“Catching Big Cats in Kansas with Danny Payne and Mister Twister”

Part 5: Don’t Let the Big Cats Straighten Your Hook

Editor’s Note: Danny Payne from Emporia, Kansas, has been fishing with Mister Twister products for about 20 years. He’s come up with a really-unique way to catch catfish with Mister Twister.

Question: Before you started catching the big flatheads on the Neosho River on the spillway, did anyone else know they were in there?

Payne: I’m an associate pastor at my church, and the head pastor said, “I know you like to fish. Have you ever thought about fishing the spillway down on the river?” He mentioned that some people he knew had caught some big flatheads out there. So I started fishing the spillway for walleye and white bass, and really didn’t think any more about the stories of the big flatheads until last Mother’s Day weekend in May when I caught one. When I caught my first flathead on that 12-pound-test line and a Mister Twister Curly Tail Grub, I really got excited about catching these big fish.

Question: Are there many other anglers in your area who fish for flatheads?

Payne: Most of the people fishing the spillway are fishing for flatheads and channel cats.

Question: Are you catching any channel cats using this method?

Payne: The biggest channel cat I’ve caught weighed about 7 pounds. I don’t catch as many channel cats as I do flatheads.

Question: How many do you usually catch in a day?

Payne: If I go to the spillway and catch one flathead that will weigh 20 pounds or more in an hour or two of fishing, I’ve had a great day. This past weekend, I fished for 3 hours on Saturday and caught a 36-pound flathead. I came out on Sunday afternoon and didn’t get a bite, and I went back on Monday and caught a 20 pounder.

Question: When you started fishing Mister Twister Curly Tail Grubs for flatheads, was anybody else fishing them?

Payne: No, the people up here primarily fish Mister Twister Grubs for walleye and white bass. But then when the flatheads move in, they give up their jigs and start fishing live bait. I had one guy watch me for 20 minutes who still couldn’t believe I was catching flatheads on jigs and Curly Tail Grubs. He’d never seen a catfish caught on those lures. When I netted my cat, he came over and looked at it. He said, “You caught that cat in the mouth.” I looked at him and said, “I catch all my cats in the mouth.” He stared in disbelief and mumbled, “I can’t believe you caught that big cat on that little jig.”

Question: What kind of jig heads are you using?

Payne: I use chartreuse with a red eye or orange with a black or a white eye.

Question: How long do you need to land a flathead cat that weighs over 20 pounds?

Payne: I can usually get one in 15 to 40 minutes. When I was using 12-pound-test line, and we didn’t have much current, I needed almost an hour to land one of those big flatheads, because I couldn’t do anything but let it wear itself out. The 36-pound cat that I caught a few weeks ago took me almost 45 minutes to land. I was using braided line, and even though braided line is stronger than 12-pound-test monofilament, I have to be careful not to let the cats straighten my hooks.

These are big fish. They pull hard, and the hooks in those jig heads aren’t that big. They weren’t designed to land big catfish. So even though I’ve moved up from 12-pound-test monofilament to 30-pound-test braid, I’m still not putting a lot of pressure on the cats, because if I do, they’ll straighten the hooks, and I’ll lose them. I keep my drag fairly loose.

A flathead catfish is a strong fish, and usually the people who try to muscle them in have their lines broken, and their hooks straightened. But I’ve learned if you take your time and don’t pull the cat too hard, you can wear it out and land it. After all, the fun of catching these big cats is the fight. It’s not the landing of the fish. So I’d rather wear the cat down and make sure I can land it, rather than trying to fight hard against the hook in the fish’s mouth and straighten the hook or break the line.

Question: How far will the cats usually run when they take your jigs?

Payne: The big fish will run about 20 or 30 yards. They typically run across the current. As they get close, they really begin to sling their heads to get the hooks out of their mouths. The closer I get them to the net, the more they start rolling. Most of the time, if a cat’s going to break off, it’s going to break off when you get it really close to the net, because it’ll start jerking its head and trying to break the line.

Question: What do most people think when you tell them you’re catching these big catfish on 1/8-ounce jigs with Curly Tail Grubs?

Payne: They generally don’t believe me, at first. But then when I show them the pictures, they start believing that I can and am catching big flatheads on these baits. Usually they laugh when I tell them I’ve caught those big catfish on 1/8-ounce jigs. But there are enough people in our community who have seen me catch these fish on this jigs that people are beginning to believe it can be done.

Question: How long will the flatheads stay at the spillway?

Payne: I don’t know for certain, but someone told me they’ll stay here until they spawn, or until we quit getting a lot of rain. Then they’ll move downriver to the deeper holes. I also understand that they usually make a fall run. I’ll catch them as long as they’re here, and then I’ll be back in the fall. People primarily think of Mister Twister Curly Tail Grubs as baits for walleyes, crappie, white bass and other species, and not many people are fishing them for flatheads. I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt, those flatheads will eat ‘em up.