Flathead Phenomenon

The Neuse River is a flathead hotspot

Tyler Barnes of Pikeville, NC is the Old North State’s record holder for flathead catfish, and his favorite body of water is the Neuse River. He fishes this river year-round, and said September is one of his favorite months. And that’s simply because after the long summer, he (and the fish) finally begin to get a break from the heat.

Barnes (www.4reelfishing.com) is crazy about catching flatheads on this river, and he said it all starts with catching bait. He prefers to use live fish like bream, and he said he has the most luck with bream he catches from the Neuse River itself.

“If you catch it right there at whatever river you’re fishing, it’s going to be the liveliest, you don’t have to worry about a different body of water stressing it out, and you’re giving the flatheads an opportunity to eat exactly what they are accustomed to seeing and eating,” he said.

He catches his baitfish on rod and reel, puts them straight in his livewell, then gets them on his catfish hook and in the water.

Barnes uses 8/0 to 10/0 hooks on 100-pound Slimeline leaders, and ties his leaders to 150-pound braided mainline. For weight, he uses heavy sinkers, anywhere from 8 ounces to 10 ounces, and even heavier if the current dictates.

Patience is key

“I want my baitfish to be able to swim freely, without my weight moving,” he said.

Barnes said the flatheads are generally located behind logjams, taking a break from the current and ambushing bait as it swims past.

Fishing with as many as 10 Catch The Fever Hellcat rods, Barnes puts each one in a rod holder, then waits. Patience isn’t so much in waiting for a bite to occur. It’s in allowing a bite to fully develop while resisting the urge to pick up the rod too soon. Many anglers miss fish simply because they are too eager to set the hook, he said.

Flatheads are often slow to take a bait fully into their mouths, but once they do, the rod will double over, and stay bent. That’s when Barnes begins reeling and removes the rod from the rod holder. And then, the fight is on.