Got this one @ griggs about 2-3 weeks ago, Mushijobah is correct, flatheads as well as muskie naturally exist in the scioto, although they are extremly hard to locate..and the muskie are extremely rare...but they are there. You have to know what your doing in order to catch them (flatheads)...perhaps that is why they are so "addictive" I will warn you....once you have caught a flathead it is EXTREMLY hard to fish for anything else. I have always been a smallmouth/saugeye angler, but there is nothing like "hunting" a flathead especially a big one (there are some 50lb+ above griggs). Winkstyle you are lucky...you caught one without "trying"....It is very hard to catch a flathead without targeting it...or "hunting" it. They will only feed on certain things, at certain times, and will only be located in certain places. In other words you have to get a number of things right in order to catch them. You had 2 things going for you: live bait and flood stage conditions. Flood stage is prime for big flatheads, especially after the water has been on the rise and begins to recede. After fighting the rising current mr. flathead will be starving, IMO his q to feed is the when the water begins to recede. He will then travel into the shallows to feed on live bait: bluegill, carp,crappie,suckers,chubs,soft craw, small pigs, baby ducks, if its alive and he thinks he can fit it in his mouth he will eat it. Occasionally flatheads will hit something other than live bait (I.E. shrimp, chicken livers, strip baits) but these instances are extremely rare. They prefer live bait...and will often hit jigs and crank baits as many of you already know. There are alot of flatheads scattered throughout the scioto, I remember talking to the cpd diving squad (which practices above griggs) in the early 90's. They would tell stories about the flatheads at the face of the dam, they would say that " If I saw what they saw I would never go wading out into the water" they estimated the fish to be around 80-90lbs....And I believe them...it is nearly impossible to get one of those monsters in...even if you have the right gear..they only feed about once a week (they eat 6-8lb carp for a snack)...sorry to go on and on...Im a flathead addict
....If your a bass angler and you are looking for something to do during the high water I suggest you try fishing for flatheads..But I will tell you like another flat- angler told me....once you catch a flathead EVERYthing else is just considered "BAIT"...lol...please catch and release this species...they are an extremely large predator, and there can only be so many flat heads in any given water system...they eat everything....Look at it like this ....taking 1 20lb flathead out of the scioto is about the same as taking 100 2lb smallmouths out....It has a drastic effect on the survival rate of the species...have fun....acklac
