# Chasing one flathead



## JSeeger

well fellas, I did a little bank access flathead fishing on Monday afternoon.. mostly just getting the feel on my new reels and didn't have any caught fish but it definitely got me ready to start getting after them hot and heavy. (New reels that I replaced my 30 series Penn reels are amazing though!)

I've got my ideal situation, but with the renewed fire burning whats everyone's ideal scenario to catch the biggest flathead in the state?

If you had to go anywhere- anytime of the year. Using any rod and reel, any bait, in Ohio's state lines where would you go with the sole purpose of hooking the biggest, meanest, nastiest flathead 80-100# or more 

I would focus on Senecaville or Piedmont reservoirs, or potentially the rural lower stretch of the Scioto thats difficult to navigate for most people. Carp, freshwater drum, or redhorse suckers 15-24" long, something up to about 3-5# and a double hook rig with two 10/0 king kahles ready to do the business work.

Its also 11:30 at night and I'm bored and have been watching a string of river certified videos on YouTube and seeing this guy consistently catch the jumbo flatties has me pretty excited to get back on them myself this year.


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## catfishjustin

I personally would pick a river over a lake to catch a record breaking flathead. I think its about time someone takes down the 76 lb record. My thought would be a fish that big would be somewhere the food comes to him and wouldnt require much effort to stay in postion. Almost all the videos i have watched say to go where the bait is.


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## JSeeger

catfishjustin said:


> I personally would pick a river over a lake to catch a record breaking flathead. I think its about time someone takes down the 76 lb record. My thought would be a fish that big would be somewhere the food comes to him and wouldnt require much effort to stay in postion. Almost all the videos i have watched say to go where the bait is.



I agree with that to an extent but the majority of our states giant flathead come from the lakes in the Eastern portion of the state. I would NOT rule out Caesar Creek, EastFork, or Cowan as well as a few others as dark horse candidates to top the 76 or even 80+ mark. 

My rule of thumb when targeting flatheads has always been to set up in the same area someone would target crappie or other panfish assuming deep-water is nearby and they have the ability to ambush their prey.


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## catfishjustin

What is different about the lakes to the east that makes them produce more giants? Are they the majority of lakes with flathead populations or they have something different about them that allows fish to grow faster and live longer?


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## JSeeger

catfishjustin said:


> What is different about the lakes to the east that makes them produce more giants? Are they the majority of lakes with flathead populations or they have something different about them that allows fish to grow faster and live longer?


Aside from our river systems flatheads have been present in those much better structured impoundments in that part of the state for a much longer time. Flatheads are not a highly populated fish in the SW part of the state aside from the GMR and due to lack of deep water and the 10 million dams from Hamilton to Indian lake, a fish larger than 25 pounds is a freak on that stretch of river. 

The Maumee might have some giants holding however I have yet to see one surpassing the biggest I've seen caught and released from lower Scioto, Muskingum, lower GMR (below Hamilton) and the southern, mostly Southeast Reservoirs


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## catfishjustin

What do you consider deep water for flathead habitat? Anything over 10 feet deep during low/ normal water level is more then enough in my experience.


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## JSeeger

catfishjustin said:


> What do you consider deep water for flathead habitat? Anything over 10 feet deep during low/ normal water level is more then enough in my experience.


Much of the GMR is less than 5 foot of water, a deep hole is 8+ foot. There are a number of flatheads in that river yet anything over 20+ is a rarity and fish pushing record book status are obviously much more rare. 

An average depth of 10'+ and holes in a river with 20-30' of water would be much more likely to hold big flatheads than that. Im aware of less than half a dozen spots on the great Miami above hamilton that are over 10' and due to lack of overall area because of the amount of dams their habitat just isn't typically large enough to support a fish over 50 pounds, let alone much larger. 

Essentially, a river like the hocking though shallow in its own right but having much more structure and more open area, less low head dam interference is able to hold more sizeable fish.


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## catfishjustin

Looked at the gmr on google and it really does have a ton of low head dams. Im guessing a lot of the spots that would be holes are filled with sand mud and small rocks.


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## JSeeger

catfishjustin said:


> Looked at the gmr on google and it really does have a ton of low head dams. Im guessing a lot of the spots that would be holes are filled with sand mud and small rocks.


Yep


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## MIGHTY

If i was after the record I’d go to clendening lake or Piedmont as I believe 2 of the bigger ones came for those 2 lakes but I’m a creek/river guy. Another thing I’ve started to grow curious about which I’m going to try more of this year is bait selection. The new record might be out there somewhere but he might eat a 5 pound carp one night and not have to eat again for another 4-5 days. How many guys do you know that are setting up with a 5 pound bait? I’m at least going to try to get some carp or suckers around a pound or 2 this summer. The record would be nice but even a 15-20 pound Flathead could probably take a 2 pound carp no problem.


