These are what im going for. With the size bait im goi ng to be useing might land a few muskies as well. Flat heads are the big daddies I really want.
http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/fishing/documents/species/catfish.pdf
1. Use the Right Bait
Catfish exceeding 10 pounds primarily eat fish, so when targeting heavyweights, you’ll be more successful if you use fish baits. Some, like minnows and goldfish, can be purchased at bait shops. Others are collected using hook and line, bait traps, cast nets or specialty products like sabiki rigs (check local regulations first).
Oily baitfish such as shad, herring and suckers are tops. Others to try include carp, chubs, goldeyes and sunfish. Use live fish for big flatheads; they rarely eat anything else.Read more:
http://www.gameandfishmag.com/fishing/catfish/10-best-tips-catfishing/#ixzz47GgTHt9x
The nocturnal habits that bring catfish out from their daytime hiding places offer anglers the best opportunity to hook one of these bewhiskered fish. But you better not be in a hurry; catfish are not fast eaters. Experienced catfish anglers will head out to their favorite riverbank with a variety of baits. If your goal is to land a giant flathead, forget any bait that's not big and alive. Flathead bait includes suckers, carp, shad, sunfish, bullheads and channel catfish (Fig. 3). To catch a 30 to 40 pound flathead, anglers use live fish that weigh a pound or more.
Flathead catfish differ in their habits. Most become inactive when the water temperature drops below 45 degrees. But these normally sedentary fish roam and feed ravenously during high water periods in spring, and again in autumn when they’re gorging to put on pounds prior to entering the period of winter torpor.
Read more:
http://www.gameandfishmag.com/fishing/catfish/10-best-tips-catfishing/#ixzz47Gimcz8C
but as a general rule, the best fishing is right before a storm when atmospheric pressure begins to drop. Catfish often quit feeding the day or two before a front appears and seem insatiable when it arrives. Feeding activity peaks as the front approaches and remains at a high level until it passes through. On the day after the storm has passed, fishing success is usually off considerably, but a day or two later, the cats will be back to normal feeding patterns.
Read more:
http://www.gameandfishmag.com/fishing/catfish/10-best-tips-catfishing/#ixzz47Gjn95Io
When still-fishing from shore, it’s important to set up where action will be best. The area just below a river dam provides some of the best channel cat action, especially if you can cast to the slack-water areas between open gates. Many bank fishermen set up below tributaries, or at the junction of two rivers. Fishing near fallen trees at the head of a deep pool on an outside bend of the river also can lead to good catches.
Drift-fishing is an active approach that helps you help the cats find your bait. You can drift-fish in a boat or drift-fish your bait below a bobber.
When in a boat, use a drift rig comprised of a bottom-bouncer sinker placed on the line above a barrel swivel to which is attached a 2- to 3-foot leader with a 4/0 hook on the end. A small bobber added on the leader just above the hook floats the bait above the bottom so catfish can see it.
^this is what we were having good luck doing
catfish are spawning. Egg-laying females and nest-guarding males enter cavities then and may not feed at all. If you’re fishing during this time, you may find it much more difficult to entice a bite from any of the three major species.
Tailwaters below big-river dams are among the very best catfishing hotspots. Big tailwater catfish favor churning, well-oxygenated water where baitfish are readily available, but to conserve energy, they seek slack-water holding spots within these areas. The “grooves” of slower-moving water between open gates or running turbines offer just these conditions.
This will be where the hunt begins