Quote Originally Posted by jigfreak View Post
Thats not bad you won't feel bad when you see darks posts the guy can ramble on for pages at a time.
I still get no respect around here....but I guess I can't argue with the truth...



Quote Originally Posted by Malek_Nyghtson View Post
not really worried bout carrying it planning on making a cart for it with big sand wheels.

the places I access the susky at are not very big so it will be set it where I can and go from there.

so far the best bait I have found for flathead catfish are actually bullhead catfish I hook them behind the dorsal fin with an 6/0 - 12/0 team catfish circle hook toss him out and flip the lever on my baitrunner the flatties cannot resist them. i have been told suckers are related to carp and here in pa it is illegal to use anything in the "goldfish" family for bait (ie goldfish, carp, koi, etc)

the oxygenator I will not be wasting my money on I research the crap out of everything before I make a purchase and according to this guy http://www.slideshare.net/raminlandf...ffective-is-it who ran it through its paces testing the water every 10 minutes I will not be trying it out. " Portable Oxygenator Test Results Recirculation produced substantially more oxygen than the oxygenator and raised oxygen level to near saturation in 10 minutes. Using the Oxygenator together with recirculation increased oxygen by only 3.8% over recirculation only." which is one of the reasons I am looking for a system that will recirculate the water without having to worry about all the fish debris clogging it up . .

my biggest flathead ever was caught down in Oklahoma during a thunderstorm I was fishing for trout using a ultra light and 4lb test right as the storm popped up I started reeling it in to get out of there and it fell like a full speed mac truck hit my line dang near ripped the pole out of my hand 3 and a half hours later on slowly reeling and flipping the bail when he wanted to run i finally landed a 64 lb 5 oz flathead and yes I was soaked straight through for that fish.

here in pa the biggest I have caught thus far was just a lil 24 pounder
Malek welcome aboard.......
Some thoughts...

1. Fighting a catfish 64lbs on 4 lb test has to be one of the most incredible fights I have ever heard of....sort of like fighting tuna on 20# test.....there are many who would claim that is impossible...without your supporting details I might be inclined to agree because most fishermen don't have the patience or skill to do that....they would lose the fish at the first run.....
There must be IGFA records for fighting a fish that big on light line....you should check it out next time before you fish....


2. Your detail laden paragraphs give me a sense of someone who is obsessive about catching catfish, and stalking big fish, also being obsessive about the best times to fish for them.,....

3. This obsessiveness, IMO, is the mark of a true professional,,,,,or just an obsessive, crazy fisherman....(something I can definitely identify with)
It seems you put yourself in situations where big fish are likely to be sitting...and have honed your tactics over the years.....It was pretty interesting to me to read your posts and the way you go about stalking your prey.......

4. Although a lot of us here are partial to artificials, the simple fact is that some of the biggest fish in the fishing world, are consistently caught on bait....I fished bait for many years, and was pretty obsessive about catching and keeping it for future trips.....I have an eel tank in my basement that gets regular use....

5. I would suggest you continue to document and keep accurate details of your catfishing trips...there are definite patterns to be learned,,,,I think the one you mentioned about the flathead seasonal bite being best at certain times in the river...is key....big pike are like that too....there are a few months in the Spring and Fall when you will put yourself in front of trophy pike, even in NJ or PA, if you know when they are most active....





6. Above all, welcome! ....
Enjoy your posts so far, and I probably speak for other members as well to say we all look forward to your contributions here....and will try to help you with any advice we can.....