Surviving The Catfish Spawn

This 44.5" flathead was my biggest fish of June 2019

Historically, the month of June is always one of the toughest months to target catfish in East Tennessee due to the spawn. This year was no different. Half of my trips this past month were duds that yielded only a few small fish or in a couple instances, no fish at all. Not every trip was a complete bust though. I did manage to land a few quality fish throughout the month.

My biggest fish of the month is pictured above. That flathead measured at 44.5 inches long and is one of the biggest flatheads I have ever caught. It hit a white bass head just after dark while I was fishing a creek mouth. Unfortunately, bad weather forced me off the water shortly after catching this fish. I would have loved to have had a few more hours out there that night.

That 44.5" fish wasn't the only plus sized flathead I caught this past month. I also hooked into this 42.25" long fish while suspend fishing in a creek mouth at 32 feet deep. This beast also fell victim to a white bass head. 

My biggest blue of the month. A 42.75" stud. 

While the big flatheads may have been the highlight of the month, the blues didn't completely disappoint me. I only had one really good day but that trip yielded three quality blues that measured 37", 40.25", and 42.75". The biggest blue is pictured above. All of the big blues were caught on white bass as well. 

Thankfully, the spawn is now winding down. I caught a blue and flathead this past week with battle marks that looked like they had recently come off the nest. The fishing will continue to improve over the next two to three weeks as the rest of the fish come off the beds. Post spawn fishing is always my favorite time of year to be on the water. The action is consistent and steady and I tend to catch a lot of big fish during this time. To everyone reading this article, pat yourself on the back. We have survived another spawn. Time to get out there and catch some fish.