The mighty mississippi

[lonewolf_jas]

Where's a good spot to fish for flatheads, blues, or channels on the river? Used to live up north and haven't done much catfishing lately.

[Tippman]

All you're gonna find around St. Cloud is channels. They are in any of the deeper holes. Used to do well right off Wilson park.

[nater]

I was just down there earlier this week and got a 7.5lb channel near the railroad bridge. Its close and they put a good fight!

Nater

[SchloeRide]

I don't know if you can still get down there, but we used to have very good luck behind the building that used to be Jonathan's (it's changed businesses so many times I don't know what it is anymore). The river is pretty low right now but lots of cats down that way.

[Ralph Wiggum]

You won't find flatheads North of the Twin Cities, and you won't find blues anywhere in MN. There's some good advice about channels above.

[JBMasterAngler]

Blue cats are making a come back. I doubt they're numerous (yet) but I caught an 8 pounder out of the vermillion river last year...and I've also heard from a few river rats that they've come across a few in the red wing/lake pepin area's. I wasn't even born yet the last time blues were common in those neck of the woods, but I will welcome them back with open arms.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I highly, highly doubt they're blue cats. Channel cats can take on a variety of colors, and many mistake a bigger channel cat with bluish coloring as a blue cat.

To tell the difference, a channel cat has a rounded outer edge on it's anal fin, and the anal fin has 24-29 rays.

A blue cat has a straight outer edge on it's anal fin with 30-36 rays. Blues also usually have a "hump" at the front edge of their dorsal fin.

Blues have never been native to MN. I am willing to bet any and all claims of them are just mistake channel cats.

They can't be identified by size and color alone.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Here's a few pictures that Hanson posted a while back to illustrate the differences and how they could be confused.

Channel Cat

Blue Cat