Flathead Catfish

Flatheads are unmistakable: a wide, flattened head, a protruding lower jaw, small eyes, a square or slightly notched tail and a mottled olive-yellow-brown body with a pale belly. They are native to the Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Rio Grande basins and the Gulf drainages from Mobile Bay to Mexico, and have been introduced into Atlantic rivers from the Carolinas to Pennsylvania, where they have become dominant predators. Fish of 20–40 lb are common in good waters and the record exceeds 120 lb.

Unlike blue and channel cats, flatheads are strict predators that eat live fish almost exclusively: sunfish, shad, bullheads, carp and crayfish. They spend the day holed up in logjams, undercut banks, bridge pilings and deep snags, then move onto flats and shallow riffles to hunt after dark. They are solitary and territorial, so catching one usually means moving to the next piece of cover. Their size, strength and the challenge of fishing heavy cover at night make flatheads the trophy of the catfish world.