# Flathead fishing from yaks



## FishFrenzy89 (May 18, 2009)

does anyone fish for flatheads from a kayak? 


I am thinking about giving it a try this year. I have caught plenty of flathead before just never from a kayak.

I was wondering a few things:

has anyone fished for them at night?

what kind of lights/reflectors do you use on your yak?

and how do u land the big 30+ #ers ?


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## Flathead King 06 (Feb 26, 2006)

FishFrenzy89 said:


> and how do u land the big 30+ #ers ?


Just hang on!!! LOL

I don't own a kayak but I have caugh tmy fair share of them from small jon boats... when you hook a big one best thing to do is just let them pull you around and tire themselves out. As for lights/reflectors I always have my running light on and the bow light going.. just to keep things legal. When I target flats, I try not to use too much light as they tend to be sensitive to it, so be quite familiar with your area you are fishing. There are a few guys on here that fish for them out of the yaks, one imparticular that comes to mind is Rustyfish... he may have more insight than I do


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## DLarrick (May 31, 2011)

i was kinda wondering the same thing on this topic. how much different are the regs for the lights on a kayak then on a motor boat.


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## FishFrenzy89 (May 18, 2009)

DLarrick said:


> i was kinda wondering the same thing on this topic. how much different are the regs for the lights on a kayak then on a motor boat.


i think technically all you need for a yak is a good headlamp of flash light to be legal.... but i think i want to be a little safer than that lol


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## TimTaylor75 (Apr 7, 2009)

From ODNR

http://watercraft.ohiodnr.gov/requiredequipment#tabr3


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## FishFrenzy89 (May 18, 2009)

TimTaylor75 said:


> From ODNR
> 
> http://watercraft.ohiodnr.gov/requiredequipment#tabr3


Thanks for the info.. i am a WV resident so i don't need my kayak registered and my yak is under 14" so i guess i am not required to have anything other than a life jacket lol... I think i am going to get some of the battery operated running lights though just to be safe.


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## yakfish (Mar 13, 2005)

FishFrenzy89 said:


> does anyone fish for flatheads from a kayak?
> 
> 
> I am thinking about giving it a try this year. I have caught plenty of flathead before just never from a kayak.
> ...


I think you'll need a bigger boat!!! LOL!


I have caught catfish from a kayak before but nothing larger than 8-10 pounds. I have always wanted to catch something huge from the yak! Should be fun and don't dump it!


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

FishFrenzy89 said:


> does anyone fish for flatheads from a kayak?
> and how do u land the big 30+ #ers ?


Still working on that one. My best from the yak last year was 15. I have always been a bank fisherman so boating for cats was totally new for me. But I spend a lot of time on the water at night and have tied into a several 10# + fist in the kayak. But one of the main intentions of buy a kayak was hunting big flathead because I no long have a 4x4 and easy access spots suck. 

My plan pull anchor and ride it out. It may be a goo idea to head towards shore once you wear her out but I just plan hoist her up and spoon with it in the kayak  Big fish can take you to snags easy in the kayak but the good thing is that you follow them to the snag so your chances are better.

Dont over do it with the lights. If your spots are anything like mine you will be covered in bug is you light up your yak (I have had it hard to breath).
A dim light pole worst well just to let people see you and to take away the pitch black feeling. Mine was $20 at walmart, battery powered and i mounted on pvc that i can slide up or down, Dim light with white cap. A good tinted headlamp works best for your "working light". Coleman has one at walmart $20 flood/spot/red/blue(make florescent line glow) It works perfect for me.

Fog sucks. Be careful I have had it so bad on lake and creeks the I didnt know where I was going. It is hard to see ahead of you on the water in the night as it is. I can shine my light and see the banks perfectly over 20 yards away but it seems like you cant see five yards ahead of you. Once fog starts lifting off the water you are blind.

Tight lining is hard, you will need a double anchor or a some current to anchor against. If not you will spin like a top. I have pulled myself off my 3 pound anchor a few times setting a hook or casting a hefty piece of bait a good distance. I tend to use a float but sometimes will hold a tight line in my had where i can control the tension.

Good luck. Night kayak for catfish is a lot of fun. Its not easy being out alone in the dark chasing 30# fish especially on moving water. But its my favorite time on the water. I plan on hitting the OHIO for Blues this year with another OGF member, we will see how it goes.


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

FishFrenzy89 said:


> does anyone fish for flatheads from a kayak?


Gimme two weeks and i'll let you know how it goes......  We are going out tomorrow for some channel cats and some flathead scouting. My buddy got a 16lb carp the other day and he said he lost one much bigger. His approach was by hooking up, pulling anchor until he was in a good spot.....out of structure....and then dropped both his anchors in the middle of the lake to fight the fish the rest of the way. That will be my plan of action. 

Attach floats to anchor lines so you can drop you line and follow the fish and come back and get it later.


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

Also its hard to keep big fish from your anchor lines. I had the land a 12# flat buy pulling up my anchor because he was tied to it.


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## FishFrenzy89 (May 18, 2009)

Thanks for all the info rustyfish.. That is a big help.
I think ima give it a try tomorrow night if the weather cooperates.

