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Who's Anxious to Catch Some Cats?

6269 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by  gandergrinder
Who else here can't wait for those lazy days of summer to spend on the river catchin' cats? With the water being so low I don't know if that will affect how many big cats venture upstream or not. Either way I can't wait. Even a five pounder puts up a fun fight.
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It's in our back yard's, but it's the most unused fishery around. I'm looking forward to a couple big kitties myself. That used to be our "after work" hangout.
Even in town up here (Grand Forks) you might see a couple guys wetting lines but that's about it. I read in the Herald last fall that Game & Fish flew the stretch of the river from GF to Manitoba and counted 7 people fishing! This was on a Saturday too I believe. The Red is definitely an under used fishery but hey, I don't mind. :wink:
I beg to differ, during the right periods there are plenty of people fishing on the red river. For instance, just 20 minutes ago i came from the airplane park in north fargo and there was at least 20 people fishing on shore, not to mention 2 boats in the water.I'd like to remind everybody about the new reg's,only 2 walleyes under 18" and 1 over 28" are allowed during the spring season. I have witnessed several people already this year getting fined for too many and too big of fish. The wardens have also told me they are stepping up patrols on the river this year so be sure to obey the new regs and buy a new license, ignorance is no excuse to a conservation officer.
I really can't wait for the big cats to start. I usually have great luck during springs with low flows like we are experiencing right now. Typically the week before MN opener.

I catch goldeyes and chop them up for bait. I set my baits on a 5' deep shelf next to an undercut bank that is about 15' deep. It seems to take a little while to get the scent trail flowing, but before long it gets impossible to keep two rods in the water. I love the chaos! Pulling those big 30 inchers up is like catching sharks!

Good luck and be sure to post any great photos.
I finally made it out to the Red last Tuesday, June 18th. It was disappointing. I think that the cats must be spawning because the action was scarce. I did manage to catch three, two four pounders and an eight. I'll have to try again in a couple of weeks when the spawn is done.
I have been out at least 4 days a week for the last 2 weeks on the Red off shore and in the boat around Fargo. About two weeks ago the cats were biting pretty well on cut bait. However the fishing has really died off since then. Does anyone know how long the spawn lasts. If it lasts around 2 or 3 weeks I would say that they should be done pretty soon. This hot weather in my expierience is usually a great time. However we now have the dreaded blood suckers flying around. Good luck. I will post when I go out again. This weekend I'm after eyes.
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