Do flatheads have trails they stick to? We have a trotline out and have been catching some nice ones (like the picture) on the same 4-5 hooks. All the other hooks have been a mix of channels and blues.

There is something about the area where those 4-5 hooks are set that is drawing fish, or that may be a migration route to there spawning area. There maybe some cover there, big rocks, holes, logs, ect. Are you using the same bait on every hook ?

Yes same bait (perch) on all hooks, catching fish on dang near every hook, but those 4-5 hooks are always flatheads...never really thought about it, was telling some stories and someone said "you found the trail"

You found the trail, Jeff. At least in my opinion. I've only been targeting flatheads for a couple of years but in that time I've spent hours and hours reading about and studying them. They are territorial creatures. Your own "research" would support the hypothesis that they follow certian set routes when in search of food. No doubt there are reasons for these routes... releating the access of food among other factors...

I had an older gentleman fish with me last year and he talked about setting snag lines back in the day along the flathead trails. He said his dad and uncles found them by tamping the lake bed with steel poles. He said you could feel the difference in the muddy bottom when you hit the trail with the pole. He said that if you missed the trail by 4 or 5 feet you'd come up empty. Set the line along the trail and you'd catch fish every time. The fish would follow the same trails year after year. I bet a good side imaging unit could help locate these trails if you knew what to look for.

AGREE

YellowCats are a different breed from Blues & Channels. They are very methodical & stick to patterns. Yet, they can be finnicky or cautious.

They do run the same paths, especially the ones over 30 pounds. They are also territorial or regional. I had two YellowCat teachers teach me what they had been taught, as well as what they learned.

When one is caught at its "apartment" (hole or area), eventually another will move in to take over the "lease".

As to paths, the big ones tend to run the same paths. If you catch one over 30#s, do not move the line beyond 10 feet & you will catch more.

On the river, they have their escape routes & return routes when the river rises & wehen it settles. Yellows have to be careful, because of their pliable moths & gills. They can drown or suffocate if the fast waters of a rising river clamps their mouth or gills shut, or opens them wide.

It is my understading that they generally just seek out areas protected from the current, such as deep pools, large rocks, timber, rather than moving all that far, Lynn. My research on this has mostly been done on the Brazos below PK, and I've found that they don't move all that far when the flow increases.
I'd seen they were not fans of strong current but I just thought it was a side effect of their lethargic nature. I didn't know that about their mouth and gills.

Someone posted a SI pic awhile back that showed trails

That is some good info on Trails. Never new this.
Thanks gret help in my learning to target Flats

This is interesting to me. I have heard all my life that flatheads follow regular trails, from old time catmen. I believe what they say because I also have experience situations like you have with the same hooks catching yellows while others did not. I do fish regular (places) at certain times of the year with a certain amount of "regular" luck. I am interested in what others have to say here?

MR noted:
+++++++++++++++++++++
It is my understading that they generally just seek out areas protected from the current, such as deep pools, large rocks, timber, rather than moving all that far, Lynn. My research on this has mostly been done on the Brazos below PK, and I've found that they don't move all that far when the flow increases.
I'd seen they were not fans of strong current but I just thought it was a side effect of their lethargic nature. I didn't know that about their mouth and gills.
+++++++++++++++++++++

I had two YellowCat teachers teach me everything they had been taught, plus learned in their experiences. I have taken all of that, then found even more, including the Catfish Calendar. I am always researching more & more on the Catfish Calendar. As others use the Calendar & help share what happens on their end, I compile even more to the scope of its significance to constantly get a bigger picture again & again.

On the YC days of my Catfish Calendar, these are the days that for some reason, the YellowCats switch into some sort of what I call a "roam/feed" pattern. Call it some sort of "shopping spree" or perhaps a "walkabout", but nevertheless, they get out of the "apartment" or little "cottage area" that they have claimed for "squatting".

You noted you were using the Brazos below PK as to your findings. I have used the Brazos, Navasota, and Trinity Rivers as to rivers for researching the Catfish Calendar. Currently Phase 2 is lake research at Lake Limestone out of the Running Brach fork down into the bottom of the lake at 3 main areas (in order to get a wide scope on different levels and surroundings).

