Opatz also experimented with floating jigheads to suspend the bait off the bottom and make it easier for flatheads to find. "It can make a difference during a tough bite," he says, "but the hook on most floaters is too small and too thin to land flatheads. A panfish-size slipfloat sliding on the leader probably is a better option, since it elevates the bait and allows for a larger hook."

We've talked in the past about using Spin-N-Glows with cutbait rigs for big channel cats, a rig similar to the one used by Columbia River sturgeon guides. Spin-N-Glows are available in a range of sizes to match any size bait and current condition, and the little plastic wings spin in the current to create flash and vibration. Definitely worth trying for flatheads, especially with cutbait.

A two- or three-ounce flat No Roll sinker (made from a Do-It mold, 319-984-6055) keeps the bait anchored above cover and doesn't roll around on the bottom like an egg sinker. This results in a more precise presentation with fewer snags. "The only problem with these sinkers is that their wide profile sometimes catches on limbs," Opatz adds. "They usually can be freed with a steady pull, but not without jamming the swivel into the sinker hole. I thread a 1/2-inch piece of 1/8-inch diameter plastic tubing onto the main line between the sinker and swivel to cushion this connection."

A SEASONAL PERSPECTIVE

On the Minnesota River, the action usually begins in late May and peaks in mid to late June, toward the end of the Prespawn Period. "That's when the fish are most active," Opatz says, "biting almost anytime during the day or night." But again, the daytime bite tends to be more consistent because the fish are confined to small, predictable areas. Find the biggest, nastiest-looking tangles in a stretch of river, and you'll find the largest concentrations of flatheads.

Once the fish begin spawning, usually in early July, the bite slows considerably. "To be honest," he says, "I don't even fish much for flatheads during July. Too long between bites. Besides, the channel cat fishing is great in July, and I catch just as many flatheads fishing for channels at this time as I do when I'm targeting flatheads -- maybe more."

But the Wassinks continue to catch flatheads throughout the Spawn Period, using similar tactics. "Fishing aggressively is the key," Ryan Wassink says. "You can't sit in front of a snag for an hour if you're not getting bit -- no matter how good the spot looks. That might work at night or during Prespawn, but no bait I've found will tempt a flathead to leave its nest during the day."

By early August, most flatheads have finished spawning, and the fishing starts to pick up again. "August can be a great month," Opatz adds, "and so can September. Maybe it's not as good for numbers of fish as June, but it's probably the best time of year for big fish. Cooling water gets big fish thinking about food, and if you drop a bait in front of them, they will eat it -- dead or alive, day or night."

October usually spells the end of the flathead bite, at least in the stretch of river that Opatz fishes. "Used to be a big deep hole in this area where lots of flatheads probably spent the winter," he says, "but it filled in with sand during a spring flood a few years ago. I haven't spent much time looking for flatheads during fall, but I'm sure they'd eat a fresh piece of cutbait if I could find them."

Maybe there's something to this daytime fishing. It's certainly easier to cover more water, especially on a small, shallow river filled with sandbars and deadheads. The bait's easier to keep, too, requiring only a cooler of ice instead of a big aerated baitwell. And if the flatheads in your home water behave like those in the Minnesota River, you might catch more and bigger fish in less time.