Crappie bad, Flathead good. 8/12/20

You just have to have a bad morning fishing for crappie every once in a while just so you will stay humble and the crappie humbled Scottie and me today. We hit my favorite offshore structure before daylight and began throwing our crappie jigs.

Bites were non existent for a while. Scottie broke the ice with a largemouth bass that was 1/2” short of keeper size. Bass were breaking on top all around us, but I couldn’t get them to bite my minnow type jig. I finally hooked a nice crappie over 12” and got it to the boat and then contemplated getting the net or just flipping it into the boat. I flipped it alright, back into the water and that was the only crappie bite all morning on that spot.

Once the sun got up and we didn’t have anymore bites, we ran to Chadwick Rock. There was a school of crappie on the big rock, so I eased us into position and finally after downsizing my jig, I caught 3 nine inch crappie and then finally a 12.25” keeper that we ultimately released. Then the fun began.

I was using my 5 foot ultralight rod that I normally use for bluegills and I had a 1/32 oz jig with a 1.5” Southern Pro Pearl Stinger when an 11 pound 5 ounce Flathead decided to have a tiny snack before breakfast. We were sitting in 18 feet of water when I stuck the fish. Before we finally netted it, it got my wrist to hurting, came to the surface 4 times to look us over, released bubbles 3 times and got stronger each time it released the bubble of air and finally went into my net. What a battle with the fish being in charge most of the time. I’m having it for dinner tonight. Grin.

84.6 water temp early, 12,000 cfs and clear skies with north wind picking up pretty good. I’m taking Richard Simms, editor of Crappie Now online magazine in the morning and then I’m done until Sunday. If you want to learn a little about dock shooting, check out the June issue. Grin.

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I will take a flat head anytime, congrats!

I envy your main course for dinner. A flat in a 11lb, 5 oz model is just about an ideal size. Hardly any red meat like the bigger ones and plenty of the finest eatin fish around...Yer makin me hungry. Gotta add catchin bluegill for flathead to my "roundtoit " list. I'm plum outta flat since the outside freezer croaked awhile back.

Itsa pretty rare day Drumking hasa slow crappie fishin go at it.

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How did y'all prepare the cat? My favorite way to eat catfish is steaks, but you rarely see anyone fix them that way anymore.

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Originally Posted by USMA65

How did y'all prepare the cat? My favorite way to eat catfish is steaks, but you rarely see anyone fix them that way anymore.

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I cut the Flathead up into large nugget size chunks, washed with garden hose until water ran clear, egg wash, cornmeal/flour 2:1 ratio and then fried 4 minutes on each side until golden brown. It was delicious.

A friend of mine was bragging that he had flathead catfish belly from a 28lb for lunch last Sunday I have never had that.

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The belly meat is real good on a yellow cat like that. Don't waste it.

Heck yeah!

The belly meat is a pretty good percentage of the meat a feller gets from a flat.Real good eatin

Yep, fishing with those little jigs is always an adventure, my last outing I stuck a 6 lb. green carp that had it's way with my med lite rod and 6 lb. Suffix Elite line. Last I saw of it, it was headed down waving it's tail at me. :fish

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Originally Posted by USMA65

How did y'all prepare the cat? My favorite way to eat catfish is steaks, but you rarely see anyone fix them that way anymore.

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Steaks? Explain this to me please


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Originally Posted by Mr. S

Yep, fishing with those little jigs is always an adventure, my last outing I stuck a 6 lb. green carp that had it's way with my med lite rod and 6 lb. Suffix Elite line. Last I saw of it, it was headed down waving it's tail at me. :fish

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That's easy to picture in my minds eye and it just makes me smile.Not at your line breakin , just at the event and hopeless feeling at the time we've all had.Thanks for relating it.
Pretty obvious Drumking had the drag loose and showed lotsa patience to horse in his 11 lb , 5 oz flat...
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Originally Posted by GREENFISH

Steaks? Explain this to me please


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Greenfish, I have never steaked a catfish or any other fish for that matter, but what I think to steak a fish is to make vertical cuts across the back of a whole fish, down both sides to the desired thickness. Then cook it, how I don’t know? I don’t mess with the bones. Someone who knows please edify all of us and give us the reasons why this is so good. Grin.