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## gbourne

catfishjustin said:


> Looked at the gmr on google and it really does have a ton of low head dams. Im guessing a lot of the spots that would be holes are filled with sand mud and small rocks.


What is the GMR?


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## 9Left

gbourne said:


> What is the GMR?


Great Miami River


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## Southernsaug

Well my educated guess would be one of the traditional eastern lakes of Piedmont, Clendening or maybe Senecaville. I wouldn't waste my time on the Scioto, GMR or any Ohio River except "THE" Ohio River. I think a wager against seeing a new state record in the near future would be a safe bet. Ohio just doesn't have the growing season. It's a novel goal, but one bound for frustration. Flatheads typically grow larger in lakes due to forage and conditions. A flathead over 40 pounds is a rare beast in Ohio creeks and rivers. Flatheads over 50 are uncommon in the Ohio river within Ohio's boundaries. I know several commercial fishermen who netted the River for 40+ years and I have asked them what the biggest flathead they have seen and it was around 60 lbs (I don't remember exactly) I was on many trap net crews in my career and I never saw one over 60 lbs. My personal best is a 42 pounder off a trot line in Paint Creek. My buddy and I always heard of these 50-60 pounders, so we put up a bounty of $50.00 dollars for anyone who caught one weighed on a certified scales. This was in an area for the lower Scioto and Paint Creek. We added to the bounty every year for maybe 10 years and then just donated the pot to a local charity. That was in the 70-80s. To this day I have never had anyone produce a certified 50 lber. Ohh we had a lot of hopefully takers, but when we took them to the feed store and a certified for trade scale they didn't make the cut. Most just got pissed and said the scale was wrong. The closest anyone got was 46 lb, but most were 35-40 lbs. and way off the mark. I still challenge people on the weight of their flatheads. I know it's a big fish, but still a 50+ is huge and rare.


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## youngunner

I have seen a 64lb flathead and a 52lb flathead pulled from the Muskingum river watershed below a lowhead dam but above the lowest dam on the river. Same guy, same rod within a 10 minute span. Before you call BS too I know the individual who caught the fish and his buddy are seasoned flathead guys and I saw pics of the certified scales and know there are pictures of both these fish. I am not coming here to stir this up and argue but i think the lowhead dam argument and the big lake or ohio river argument are not all that accurate, big flatheads are where you find them. Sure lowheads impact a fishery but the #1 thing that is required for a flathead to grow to 70+ lbs is abundant forage, regardless of the size of the body of water or the depth of the water.


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## Southernsaug

youngunner, I have no intent to dispute or call BS. I simply stated my experience, and I was addressing the topic of where to look for a new state record and the probability of finding one in any given body of water. The Muskingum River has a long history of big flatheads. I personally knew the guys who done the netting surveys on that river and they consistently caught fish in the range your talking about. 64 and 52 are a long ways from 76 +/- (the state record). I did not post my thoughts as a challenge to anyone, I believe you. There are huge Flatheads caught every year, but they are still more the exception than the rule and make a new state record a lofty goal. The lakes that were referenced have a history of huge flatheads and thus are the most likely candidates for a new record. I'm sure many can produce examples of fish larger than what I said I have seen, from those areas, the Muskingum River included. I'm sorry if my post came across as calling BS on anyone.

I guess I should not of said anything about my experience with the bounty and no one claiming it. I did state that was for the lower Scioto River and Paint Creek only....not the entire state, I was speaking about locally. I was only using it as an example of why I wouldn't look for a record from these smaller rivers. I respectfully disagree on forage being the only requirement, space, habitat, environmental conditions and total fish biomass all make a difference. Again, sorry if i came across wrong. People often do over estimate Flathead weights though, but the serious flathead guys don't.


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## Specwar

My guess is that “if” the current record is broken that it will come from Clendening or perhaps Piedmont.
I knew the Affolter family quite well while growing up in the Uhrichsville area, and they were dedicated to catching flatheads from both of these lakes. You have to believe that their persistence in fishing these two bodies of water is a good indication of what is in them.


