Flathead Catfish Trip E-mail
Written by Chalk Saunders   
Tuesday, 01 November 2011 05:21

Flathead catfish

Went to Bartlett Lake with Greg this weekend to do a little kayak fishing. We started bait fishing, Greg caught most of the bait as I am easily distracted by shiny objects and he kept flashing this bait rod he just built around.

Greg broke out all kinds of new gear for me to try. I got to use a few of his WHISKERFISH rods with an ABU 10000 and a PENN jigmaster. We started fishing for flats around 1pm. Straight away Greg nails a small flat in short order and then his second a short time later. We decided to move to another spot and were fishing again by around 5pm. We both missed a couple of runs. A few hours later I finally hook one a nice 32lb flat he was a scrappy little guy and pulled me around on my kayak banging me into rocks and and everything else he could find. Finally got him boated in about 10 minutes.We missed a few more runs then fell asleep. I wake up to a clicker just slowly clicking away. I miss him but then he decides to give me one more shot, I set the hook and he pulls me out. I fight him for a few minutes and land a nice 52lb flat. He had half the fight of that scrappy 32 but was still very fun

Bartlett lake is just north of phoenix, AZ.
I have at one time or another owned over 40 yaks and find my T100 very comfortable and quite functional for the tight places I am fishing.

Me and Greg 9-23-11 031.JPGMe and Greg 9-23-11 031.JPG


As for details the lake is way down and I like to use up to 5 pound live carp for flathead bait. So we headed way up the river end into the shallows where the smaller carp are hiding. Fished for a few hours and had enough bait to get started cat fishing. Since it was Greg's first trip with me, and he has never been on a yak. I brought a jon boat for him. He is already looking at yaks after this trip, I will probably just loan him a 120. 

have recently switched from 80# powerpro main line to 80# Jerry Brown hollow core spectra. It seems to be more abrasion resistant and has the added benefit of being hollow core. For shock leaders I run 80# Sufix Superior, really I mostly use it for abrasion resistance against the rocks. I used balloons for floats so I could place the bait in heavy rock structure and not get snagged as often. Balloons because I am in a yak and they are easy to carry and still handle large bait. When using big bait and balloons I use VMC circle hooks, its just to much resistance in the water to try and set a hook with the balloon and 5 pound bait.

 

You must be registered to post a comment.


Login

Newsletter

Subscribe here to receive FREE email issues of Kayak Fishing Magazine.

Most Popular

Choosing a Fishing Kayak
Like many kayak fisherman, my first fishig kayak was a mistake and I only used it a few times.  There wasn’t a lot of information available.  Things have...
Effective Trolling With Your Kayak
  While trolling is a mainstay of saltwater fishermen and also popular for targeting suspended fish in deepwater lakes of the northern US and Canada, it’s not the way most...
Electric Kayaks – an in Depth Look
Bassyaks, Torqeedo and Torque I have been living with electric kayaks (EK) since July of 2009. I have done so in order to get a much better understanding of their potential,...

Random

Riding the Bull into History
Ride the Bull may have been on August 17th this year, but for many like me; it started weeks before the actual date of the event. This is a different type of tournament, with a...
Manufactures and Warranties
Kayak Fishing Magazine researches Kayak Warranties and What You Need to Know about the kayaks you are buying          When we buy a kayak we don’t initially think about...
Having a Great (White) Summer?
During a week where the East Coast was enduring shark mania, the West Coast had a close encounter as well. On July 7, 2012 one of the NorCal Kayak Anglers was heading...

Latest Kayak Reviews

Lifetime Sport Fisher
 
5.0
Cobra Kayaks Tandem
 
3.0
Perception Sport Pescador 10.0 Angler
 
4.0
Hobie Mirage Outback
 
4.0
Current Designs Tailfin
 
5.0
Hobie Mirage Outback
 
2.0
NuCanoe Frontier 12
 
5.0
Native Watercraft Mariner 12.5 Propel Anglers
 
4.0
Hobie Mirage Outback
 
5.0
Pelican Castaway 100
 
2.0
Stealth Pro Fisha 575
 
3.0
Field and Stream Eagle Talon
 
5.0

Latest Equipment Reviews

Body Glove 3T Barefoot Max
 
5.0
Body Glove 3T Barefoot Warrior
 
5.0
Body Glove 3T Barefoot Warrior
 
3.0
Columbia Drainmaker
 
5.0
Sperry SON-R Sounder Shandal
 
4.0
Garmin VIRB Elite
 
4.0
Polaroid XS100
 
4.0
Backwater Paddles Assault Hand Paddle
 
5.0
Backwater Paddles Assault Hand Paddle
 
5.0
Stohlquist Piseas
 
4.0
Wheeleez Tuff Tire Kayak Cart
 
5.0
Boga Grip
 
4.0