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Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | A friend of mine has been fishing and catching what our DNR says does not exsist in the Saginaw Bay or River. And until I seen this picture below that my bud sent me tonight, I had sided with the DNR and agains't my bud on this one. Simply because in all my life of fishing the Bay and rivers flowing into it (40 plus years), I've never seen or heard of one being caught around here. But there it was, with enough recognizable things in the background (to me) to verify quite clearly that he was in the Saginaw River. Its a flathead catfish. And a nice specimen of one at that. He said he's caught 3 others this summer, with one going over 15#. All were caught while virtical jigging with of all things, bare fuzzy grubs. I've E-mailed my DNR biologist bud (with the picture) for a comment, because another officer swore up and down it couldn't be a flathead but some other specie of cat. First it was foreign invaders, now its Great Lakes residents migrating. So whats next?
 
Edited by walleye express 10/18/2005 9:19 AM
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 Flathead..jpg (115KB - 84 downloads)
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| i haven't heard of anyone catching one either, but it sure looks like one to me. |
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Member
Posts: 794
Location: Elgin, Illinois | Fifty years on the Mississippi River... That is a Flathead |
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| Genuine Flathead. They are a prised fish on the Winnebago system. Try eating it .You may be suprised again. Some like it better than Walleye. |
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Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | My bud released all 3 of the ones he's caught this year. If I even catch one, he may have to voluteer to be my sampler. |
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| Tastes better than a walleye? Wow, I must have cleaned them wrong or something, mine tasted like mud. Is there a trick to cooking/cleaning them? |
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Member
Posts: 794
Location: Elgin, Illinois | Flathead... should not taste like "mud". After you "panfish" clean him (gut slit), make shallow cuts right behind the gill plates and pull the skin off (need them great special pliers)... remove the lateral line... Then, stand him up on his belly and cut into "stesks" about 1-1 1/2" thick... egg and milk dip... then cover in corn meal and flour deep fry at 350-360 degrees... Flathead is one of the "lightest" tasting catfish... Ideal size is around 12-15 lbs... |
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Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Correct me if I'm wrong. But I thought Flatheads were better tasting because they favored live/fresh meals versus bottom sifting like the others. Not certain of all their lifes forage/living habbits for lac of catching any, but I've heard they are the best catfish for table fare.
Edited by walleye express 10/19/2005 12:43 PM
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Member
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Location: Westland, MI. | Hey Capn' Dan, Is that "Chamookman" in the picture? Cheers, Bo |
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Member
Posts: 2680
Location: Essexville, MI./Saginaw Bay. | Yupper, thats Bob alright.
Him and I met on the Michigansportsman board and started fishing together last fall a few times. I like Bob very much, and when we both get the time, we share his or my boat for a day on the river fishing for smallies or whatever will bite. Our personalities, likes and dislikes are very close, and fishing with Bob is a (no pressure) relaxing deal. Even a skunked day seems like a successful one. And thats rare in my (Type A) play book.
Edited by walleye express 10/19/2005 3:15 PM
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Member
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Location: Elgin, Illinois | Dan,
Best bait for flathead is "cut" shad or bluegill... Crawfish also work well... But, yeah, live bait works best... |
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Member
Posts: 110
| HG-
How do you remove the lateral line? I'll give it another try next time I hook into one. |
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Member
Posts: 794
Location: Elgin, Illinois | You can cut out the lateral line... a small shallow "V" notch cut down the side either side of the lateral line... |
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Member
Posts: 110
| Can you actually see it, or is it like a small strip of bones and do it by feel like a northern? |
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Member
Posts: 794
Location: Elgin, Illinois | "Lateral LIne" is not "bones" it is fatty/nerve tissue... darker line between the head and the tale midway from the top of the back on each side.... |
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Member
Posts: 94
Location: Saginaw Bay | I don't think you want to eat that fish coming from the Saginaw River...I'm sure its loaded with dioxins....Tom |
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