I will be fishing a gathering on the 18th and it looks like the water will be high. Our target fish is flatheads and I am new to catfishing. Any advise would be helpful, like. will all this new water bring fish up to new cover or make them go deep. Rain also means different water color in different places, should this tell me something and what will current do to the fishing. This event is at cumberland city and will be at night. I plan on having fun but I have no idea what I'm doing LOL.
How about some ideas. A little wrong advise is better than none at all.

Thanks Danny

danfish...about the only solid advice i can give is that flatheads are pretty much a predetor fish..they pretty much limit their diet to living things..or freshly killed or wounded bait..the shad being one of their favorites and of good aboundance i would try to catch some and keep them alive in your livewell..i used to set out an anchor on the edge of the channell in standingrock about 30 min after dark..set out a light in the water and bring in the shad(a rigged car light)..take my net and catch them..you cant keep many alive in the livewell at a time..then i would replace the light with a smaller flourecent green light..rig the shad sort of carolinia style and cast as far away from the light as you can..you wont catch channells..only flathead...and they are usually nice ones...i make a 3 hook harness for the 6in shad...they will catch you the 30+ pounders..i dont fish as much as i used to at night...but i am sure it still works..remember to go to a dimmer green light when the shad get in good...you can drop the bright one too when and if they thin out..some times it takes a few hours to draw in the best shad...i take a few dozen minnows with ne to strip fish while i am waiting...

Pappacrappie: Thanks for the reply, some good information there and some I will use.
Do you find that light on the boat is bad for fishing or does it have any effect on your target fish at all. I have some blue light but don't have green light. If I need green I will get it.

Hey PC. Good to hear some more good advice. What exactly is a 3 hook harness? I like to night fish some for catfish myself. In your post did you say you could or could not keep the shad alive in the live well? What size shad do you usually catch?

danfish..sorry ..i'm a bit behind on everything this week...catfish dont like light...i use green because in the water it best simulates a full moon..the big flatheads will hang on the edge of the light and snatch any shad that venture in the dark zone..i use a bright light to bring in the shad..they will circle your light by the thousands..then drop a green low watt light and pull the bright one...

CS..tie a swivle on your line..then tie about 18in. of heavier leader to it..(i use an egg sinker on the main line ahead of the swivel)..tie one treble to the end of the leader..loop your leader and pull it through eye of hook #2..then pull loop over hook..repeat for hook #3..doing it like this you are able to move the 2 top hooks as far apart as you need to..one hook in the cheek..one in the middle below top fin..and one in base of the tail..you wont miss any short strikers..i like 6in shad...they wont live long in a livewell if you put over a dozen or so in it..pro air system works well...but the aereator knocks off their scales and they soon die...

PC Thanks, I will try this light thing next time I'm out at night.