all a good day


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## catfish_hunter

They say the same thing about Atwood lake here in East Central Ohio, but it has some dang nice flatheads in it as well...Just because they are not a native species does not mean that they arent in there!


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## Fisherman 3234

There are definitely Flatheads in Buckeye....


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## Predator225

I can remember seeing pictures of flatheads from Buckeye years ago. That magazine you can get at baitshops for free (Ohio outdoors or something), before it became a paylake directory. This was like 15 years ago and maybe more, so its no secret they have been in there for some time. And just like Chuck said below, just because the state doesnt say they are in there, doesnt mean they arent. A well known musky lake up here in NE ohio (West Branch) isnt supposed to have them, but they are in there!


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## Shaun69007

This was a small one so that tells me that they are breeding. i was totally shocked about that catch.


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## bigcatjoe

Ohio game and fish magazine has held buckeye lake as one of the best flathead lakes in central ohio for several years in a row..


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## Booosh

ive fished buckeye over 10 times this year

no flats for me


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## bigcatjoe

then either your having a normal flathead season where there is usually more skunkage than fish, or your doing things wrong. or both  but buckeye most certainly pumps out some really nice flatheads every year.


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## JUSTCRAZY

I am not trying to be a smart ass, but I sure would like to see a photo of a nice flathead out of that lake. I have lived in the Columbus area and heard of all these people seeing monster flathead coming out of Buckeye, I have heard they all died off with a fish kill in the early 90's, and I have had bait shop owners say they have never seen real proof either. 
I just want to see at least a photo of a big flathead. I am by no means saying that there are no flatheads in the lake, just don't think of it as a quality lake for flatheads.

Sorry for crashing your thread about catching one, and congrats. I have not spent a lot of time catfishing Buckeye, but all I have run across are channels, so you are ahead of me.

Rob


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## bigcatjoe

Not to bring up another forum, but either last year or the year before someone landed a 50 and change from the swimming beach at buckeye and had pics on the BOC. I dont fish it, as I've heard there is limited shore access. I do have several magazines with articles on buckeye lake flathead fishing from the early 2000's though. "The best bet in central ohio for a flathead over 45 pounds" in the july issue of ohio game and fish magazine. Who knows, it wouldn't be the only lake in ohio thats way under the radar for producing big flatheads. I hope it stays that way


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## Joey

bigcatjoe said:


> buckeye most certainly pumps out some really nice flatheads every year.


lol!!!!!!!!!!!


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## bigcatjoe

haha what? it does.


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## Joey

bigcatjoe said:


> haha what? it does.


Ive caught 3 out of Buckeye in the last 15 years. Non of any real size. I fish for channels there with live bluegill and goldfish. There is prolly a handfull in there but there is no good numbers whatsoever. I fish Buckeye for catfish maybe 30 times a year from a boat and Ive fished all over that lake and if they are in there I sure cant find em. And I rarely here a report of anybodyelse catchin any. Before 1995 it was a different story. I saw hundreds of big flats floating dead when that fish kill happened


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## bigcatjoe

Well point being they are in there. And there are some big boys swimming around. Looks like they're putting on the feedbag a bit on the muskingum ehh? The past few weeks have been productive for us too.


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## Jackfish

I have fished that lake a number of times for flats - always did pretty well on the channel cats but no flats in the boat.

But one time....

Fishing with kids can be have you focused more on what they are about to break, rather than your fishing gear - which is the best explanation I can come up with for why my drag was not set correctly. After landing maybe a dozen channels - my rod gets yanked down like a truck hit it - the rod holder actually skipped down about 3 notches from the pull - at which point my spiderwire reached its limit and snaps. This happened very quickly - and I felt like an idiot when I realized I just lost the only flat I ever had on my line in that lake. 

Point being - it's takes one heck of a fish to do that, I have a fair amount of time on the water chasing & catching flats & I dont believe anything other than a hog of flat could have done that to my gear.

So  somewhere between 12-18 trips to that lake & the only flat story I have is one I never got to see  because of an idiot mistake

** it's nice to hear that little ones are being caught in there - good stuff - breeding.


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## nclark9238740

Jackfish said:


> I have fished that lake a number of times for flats - always did pretty well on the channel cats but no flats in the boat. But one time.... Fishing with kids can be have you focused more on what they are about to break, rather than your fishing gear - which is the best explanation I can come up with for why my drag was not set correctly. After landing maybe a dozen channels - my rod gets yanked down like a truck hit it - the rod holder actually skipped down about 3 notches from the pull - at which point my spiderwire reached its limit and snaps. This happened very quickly - and I felt like an idiot when I realized I just lost the only flat I ever had on my line in that lake. Point being - it's takes one heck of a fish to do that, I have a fair amount of time on the water chasing & catching flats & I dont believe anything other than a hog of flat could have done that to my gear. So somewhere between 12-18 trips to that lake & the only flat story I have is one I never got to see because of an idiot mistake ** it's nice to hear that little ones are being caught in there - good stuff - breeding.


 It could have also been a striper I have seen them caught and seen poles pulled in the water like they were shot out of a harpoon gun, we managed to snag the pole and got the fish in and it was a striper


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## Saugeye Tom

before the big fish kill Buckeye was loaded with flats.. They hauled them away by the truck load in the early 90s


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