And yakfish yeah that would suck to dump it lol but at least i am a very strong swimmer lol


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## DLarrick (May 31, 2011)

with all the talk about night yak fishing and the river blown out i hit east fork lake saturday to try my luck with the cats. was on the water from 7:30 till about midnight and although no big ones we still had plenty of action some smaller ones, all channels. between my nephew and i we boated around 20 fish with the biggest one prolly going 3-4 pounds with most of them in the 1-2 pound range. no mosters but for our first night trip it was still a good time. sorry no pictures....forgot the camera at home.


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## FishFrenzy89 (May 18, 2009)

DLarrick said:


> with all the talk about night yak fishing and the river blown out i hit east fork lake saturday to try my luck with the cats. was on the water from 7:30 till about midnight and although no big ones we still had plenty of action some smaller ones, all channels. between my nephew and i we boated around 20 fish with the biggest one prolly going 3-4 pounds with most of them in the 1-2 pound range. no mosters but for our first night trip it was still a good time. sorry no pictures....forgot the camera at home.


Thats awesome!! sounds like a good time.. 

do u mind telling what u were using for bait?


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## DLarrick (May 31, 2011)

yea, we had fun for sure. had another buddy that was gonna go and bailed out last minute saying it was going to be chilly and raining.....guess he missed out. 
most were caught on night crawler (some under a bobber and some on bottom) but did have some hit on chicken liver. caught in a little cove that was only a few feet deep but right by some deeper water. had some shrimp and cut bluegill that didnt get a sniff. next time out we plan to take the cast net and hopefully get some shad.


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## FishFrenzy89 (May 18, 2009)

DLarrick said:


> yea, we had fun for sure. had another buddy that was gonna go and bailed out last minute saying it was going to be chilly and raining.....guess he missed out.
> most were caught on night crawler (some under a bobber and some on bottom) but did have some hit on chicken liver. caught in a little cove that was only a few feet deep but right by some deeper water. had some shrimp and cut bluegill that didnt get a sniff. next time out we plan to take the cast net and hopefully get some shad.


thanks for the report

catching them with a bobber in shallow water sounds like a blast.


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## yak-on (Jul 4, 2011)

When you hook a big cat or a big fish in general 30" or more . We call in a ******* sleigh ride. Sit back and hold on lol!

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## BigFoot158 (Jan 14, 2012)

yak-on said:


> When you hook a big cat or a big fish in general 30" or more . We call it a ******* sleigh ride. Sit back and hold on lol!
> 
> posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire




I am all in on this one. LOL


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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

i braved the cold but i failed.

lost my first flathead of the year. I got enough of a look of the tail to tell it was a flat then my hook came untied. Yep i screwed up and i feel like an idiot. Tried new hooks and new line at the same time and i didn't check my knot. not a trophy or anything, sure it was under 10.

the crime was when the biggest gar I have ever seen broke my line while i was trying to figure how in the world to land it. It was over i had him but i was dragging my feet and was punished for it. just looking at it laying along the kayak it had to be close o 50". 

Caught two channel cats but ended the night cold and pissed at mysel for being stupid.


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

rustyfish said:


> i braved the cold but i failed.
> 
> lost my first flathead of the year. I got enough of a look of the tail to tell it was a flat then my hook came untied. Yep i screwed up and i feel like an idiot. Tried new hooks and new line at the same time and i didn't check my knot. not a trophy or anything, sure it was under 10.
> 
> ...


Man that sucks. We got a 43 inch gar in the Jon boat last year and it made me nervous....so I can't say I blame you for dragging your feet. Looks like you need to get some fish grips. Lol



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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

Here is the first one this year. 33" 11.5 pounds. Small but made a good night out of a rough trip. Cold, wet, and tired but happy.

Thanks for the pic Sean.

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## rustyfish (Apr 27, 2004)

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## Jmsteele187 (Dec 22, 2011)

How do you land the bigger flats? Do you paddle to shore or take your chances bringing it in the boat?


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## farleybucks (Aug 8, 2009)

hey rustyfish....sean sent it to me and I posted it on the YAK Ohio page and also on our FB page...you are currently in 1st place in the Cat Category...

http://www.buckeyekayakfishingtrail.com/#!yak-ohio-leaders/cn30
https://www.facebook.com/BuckeyeKayakFishingTrail?ref=hl


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## SeanStone (Sep 8, 2010)

Jmsteele187 said:


> How do you land the bigger flats? Do you paddle to shore or take your chances bringing it in the boat?
> 
> 
> Posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


I'm bringing mine in to spoon with me till I get to shore for pics and measurements. Flatheads aren't my concern....they are long and skinny....the real question is how you gonna handle a big blue? The girth alone will make them hard to handle.

No problem Russ.... Thanks for keeping the skunk off Friday night.

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## Jmsteele187 (Dec 22, 2011)

SeanStone said:


> I'm bringing mine in to spoon with me till I get to shore for pics and measurements. Flatheads aren't my concern....they are long and skinny....the real question is how you gonna handle a big blue? The girth alone will make them hard to handle.
> 
> 
> posted using Outdoor Hub Campfire


Most of the flats I see coming out of the maumee are 30+ pounds. I'd be afraid of dipping into the drink lifting something like that into the boat, but I haven't tried it yet either.



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