# Choctawhatchee River



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

Went to the choctawhatchee saturday morning to flathead fish. Bait was really easy to catch so we got to our holes pretty early. Gar were everywhere. Anywhere you looked you could see a ton of them hitting topwater. First hole all we got was a gar. Kept moving down river with no flathead bites, only gar. We finished out the morning with a small small flathead. He couldn't even get the bream down his mouth and the bream was small. We only got the one all morning, but they have got to be spawning. Water temp was 74.5. My buddy ran lines friday night and he only got one small one on a bush hook. I think I'm gonna give it another week or two before i go back. Maybe they will be done spawning. The river was really low. We were sliding over logs all morning. Maybe all this rain in the forecast will bring the river up.


----------



## CatCrusher (Jan 18, 2009)

They dont bite all the time. Could be the spawning but who knows. Ive caught alot of them through the years when they were spawning. You know how it is just got to keep going.


----------



## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

skiff89_jr said:


> Went to the choctawhatchee saturday morning to flathead fish. Bait was really easy to catch so we got to our holes pretty early. Gar were everywhere. Anywhere you looked you could see a ton of them hitting topwater. First hole all we got was a gar. Kept moving down river with no flathead bites, only gar. We finished out the morning with a small small flathead. He couldn't even get the bream down his mouth and the bream was small. We only got the one all morning, but they have got to be spawning. Water temp was 74.5. My buddy ran lines friday night and he only got one small one on a bush hook. I think I'm gonna give it another week or two before i go back. Maybe they will be done spawning. The river was really low. We were sliding over logs all morning. Maybe all this rain in the forecast will bring the river up.


In most places of the US the Flatheads spawn from 68-72 our flatheads seem to spawn from 74-78 and will almost completely shut down once that happens, I noticed on the Apalachicola the other day the Flatheads was still in pre-spawn with scars all over their heads. 

In-pre spawn they will feed veraciously for a few weeks then go into nesting and will just shut off until they are done guarding the nest. These fish are very tricky at times but I think our best bet is to wait for the spawn to be over with and hit the river at 79-80 degrees"surface temp" 

Last year we did a tournament on the Apalachicola in May when the water temp was 76 and only caught 3 flatheads, That is terrible for the Apalachicola. Then on another tournament trip the water temp was up to 83 and we tore them up with several fish going over 20lbs and many hefty fish from 10-15lbs and alot of small flats under 5lbs that we threw back..


----------



## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

CatHunter said:


> In most places of the US the Flatheads spawn from 68-72 our flatheads seem to spawn from 74-78 and will almost completely shut down once that happens, I noticed on the Apalachicola the other day the Flatheads was still in pre-spawn with scars all over their heads.
> 
> In-pre spawn they will feed veraciously for a few weeks then go into nesting and will just shut off until they are done guarding the nest. These fish are very tricky at times but I think our best bet is to wait for the spawn to be over with and hit the river at 79-80 degrees"surface temp"
> 
> Last year we did a tournament on the Apalachicola in May when the water temp was 76 and only caught 3 flatheads, That is terrible for the Apalachicola. Then on another tournament trip the water temp was up to 83 and we tore them up with several fish going over 20lbs and many hefty fish from 10-15lbs and alot of small flats under 5lbs that we threw back..


+1 on this....just wait until late may and june and then attack!!!


----------



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

Yeah it's crazy. They have to be in spawn. We found some AWESOME new holes and i'll upload a pic of them later. It just sucks that they started spawning about the time we got catalpa worms on our trees. :thumbdown:


----------



## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

skiff89_jr said:


> Yeah it's crazy. They have to be in spawn. We found some AWESOME new holes and i'll upload a pic of them later. It just sucks that they started spawning about the time* we got catalpa worms on our trees. *:thumbdown:


\
I'm exited I have 3 catalpa trees and I haven't check them yet to see if we have worms I just got home.

Go get them Channel and bluecats with them, ITS FISH FRY TIME!


----------



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

Here's some of the holes that we found


----------



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

Sorry the first pic is upside down? :/


----------



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

:thumbup:


----------



## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

skiff89_jr said:


> Here's some of the holes that we found


Holly crap them are some nice log jams! WOW I like'em:thumbsup: Try them again in a few weeks.


----------



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

CatHunter said:


> Holly crap them are some nice log jams! WOW I like'em:thumbsup: *Try them again in a few weeks.*


More like a few days. I've got bream that i've been keeping alive since monday and these catalpa worms have got to be used. Going back friday night....Hopefully.


----------



## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

The Flathead bite will be tuff, had a buddy that just got back from the river with two flatheads both still had eggs in them, they have not spawned out yet, but the channel and blue cats should be on fire.

My trees don't have any worms yet:thumbdown:


----------



## tips n tails (Mar 2, 2011)

What's special about those catapliers? Those are what I call a real log jam, damn fine looking places


----------



## CatHunter (Dec 31, 2008)

tips n tails said:


> What's special about those catapliers? Those are what I call a real log jam, damn fine looking places


They have thick skin and juices catfish go crazy for, they are like cat nip for catfish.


----------



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

tips n tails said:


> *What's special about those catapliers?* Those are what I call a real log jam, damn fine looking places


You'd have to ask a catfish to find the answer to that. Channels and blues go crazy over these worms. You have to have catalpa worm trees to get them. We have about 15 of them in our back yard and they produce on an unpredictable pattern. They are a pretty hardy bait for a worm. You can even use them for bream. You might want to tear them in half and use them that way for bream because some of them are huge. I think my personal record is 7 bream on the same half of catalpa worm lol

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratomia_catalpae


----------



## jcoss15 (Oct 11, 2010)

I have heard if you turn them inside out they really produce then...i guess it gets the juices flowing better.


----------



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

Yeah that's what i do. Thread 'em inside out on a circle hook :thumbsup:


----------



## CatCrusher (Jan 18, 2009)

If you want them year round put some in a container, pour Karo syrup over them and freeze. When you thaw em out they look like they just came off the tree. Growing up that was mostly what we used for bait.


----------



## skiff89_jr (Apr 1, 2011)

Yeah if you want to keep them in the freezer you can also dip them in ice water and then freeze them. If you do it this way they will keep their color.


----------