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## youngunner

Southernsaug said:


> youngunner, I have no intent to dispute or call BS. I simply stated my experience, and I was addressing the topic of where to look for a new state record and the probability of finding one in any given body of water. The Muskingum River has a long history of big flatheads. I personally knew the guys who done the netting surveys on that river and they consistently caught fish in the range your talking about. 64 and 52 are a long ways from 76 +/- (the state record). I did not post my thoughts as a challenge to anyone, I believe you. There are huge Flatheads caught every year, but they are still more the exception than the rule and make a new state record a lofty goal. The lakes that were referenced have a history of huge flatheads and thus are the most likely candidates for a new record. I'm sure many can produce examples of fish larger than what I said I have seen, from those areas, the Muskingum River included. I'm sorry if my post came across as calling BS on anyone.
> 
> I guess I should not of said anything about my experience with the bounty and no one claiming it. I did state that was for the lower Scioto River and Paint Creek only....not the entire state, I was speaking about locally. I was only using it as an example of why I wouldn't look for a record from these smaller rivers. I respectfully disagree on forage being the only requirement, space, habitat, environmental conditions and total fish biomass all make a difference. Again, sorry if i came across wrong. People often do over estimate Flathead weights though, but the serious flathead guys don't.


southernsaug I agree with you with everything you said (hence why I liked your original post.) I just listed the disclaimer about BS because I have seen too many threads where people make fish size claims spiral out of control and it was in no way directed at your post. I have a great deal of respect for you and your knowledge on this forum for things both fishing related and not it has taught me a lot. I really enjoy OGF and just wanted to clarify I took no issue with what you said and did not mean for my message to come across as a negative response or directed at you. Just want to encourage people to to find the exception in every rule!! Tight lines


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## Southernsaug

Peace....we're all cool. I know what you mean, people get really upset over fish weights. 

You really never know....records sometimes show up from the least likely places.


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## All Eyes

It's been 20 years or so, but have seen plenty of giants pulled from the lower half of the Muskingum. Not record breakers, but some very impressive sizes. We used to fish a lot in Devola (North of Marietta) below the lock/dam and caught lots of flatties and big channels. For a state record, I would tend to agree with others on here regarding Piedmont, Clendening, Tappan, or Seneca as a potential best place to land one. Suckers up to 2 lbs. in 5 ft. or less would be my preferred offering. Learned a lot from an old timer named Art Bishop (aka the cat king) back then. If I'm not mistaken, he owned the record for a period of time.


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## fishless

All Eyes said:


> It's been 20 years or so, but have seen plenty of giants pulled from the lower half of the Muskingum. Not record breakers, but some very impressive sizes. We used to fish a lot in Devola (North of Marietta) below the lock/dam and caught lots of flatties and big channels. For a state record, I would tend to agree with others on here regarding Piedmont, Clendening, Tappan, or Seneca as a potential best place to land one. Suckers up to 2 lbs. in 5 ft. or less would be my preferred offering. Learned a lot from an old timer named Art Bishop (aka the cat king) back then. If I'm not mistaken, he owned the record for a period of time.


Atwood has some decent ones.I don't know about record size but we catch up to about 36 inches long when we are trolling flickershads for saugeye


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## JSeeger

All Eyes said:


> It's been 20 years or so, but have seen plenty of giants pulled from the lower half of the Muskingum. Not record breakers, but some very impressive sizes. We used to fish a lot in Devola (North of Marietta) below the lock/dam and caught lots of flatties and big channels. For a state record, I would tend to agree with others on here regarding Piedmont, Clendening, Tappan, or Seneca as a potential best place to land one. Suckers up to 2 lbs. in 5 ft. or less would be my preferred offering. Learned a lot from an old timer named Art Bishop (aka the cat king) back then. If I'm not mistaken, he owned the record for a period of time.


Is this the same Cat King that talked about a couple 70's being caught from East Fork a few years back? & citing that impoundment as being a potential dark horse for the next state record? I remember seeing a thread, I believe it was here on OGF about that..

Indian Lake has a large number of quality fish, and they are growing at a RAPID rate; due to the sheer size, cover, ability to migrate in & out of the GMR & forage species available. I have heard rumors of 50/60s from this lake, but the largest I have seen is just over 35. A LOT in the 10-25 range, which as discussed is a LOOOONG way from the state record mark.


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## JSeeger

MIGHTY said:


> If i was after the record I’d go to clendening lake or Piedmont as I believe 2 of the bigger ones came for those 2 lakes but I’m a creek/river guy. Another thing I’ve started to grow curious about which I’m going to try more of this year is bait selection. The new record might be out there somewhere but he might eat a 5 pound carp one night and not have to eat again for another 4-5 days. How many guys do you know that are setting up with a 5 pound bait? I’m at least going to try to get some carp or suckers around a pound or 2 this summer. The record would be nice but even a 15-20 pound Flathead could probably take a 2 pound carp no problem.



I 1000% agree with this. I believe not enough people focus on truly huge fish which means often going on extended periods of no runs or action waiting on a fish large enough to take a presented bait, or often not having a bait presented that a larger, 'lazier,' fish would be interested in as you mentioned they might feed on a large 5+ pound carp once every week and a half or two weeks & remain largely lethargic and inactive otherwise.

