I got a late start that evening but it really didn't matter because I knew the terrain well enough from previous expeditions to find my way with ease in the dark. Once the eyes adjust to the low light conditions, it is amazing how much your perception improves even on the darkest nights. When the moon is full however, the area looks as though a great beacon were turned on in the heavens giving comfort and confidence to those who require sight as their security. My camp site was nestled on a quiet stretch of the Kaskaskia that very few people had trodden. My normal routine was to fish alone over the course of a night and there are not many people with a spirit adventurous enough to take up a pole and follow me on my quest. In those days I was a meat hunter and I was very good at it.
Fishing alone in the woods at night made me keenly aware of my surroundings and everything in it. You become one with the dark and your surroundings become extensions of your senses like tentacles to an Octopus and your awareness is intensified to the point that you can almost hear the heartbeat of Mother Nature herself. You understand what it means to be wild. You understand what it truly means to be alive.
Walking through the woods along the river to the site was not that difficult though sometimes the path narrowed considerably. The banks of the Kaskaskia are lined with wet slippery clay, and if you have ever tried to climb a muddy clay bank while trying to keep your gear intact, you know that the task of pulling yourself to safety is almost impossible. I would have to wade,float or swim to the next beaching spot to exit the river. So, It was better to watch my footing and stay on the trail.
After walking in about a quarter of a mile or so, I enter the small clearing that I use as my "fish camp". I keep the noise of my activities to a minimum because sound waves entering the water from the bank will send everything scurrying for cover. I lower my tackle gently to the ground and head into the woods. I'm looking for kindling, twigs and small logs to start and keep my campfire going all night if the need presents itself. Once the fire has been started and the area secured from fire spreading, I gather enough wood to sustain it for a time. Now it is time to set up my arsenal, but before I do that, let me tell you a little about my quarry, those giant Flathead catfish.
Flathead catfish range from the lower Great Lakes and Mississippi River basins from western Pennsylvania to the White-Little Missouri River system in North Dakota and south to Louisiana. Flathead are also found on the Gulf Slope from the Mobile Bay drainage in Georgia and Alabama, to Mexico. The Flathead Catfish is generally common in the United States.
In their native habitat, Flatheads are found among logs and around debris, inhabiting deep pools associated with low- to moderate-gradient slow-moving rivers, lakes, and impoundments. Young Flatheads are found in rocky and sandy runs and riffles. Flatheads grow to a length of 155 cm (61 in) and can weigh up to 56 kg (120 lb). Their maximum recorded lifespan is 20 years. Males are mature from 16 cm (6.3 in) and 4 years of age while females mature from 18 cm (7.1 in) and 5 years of age, but may mature as late as 10 years. The world angling record flathead catfish was caught May 14, 1998 from Elk City Reservoir, Kansas and weighed 123 lb 9 oz (56.0 kg).
Flathead catfish are popular among anglers; their flesh is widely regarded as the tastiest of the catfishes. Like most catfish, flatheads are benthic feeders and prefer live prey. They are voracious carnivores and feed primarily on other fish, insects, annelid worms and crustaceans. Anglers targeting large flathead catfish usually use stout tackle such as medium-heavy or heavy action rods from 6-10 feet (1.8-3.0 m) in length with large line-capacity reels and line ranging from 20-80 pounds-force ( 89-360 N) test breaking strength. Generally large live baits are preferred such as river herring, shad, sunfish (such as bluegill), suckers, carp, goldfish, drum, and bullheads ranging from 5-12 inches (13-30 cm) in length. Sometimes nearly as much time and effort is spent catching baitfish ahead of time as is spent fishing for flatheads. While not as numerous as other catfish species, catching a large flathead catfish (over 20 pounds) usually makes the effort worthwhile to an avid catfisher. Flathead catfishing often takes place at night either from a boat or from shore once a catfisher has identified a likely looking flathead spot.
Just a few years ago, a fishing license only allowed the fisherman 2 poles and a maximum of 2 hooks per line. My rod was a solid fiberglass blank that extended completely through the handle to its butt. I custom built this rod from scratch using parts I ordered from the fishing and hunting mail order catalogues. The stiffness of the rod and overall action make it suitable for saltwater fishing however, when you are hunting these freshwater giants, you had better be ready for the worst that they can throw at you. It has been documented that men have been killed by these fish so don't take this lightly.
I begin my setup by finding two Y shaped limbs. I push the tail of the Ys' into the mud of the bank leaving the V notch at the top of the Y to rest the rod in. I let the rod tip extend about a foot past the notch as part of my early warning system. When I cast the bait to position it for presentation, I don't cast it out into the river as most fishermen will do seeking deep water, instead, I cast one bait upstream and the other downstream trying to land the baits about three to four feet off the bank in shallow water. My experience has taught me that when these giants come up to feed in the cover of darkness, they come to the shallows where smaller fish are hiding in shore rocks, fallen limbs and weeds. I believe the skull of the flathead is shaped particularly for this purpose. When a Flathead sucks in bait or prey, you can place a bet with confidence that some of the river bottom, and whatever is laying on it, gets sucked in with it.
OK. Once the bait has been cast, I crank in the slack line until I can feel the tug of the bait and I place the rod in my custom engineered rod holder. This rigging is called a "tight line" which is fine in some scenarios but not for this purpose. A wary fish may drop the bait if it feels the tug of the tight line. After I put the rod in its holder, I loosen the line enough to drape the line over a blade of grass. At the very instant the bait is moved, the blade of grass will come to attention straight up and I will have the rod in my hands ready to set the hook the moment he heads for the back 40.
Another method I use when I am stalking in the dark is to cast the bait up bank and down bank, leave the bail open on free spool, hook some of the line at the tip around a stand of grass and lay the rod down in the grass. I then drive a peg into the ground about a foot down from the tip and I brace the rod against this. I leave it on free spool to keep the Flathead from jerking my rod and reel into the water. Believe me; it will happen so fast you won't be able to react to it in time to save your tackle.
I need to mention one more advantage I enjoy using this avenue of approach. When I hook into a Flathead and begin to fight, the other line is cast well away from the battle zone. All I have to do is keep the fight way from it. In the event that two Flatheads hit at the same time, I might be in danger of losing a pole if my anchors fail.
The fight itself needs no great explanation you simply fight the best you can. On the bank it is brute strength against brute strength and the smartest one endures. The power of the Flathead is unbelievably awesome. You will think that you are hooked into a tree floating by. Sometimes, I have even questioned my ability to bring the brute to the bank. The important thing to remember is to let or help the rod to fight the fish. By slightly bending the knees and keeping steady pressure on the hook, he will eventually wear down if your strength doesn't fail. I have known battles to last for a couple of hours. Try to get him to the shore or release him before he is completely exhausted, he may die.
I usually release the really big Flatheads so that the species will continue. I do however, collect the pan sized youngsters for dining. My philosophy behind fishing for these elusive giants is the same as the Native Americans that came before us, take only what you need and help the species to prosper. I keep fish 10lbs. and under for consuming and, I return the giants to mate another day. And there you have it, I sit down to a well earned meal and, I make sure that I can get one in the future.
If there is ever a question as to the voracious nature of these giants, take a look at this pic :
You bet boys and girls, that is a basketball stuck in the mouth of a hungry Flathead. The couple that took this photo tried to free the basketball from the fishes mouth but could only remove it by puncturing the basketball, deflating it and removing it from the jaws of this hungry preditor. A picture really does say a 1000 words.