cenecker said:I would think you could keep an RTC with a flathead...they are pretty similar species really.
The only problem I would foresee would be temperatures, but the canals and lakes around here get like 90 F and flatheads do just fine. Of course I don't know which one grows faster and I'm pretty sure either one would eat the other if was just a few inches larger..
Yeah I agree, on the 'popular gamefish' issue - i'll fish for flatheads over largemouths any day...but the persistant myth of the "garbage eating catfish" just can't be shaken. Just try to explain to any devout bass fisherman why catfish are the most advanced predators in the water...it's a real waste of time.
As for harvesting baby flatheads - I don't think I could get any that small...If game and fish catches me diving in the Irrigation canals with a net and a bucket...well I might not be able to explain my way out of that one.
you could try a castnet. idk if their illegal in AZ, theye are out here in cali, but i still got one .lol. btw flathead prefer temps from 78-82 F. im not sure bout rtc's but im sure they'll adapt.
while in lauglin, on fathersday weekend, my dad caught a lil flathead about 2lbs, it was dark and looked too much like a bullhead to him so he "threw" it back, im pretty sure it was a flatty, cause for one, it looked like one, two. it ate a 4 inch shad, 3 we didnt catch anymore and usually bullhead travel in schools of like 50 or more. i say it ate the shad , cause we had more baits in about a ten foot radias of were it was and it picked the shad over worms, mackerel, anchovie, and the infamous m&m combo. (mealworm and marshmello)
btw flatheads can really impact a lakes fishery. theres a lake nearby called 'hesperia lake' they had carp, bluegill, chanels cats, blue cats, bullhead, smelt (silver fish about 8 inches long and looked exactly like s/w smelt) but then they put in 8 flat head catfish about 40 lbs each, (this is a 6 acre lake were talking about) well they werent caught as quickly as they hoped they would be, and they ate everything, there were just no fish. so now there stocking channels and blues from 10-50 lbs each, (4,000 lbs a week) along with the regular 1-8lbers. and ive whitnessed theses fish come up to the surface and grab duck, usually babies but ducks all the same.
