The big, whiskered bottom dwellers deserve the best fisheries management the can get, just like all the smaller predator fish in Wisconsin. Hit the Wisconsin River above Nekoosa Dam heading toward Port Edwards today (2-4:30pm). This is a video of John Oens fishing flathead catfish on the Wisconsin River in the summer of 2018. Flatheads inhabit secluded shelters and dark places in Wisconsin's largest river systems. Channel catfish are one of the more popular types of catfish. Took oldest kid from MN to catch some fun fightin' channel cats! The state record flathead was a 74 pound 5 ounce fish caught in 2001 on the Mississippi River in Vernon County, according to Department of Natural Resources records. Few fish are safe from a large flathead. You must consult the special county regulations in the current hook and line or trout regulations guides, as appropriate, to determine if any special season dates exist for the particular waters you plan to fish. I am more than willing to travel to catch flatheads. And the channel cats are nothing to sneeze at. After spawning the male drives the female off the nest and then guards the eggs until they hatch. Anything under 15 pounds might bite just about anything. All members of the family are scaleless, having instead a thick, tough skin. Large numbers of flatheads congregate in deep holes in winter and then disperse in spring to territories where they spawn. (Photo courtesy of FWC) Annual overnight catfish tournament on Lake Wissota in Northwest Wisconsin. Its large mouth is designed to swallow prey whole. The fish pulled as strong as any I've landed in Wisconsin, including 35-pound chinook salmon on Lake Michigan and 75-pound lake sturgeon on the Wisconsin River. 6:29. Bucks 117, Pacers 89: A barrage of three-pointers erases any doubt, Packers at Vikings preview: Predictions, 5 things to watch, Former Brewers third baseman Travis Shaw signs with Blue Jays, FOLLOW JS SPORTS: Like our Facebook Page for the latest news, DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more, Like our Facebook Page for the latest news, Your California Privacy Rights/Privacy Policy. Fishing Reports and Discussions for Wisconsin flathead catfish reports - Wisconsin The flathead has no scales, long whiskers and a wide mouth. Mississippi River catfish get big. "I don't think a lot of fishermen know about flatheads or have a chance to fish them," said O'Day, who owns Gill's Landing Bait and Tackle. The flathead is Wisconsin's largest predator fish and one that, in a freshwater fishing culture dominated by muskellunge and walleye anglers, gets relatively little respect. Waters Dates for Hook and Line Harvest; General Inland Waters: Continuous: Lower Wisconsin River (Columbia, Dane and Sauk counties) below the Prairie du Sac Dam downstream to the railroad bridge at … Dates are inclusive and may be subject to change. Watch as me and friends travel Wisconsin, searching for the biggest and hardest fighting fish in the northwest. In the Lake Winnebago system (including the Wolf River), the season is open from early May to Sept. 30. "Not much you can do but hang on.". Via the many reports on this forum it is clear that there are flathead opportunities in Wisconsin. The male flathead guards the nest and fry until about a week after they hatch. It does depend heavily on the size of flathead you are targeting. This is the only way to determine whether or not the waters you plan to fish follow the season dates for general inland or boundary and outlying waters listed below. 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