Rod Badberg caught this 40-inch Master Angler flathead -- just one of 16 MA cats that he's taken -- in 2004. The Lincoln resident set a catch-and-release record of 70 catfish last year! Photo courtesy of Rod Badberg.

It's too bad that Mother Nature didn't put the flathead catfish in a better-looking package. There's no way that the uninitiated can look at this throwback to double-ugly and exclaim, "Isn't it a beauty!" -- unless, that is, the neophyte has hooked, played, and landed a specimen in the heavyweight class.

The flathead -- which has attracted monikers such as "mud cat," "yellow cat," "flatbelly cat," "granny cat," "shovelhead" and "bashaw" -- is one of the top three heavyweights found in Nebraska waters, and is a lot more plentiful than the blue catfish or the paddlefish, which can weigh in a bit heavier.

The state record for flatheads is held by an 80-pounder taken from the Loup Power Canal near Genoa in 1988 by Silver Creek's William Swanson, who was using a carp for bait. The blue record is 100 pounds; the paddlefish, 93.

The flathead's profile may give the impression that it'll eat practically anything, including the malodorous fare often eaten by its close relative the channel cat. But that's wrong: It prefers live bait and will often clamp down on artificial lures.

Nick Smith, a North Platte angler who's a firm believer in the aggressiveness of the flathead, was fishing a Shad Rap at Lake Maloney last year when he hooked and landed a 61-pound, 11-ounce specimen. It was the largest of the year to receive a Master Angler Award from the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Daryl Bauer, lakes and reservoir manager for the NGPC in Lincoln, is an ardent fan of fishing -- almost every kind. Last May he was throwing a Husky Jerk lure at Branched Oak Reservoir outside of Lincoln when something slammed it and dug in. When it finally gave up, Bauer put the tape on his fish and it measured 36 inches, which would put it in the 20-pound class.

"I was pretty sure what I had on the line -- a big flathead -- as that's what I was fishing for," said the biologist. "There aren't a lot of fishermen who use artificials to catch flatheads, but it does work -- particularly in May and June prior to the spawn. The cat is an aggressive predator, and a game fish that should garner the respect given others such as the muskie. They put up a really good fight, and if you hook into one 15 pounds or better, you will agree that they are not aerialists -- they're bulls!

Branched Oak is a total catch-and-release lake for wipers and flatheads, so the experienced angler can usually hook up with a pleasing fish or two, particularly late in the spring and early summer.

"We fish Branched Oak quite a bit," Bauer stated, "and it has a very good population of flatheads. The lake also has a good population of wipers -- the striped bass hybrid. I like to make a late-afternoon/evening fishing effort when I go. Fish for wipers well into the evening, and then work on the flatheads after dark, when they come in to shallow water to feed.

"I normally throw crankbaits for both species. Anything that resembles a shad will work. I think the vibration and the rattle set up by the crankbaits really helps on the yellow cats."