The start of this flathead season was explosive to say the least. Blessed with ideal conditions on a regular basis, the crew showed up in force early and often with some very nice flathead.

     First blood was drawn on Trey’s birthday trip, May 12th 2018. We arrived at a familiar lake with high hopes and a forecast threatening excessive rain gear usage. After catching some fresh baits to add to what we brought along, we traveled to the spot of choice and anchored the Lowjaw. We expected an early bite, and got baits out at around 6:30 PM. By 6:45 PM I was getting my first flathead run of the season. After bowing the heavy prototype rod on the hook set and a quick but violent tug of war, we hoisted a healthy 31 pound flathead in the sling. After a photo and release I rigged up and casted another bait to the same location.

     Within a half hour, the same rod was taken again, and another fish came to the scales at 30.7 pounds. We took photos and released the fish promptly, and celebrated our victory. Before I could re-deploy the rod a third time, my other rod signaled a deliberate run. I set on that fish, which ended up being a third fish of 30 pounds. Amazed by our first hour of fishing, Trey and I clinked a “cool beverage” (as Robby would say), and got to work getting baits wet again.

     When I casted my second rod back out, it was almost yanked from my hands as I went to set it in the rod holder. I set the hook hard and found myself fighting our fourth fish of the night, a chubby 25 pound flathead. We expected good things here, but this was on another level. Finally after that fish, the lake quieted down as dusk fell across the valley. We excitedly discussed what the rest of the night would bring, and checked our weather radar to stay on top of the approaching rain. But our break would not last long. Within the next hour, one of my baits was taken a 5th time, and a fourth flathead over 30 pounds for the night was weighed and released at 8:45 PM.

     As we released this fish we noticed the weather rolling in. Pulling the rain gear on, we could not have expected the downpour and violent lightening storm that would soon follow. Instantly, lightening spiraled around our position near the bank with cloud-to-ground strikes within the vicinity happening in succession. We were as close to shore as we could get, and rather than risk a run across the middle of the lake we decided the best course of action was to lower the rods and hunker down (aside from occasionally standing on the bow taunting the sky like Lieutenant Dan from Forest Gump). The lightening and thunder passed within the hour, but the rain was unrelenting. It poured for hours straight, and I had to run the bilge pump almost constantly to keep up with water entering the boat. The front drove temperatures down into the 40s as well, making sleeping in a drenched boat nearly impossible. We stuck out the conditions until the following morning without another nudge, but were thankful to have had the amazing luck we did early on. With bloody knuckles and soaked clothes, flathead season 2018 was officially underway.

     Brittan would strike next, following our trip with a solo mission that produced his current personal best flathead of 54.8 pounds. His account of the night and this beast of a fish can be found in the post above titled “Sometimes You Just Need to Fish.”

     Brittan and I would fish another lake the following week, trying a spot neither of us had seen before. Employing some new tactics and fending off channel catfish paid off, and produced this old warrior of a 31 pound flathead and another lost fish that ended up bending a hook before escaping.

     Jake struck the weekend after that, landing this beautiful 50 pound female flathead on a solo mission of his own. The fish was carefully weighed and released after photos, and will no doubt provide us with many more giant adversaries in the future.

     Brittan, Chuck, and myself would follow Jake’s fish on another lake with fish of 18 and 31 pounds ourselves.

     Momentum continued to build from this point on, as lake temperatures rose and the true pre-spawn period began. As I write this, fresh knuckle scrape is healing on both of my hands, and I think back fondly on other giant fish that came and went through June and July.

Full steam ahead. Ironscale, out.