Here are the comparisons of the 3 rivers:

Trinity River--- Yes, they run their escape route come time for high water (estimate of 3.5 to 5' higher at minimum).

Navasota River--- Yes, same as Trinity, but may not need to be quite so high, as the Navasota is shallow & spreads wide qwikly.

Brazos River--- I mainly fished at the first rockwall above TX 21 in Newt's hole (one of my YellowCat teachers). In this case, I was not able to determine the escape route or not (as to finding it or see it in action). The reason why being that there was a shelf that protected the Yellows as to where they "squatted" there. Of course, once the Brazos gets over about 5 feet high, you would not catch me anywhere in the water. I would rather fish the Trinity at 10 to 15 feet above, as it is much safer. The Brazos becomes extremely treacherous due to the ups & downs of holes & rocks. But the shelf there protected them from faster waters of up to 5 feet above normal level (at least). In the Brazos, are many pools and such protected by rocks and/or shelves. This can account for their lack of running an escape route. But once the water flow increases enough (or their senses indicate there is the need), they will switch into their "escape route". It is necessary, as due to their unique structure, in order to survive.

They may play lethargic, but if you have ever seen one move, they are like a rocket blasting off sideways (faster than trying to shoot upwards). They can move extremely qwik. One 57 pounder gave me a little extra data after being caught baxck in 2006 back at Running Branch Marina. If you have never seen one of these come flying out of the water, then I can assure you, it is something to behold. It is almost like riding a buckin' bronc, but just not being on its back, but holding on ever so tight to the 1/4 nylon rope as it takes you & the boat for a ride. If I would have only had pics, but I was holding on with both hands.

I forget which one explained to me the problem with the pliable mouths & gills of a YellowCat. I'm thinking it was Olen. Olen also taught me how to put a YellowCat to sleep. In April 1979, he taught his group up at the upper end of Lake Livingston as they caught a 30+ pounder. After putting it to sleep, he reached under with both arms, picked it up out of the water and laid it in the bottom of their boat. He said you could have heard a pin drop & all eyes were bugged out as they watched, as they could not believe it. He said it woke up about 15 minutes later & almost tore the bottom of the boat up.

A lot of people do not realize it, but you can get even more data from various methods such as rod-n-reels, throwlines, juglines, trotlines, limb lines, and so on. You need all of them to get a truly large picture of the whole. For instance, a Rod-n-Reeler will probably never discover that Yellows have a unique "nod" or that they run a figure "8", as they latch onto them in the heat of a battle. But with set lines, after they tire out some, if not riled up too much, you will experiences these, one or the other, or both. As I said, Yellows are very methodical or pattern-oriented. "Big 'Un", my 60 pound Op (65+) I fished for almost 2 years, taught me a lot, including the morning I caught it. At first it awoke & went into a semi-riled up mode of the figure "8". By knowing that pattern, I keyed in on it, and timed when to swoop the Net & sweep around scooping it up as I was circling around and bringing it into the boat. Just like clockwork. Never stopped or lost the timing. Of course I'm sure the adrenalin helped somewhat.

opus,

+++++++++++
Someone posted a SI pic awhile back that showed trails
+++++++++++

That would be really neat to see.

Jeff G,

Be sure you mark, or at least by memory, the spot you are in, because once found, it never ends. You may empty the neighborhood for awhile of the Yellows there, but the next year, another family will have moved in the area. Newt's hole on the Brazos River proved that to me & another of our group. Biggest Newt caught there in 1980 was a 35#. Biggest I caught was a 28# in 1981. And in 1982, Randy tied on to my stake (I had put mine in the same spot Newt had done his), and the biggest he got was a 22#.

I fished there in 1993 & it seems that the shelf got eroded & the Yellows had moved elsewhere. You could tell the current was different there as well. Sigh, the end of an era.

Lakes normally do not run into as many shifts and changes as Rivers do.

A spawning route might be different from the regular paths. Not really sure. One group that was down at RB back on July 4th, 2002 explained they had their trotlines set around the bridge at the north end of Lake Limestone. They would catch the Yellows heading to spawn travelling certain areas thru the section of the bridge. Usually they would come in with at least one really big one of their trip.