Flatheads in the D&R Canal

[Bicey]

I have lived in the Lambertville all my life and I can tell you that there's definitely flatheads all through that stretch of the canal. Nieces is a good spot. I'd go up to the 202 bridge or below the locks right behind the sewage plant. I saw one in a foot of water at the end of the summer that went probably 3ft. Bigggggg snapping turtles in there too so watch yourself.

[Almaink]

Bullheads are not yellowish green and don't have flat heads either. Whats funny is some people were saying they are "Mud Cats" not Flatheads, but "Mud cat" is a nick name for Flatheads. Kinda reminds me of people that say they hate Obamacare but love the Affordable Care Act. LOL.

[Delawareriver]

Originally Posted by Almaink

Bullheads are not yellowish green and don't have flat heads either. Whats funny is some people were saying they are "Mud Cats" not Flatheads, but "Mud cat" is a nick name for Flatheads. Kinda reminds me of people that say they hate Obamacare but love the Affordable Care Act. LOL.

im just interested, not doubting it but I like pictures, ive caught thousands of each and give you 100 percent confirmation. ive had several guys swear up and down they caught flatheads and when pictures come out they are just spawning channels with big ol swollen heads or little bullheads. not saying this is the case but pictures will remove any doubters

[Mark B.]

The flathead’s under bite (lower jaw protrudes past the upper jaw) is the key
identifying characteristic.

Channels & bullheads don’t have that.

[Eskimo]

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I'm not entirely convinced that it's Flathead Catfish you're catching, so I'm hesitant to tell you to go out and start killing them with extreme prejudice.

I would be more comfortable with this if you could provide us with a picture of what you are seeing.

Here are some charts differentiating some common catfish in NJ:






This is the very common Bullhead Catfish. Notice that it looks somewhat similar to a Flathead with its round tail:



Looking at these charts, it seems the best way to ID a Flathead is by the protruding LOWER jaw.










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[FASTEDDIE29]

They are most certainly in the canal, the RR and definately the D. They are here to stay.

[Gatto1227]

I'd love to catch one of those monsters. Jeremy Wade style

[Delawareriver]

Originally Posted by Gatto1227

I'd love to catch one of those monsters. Jeremy Wade style

Pretty easy just take surf rod. Spool up with 65 lb powerpro, few flat egg sinkers (so they don't roll into rock on bottom) heavy swivel and a 50 lb shock leader to a 8/0 wide gap circle. Cooler full of live bait. 4"-10" bait works perfect. Then it's a waiting game. The more you go the more you figure out what works best for you. When we started we would be happy with 1-5 fish nights and after 3 seasons we didn't consider a good night unless we landed 25+flatheads with at least one over 30lbs on the Schuylkill

[Eskimo]

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Originally Posted by Gatto1227

I'd love to catch one of those monsters. Jeremy Wade style

Much better than catching them Ron Jeremy style!