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Originally Posted by Snagged again

That's easy to picture in my minds eye and it just makes me smile.Not at your line breakin , just at the event and hopeless feeling at the time we've all had.Thanks for relating it.
Pretty obvious Drumking had the drag loose and showed lotsa patience to horse in his 11 lb , 5 oz flat...
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:Rofl I did not horse this catfish. He horsed me. Grin. It was all I could do to hold on and keep my wrist from hurting so badly. I set the drag on all my reels to less than half of the pound test rating. That way even Moby Dick can’t break the line unless it gets into brush or rocks and breaks you off that way. 3 or 4 years ago in that very same area, while fishing with Cuonthelake, I caught a 26 plus pound Flathead on 4 lb test line. It took about 30 minutes and 1/2 mile down the river before the fish gave up. I have it on video, but I’m not sure if we took still pics or not.

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Originally Posted by Snagged again

That's easy to picture in my minds eye and it just makes me smile.Not at your line breakin , just at the event and hopeless feeling at the time we've all had.Thanks for relating it.
Pretty obvious Drumking had the drag loose and showed lotsa patience to horse in his 11 lb , 5 oz flat...
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Snagged, oh the drag was screaming! My line never broke, Suffix Elite is very good line, right DK :biggrin He just came unbuttoned, I got my jig and plastic back. The hook may have gave up I use lite wire hooks.

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Originally Posted by GREENFISH

Steaks? Explain this to me please


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I am from Memphis and many places around there served catfish steaks. A steak is where a whole fish is laid on its side and starting at the tail sections are cut all the way thru the fish and going all the way to the rib cage. Thinner steaks cook more quickly and are my favorite. The taste of any meat is better if cooked with the bone. This is true of beef, pork, chicken and fish. Yes, negotiating the bones can be tricky, but many enjoy whole fish, and all steaks are is mini sections of the whole fish. The old Tackle Box Restaurant in Harmontown, MS, just before you got to Holiday Lodge on Sardis was my favorite place for steaks. But I have had them at Reelfoot, Perryville, TN, on the TN River, down around Shiloh on the TN River, and in Arkansas over the years. We have become a filet culture, but give it a try next time you clean a catfish; you will not be disappointed.

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Originally Posted by USMA65

I am from Memphis and many places around there served catfish steaks. A steak is where a whole fish is laid on its side and starting at the tail sections are cut all the way thru the fish and going all the way to the rib cage. Thinner steaks cook more quickly and are my favorite. The taste of any meat is better if cooked with the bone. This is true of beef, pork, chicken and fish. Yes, negotiating the bones can be tricky, but many enjoy whole fish, and all steaks are is mini sections of the whole fish. The old Tackle Box Restaurant in Harmontown, MS, just before you got to Holiday Lodge on Sardis was my favorite place for steaks. But I have had them at Reelfoot, Perryville, TN, on the TN River, down around Shiloh on the TN River, and in Arkansas over the years. We have become a filet culture, but give it a try next time you clean a catfish; you will not be disappointed.

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How are they cooked?
Fried, baked, broiled, smoked?
I've never had catfish steak, but would like to give them a try.

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Originally Posted by slowhand

How are they cooked?
Fried, baked, broiled, smoked?
I've never had catfish steak, but would like to give them a try.

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Fried is the only way I have ever had them.

Drumking, I am not trying to hijack your thread, but your catching the cat started it all !!! Keep it up, we love your reports !!!

Thanks for the report Dickey. [emoji106] Chadwick Rock ? [emoji848] [emoji846]

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Originally Posted by Muskrat

Thanks for the report Dickey. [emoji106] Chadwick Rock ? [emoji848] [emoji846]

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Chadwick Rock is a spot that Dr Phil saw while bass fishing with another friend. He was fishing from the back of the boat and watching the graph when they passed over this spot and Phil saw a huge school of crappie on it and took visual sightings on it and we later searched for it and found the spot, put a waypoint on it and it has produced many crappie for us and that big Flathead catfish the other day. Why the name, Chadwick? I don’t know. If you ever fish with me, I’ll show you where it is. Obviously, I’m not going to over the forum. :Rofl

[emoji106]

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