How many of us have the ability to present a bait of that magnitude or let alone the patience to wait the majority of the summer even waiting for one good take? Be interesting to give it a full spring/summer/full worth of trying though.


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## JSeeger

Though not as commonly discussed or targeted as the healthy population of blues that are thriving and growing there or the big channels even, I do know of multiple 60+ flatheads caught at Hoover.. just something to consider as a sleeper reservoir for giants.


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## DHower08

My biggest is mid 40s out of east Liverpool. I know theirs another state record swimming in clendening. And likely Seneca as well. My dad got a 60+ out of Knox lake a few years ago. It bottomed out a 50 pound scale no problem. I believe multiple lakes in Ohio likely have a state record flattie swimming around


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## MIGHTY

Seems as though records are being broken this year in other state’s. Someone posted a link on here a few weeks ago that a guy in Pennsylvania set a new record. The last night I was sent a link to a fella that caught the new 89 pound record for Nebraska.


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## JSeeger

DHower08 said:


> My biggest is mid 40s out of east Liverpool. I know theirs another state record swimming in clendening. And likely Seneca as well. My dad got a 60+ out of Knox lake a few years ago. It bottomed out a 50 pound scale no problem. I believe multiple lakes in Ohio likely have a state record flattie swimming around



I've heard of Roy Hoops targeting a fish in Seneca that would push for a world record, but.. still not been caught? The ones that get away are always the biggest. 

I believe somewhere on the Ohio outside of the commercial pressures, and maybe in a deep snag filled trib off the Ohio more so, there are world class, not just state record caliber fish but access to them, being able to present the proper bait & being able to get them out of that hole is going to be a whole other battle. 

I tend to agree with the majority here that the MWCD lakes are the most likely for a giant, or a pool off of the big Ohio. I know that enough of us are looking for the big one.


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## JSeeger

MIGHTY said:


> Seems as though records are being broken this year in other state’s. Someone posted a link on here a few weeks ago that a guy in Pennsylvania set a new record. The last night I was sent a link to a fella that caught the new 89 pound record for Nebraska.


I have seen that, be interesting to see if us, or even Kentucky and their 97 pound record thats 64 years old would fall this year. Would be nice to see the world record fall to a legitimate flathead hunter as well.


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## JSeeger

Welp.. i believe the crazy pre spawn is over and the bigguns are officially on the nest for a hot minute. 

Was anybody able to put their hands on a monster in the pre spawn?


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## Mark Reiber

JSeeger said:


> well fellas, I did a little bank access flathead fishing on Monday afternoon.. mostly just getting the feel on my new reels and didn't have any caught fish but it definitely got me ready to start getting after them hot and heavy. (New reels that I replaced my 30 series Penn reels are amazing though!)
> 
> I've got my ideal situation, but with the renewed fire burning whats everyone's ideal scenario to catch the biggest flathead in the state?
> 
> If you had to go anywhere- anytime of the year. Using any rod and reel, any bait, in Ohio's state lines where would you go with the sole purpose of hooking the biggest, meanest, nastiest flathead 80-100# or more
> 
> I would focus on Senecaville or Piedmont reservoirs, or potentially the rural lower stretch of the Scioto thats difficult to navigate for most people. Carp, freshwater drum, or redhorse suckers 15-24" long, something up to about 3-5# and a double hook rig with two 10/0 king kahles ready to do the business work.
> 
> Its also 11:30 at night and I'm bored and have been watching a string of river certified videos on YouTube and seeing this guy consistently catch the jumbo flatties has me pretty excited to get back on them myself this year.


How well do you know the DEEP spots on Great Miami River from Joyce Park south to Eggelston park? I really need some help !


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## Mark Reiber

Mark Reiber said:


> How well do you know the DEEP spots on Great Miami River from Joyce Park south to Eggelston park? I really need some help !


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## Mark Reiber

JSeeger, I really need your help on GMR and will pay you. Can you PM me or 513 200,,0015


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## DAVELEE

jseeger we had a great june and I agree with you I think it is just about over now haven't had a hit in the last two trips other than channel cat... but in june we got 23 shovelhead with 18 of those over 20 lbs biggest was 46 lbs. reel looking forward to this fall and next spring to target a true monster of 50+


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## Southernsaug

DAVELEE said:


> reel looking forward to this fall and next spring to target a true monster of 50+


Don't forget or overlook late July and early August when they come out from under the rocks. My biggest have come in the 1st 10 days of August.


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## JSeeger

Southernsaug said:


> Don't forget or overlook late July and early August when they come out from under the rocks. My biggest have come in the 1st 10 days of August.


Agreed, fall gets busy for me with bow season and feedbag flatheads lol


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