On lakes, use floats to suspend your bait over and near heavy structure. If you're fishing at night, tape a light stick to the float. This is helpful when targeting flatheads with live bait or channel cats using cut bait.

FISH DURING THE DAY
One axiom that has plagued the world of catfishing for years is that in order to have the most success, especially when targeting flatheads, you must fish at night This could not be further from the truth. According to a professional flathead guide, targeting flatheads in the daytime can sometimes be more productive than night- fishing. During the day, the fish move less and spend their time in more predictable locations, thus making them easier to find and catch.

Flatheads inhabit shallow feeding flats at night, feasting at their discretion and moving constantly. When daylight comes, they behave much the same as a vampire does, escaping to a secluded lair or den (typically a large snag, blowdown or undercut bank) where they remain relatively inactive until nightfall. They will not pass up an easy meal during the day, however, and often become territorial.

According to one expert, the best way to catch daytime cats is to locate several of the largest timber piles on the river, usually in about 8- to 15-feet of water. Anchor your boat near or above the woody cover and place several baits into it and on its outside edges. Many flatheads will strike immediately out of sheer aggression.

If you spend half an hour without a strike, bring the baits in and reposition them on the same piece of structure -- if it's still slow, change again or change locations.

You'll rarely find more than one flathead inhabiting the same daytime hole. If you catch several small fish inside a timber tangle, that's a pretty good indication that there are no big fish around, as the lunkers typically run smaller fish off.

Anglers who don't have boat access will often be able to locate and fish these daytime "dens" from shore or by wading.

TRY JIGGING
Jigging has been successfully used to catch nearly every species of fish. Yet catfish anglers usually disregard the concept, though certainly not because it doesn't work.

Many think of "jigging" as using a gigantic leadhead jig tipped with a big sucker or chub. Although this rig can be effective for catfish, the real secret is the jigging presentation, the up-and-down rhythm of a retrieve. Cast out a standard bottom-bumping jig, let it sit still for a while, and then slowly lift and drop the bait as you crank it back to the boat or shore. Work it slowly, stopping occasionally to let following fish pick it up.

A standard jig-and-minnow rig is great for covering large piles of timber or riprap shorelines. Cast a large, stout jighead tipped with a 4- to 5-inch chub, sucker or shiner into a prime spot and retrieve it slowly, using the lift-and-drop presentation discussed earlier. Stop occasionally, allowing the jig to sink, then start again. Catfish, especially the big ones, are experts at chasing down prey and will have no problem catching a slow-moving jig.