Jump to content
  • GUESTS

    If You  want access  to member only forums on FM, You will need to Sign-in or  Sign-Up now .

    This box will disappear once you are signed in as a member.

Recommended Posts

Posted

Walleyes are biting on the Wild Rice in the southern valley!!!

The Walleye might think it's October already and are on a feeding frenzy.

Crawlers?

Posted

If your interested in checking it out with a pre trip let me know be glad to help an wet a line for cats, been awhile. Boar

Sounds good. I would like to think I can get there sooner, but reality is it will be mid-summer before I can make the trek. Thanks for the offer.

Posted

Threw out a circle hook with chicken liver in the Sheyenne tonight in my backyard.

Nice 20" Cat. Nice to have something fight on the end of the line.

SheyenneCatfish.jpg

Also got 3 kitty cats. Threw 'em all back.

Posted

Walleyes are biting on the Wild Rice in the southern valley!!!

Thanks for the tip Brian. wink

Posted

No prob.

Posted

Flow is up guys, more lead is wise. Cats are hunting the channels headed to the dams now. Wood to wood, channel-run to channel-run is a good plan. Sucker is doing best in this cooler water.

Posted

Heard a rumor of a very big Walleye caught at the Kidder Dam. Might be a state record. Anybody hear of such a rumor????

Posted

Nope- I haven't heard a thing. Anyone else have any info?

Posted

Which state would a record be for when you're fishing from shore? Is it the side of the river you're on? How about if you're fishing in a boat? Just something I've always wondered about.

Posted

That is a good question. I would just release the fish anyways!!!

Posted

A state record on a boundary waters jurisdiction situation would apply to the state you were licensed in and or reside in, either permanently or as a temporarily guest in that state.

Nonresident of either state, but licensed in one or the other, the record would be applied to the state your licensed for and were the temporary resident of at the time.

The physical act of registering it properly with one state or the other would influence the officiating of the record I am sure. So doing so in both states on the boundary water in question in that situation would be smart, as long as your previously licensed in both states at the time.

Posted

Flow is up guys, more lead is wise. Cats are hunting the channels headed to the dams now. Wood to wood, channel-run to channel-run is a good plan. Sucker is doing best in this cooler water.

Ed - saw you at GM the other day - you were busy with customers.

I'm not familiar with the "Wood to wood, Channel to channel" phrase. Please elaborate.

Posted

Channel to Cahannel and Wood to wood is a patern set by channel catfish in Pre-Spawn mode.

Cats on the move, such as they are now, tend to move up the channel and roam around snags/wood.

So a good strategy is to work the channel edge on a snag and the up current face of the snag. This allows for a duel coverage presentation strategy for pre-spawn roaming cats. They move in the channel and feed and rest on the wood/snags.

Posted

Yep, this time of year it's a good bet to anchor upstream from a snagpile. Get lines set in tight to the snag, but also outside of the snagpile, near the edge of the channel. Like Ed said, it's double bang for your buck.

Posted

Channel to Cahannel and Wood to wood is a patern set by channel catfish in Pre-Spawn mode.

Cats on the move, such as they are now, tend to move up the channel and roam around snags/wood.

Thanks for the tip.

How did you guys learn this stuff? Did you waterboard a Catfish into giving up this intel?

Posted

Your very welcome.

I've spent a lot of hours on the regions rivers over the past 30 years or so, something is bound to sink in over time. wink

Posted

Well... I took a shortcut-- I just listen to Ed a lot! grinwink I may have spent an hour or two on the rivers around here as well...

Posted

I do the same, listen to Scoot that is.

Always good to get as much info from as many reliable sources as one can to formulate the "Plan".

In an ever changing fishing environment, such as on rivers, the more ya know, the better you will do. wink

Posted

One word. Selkirk. Nothng compares to the quantity and quality of kitties. end of story

Posted

Heard a rumor of a very big Walleye caught at the Kidder Dam. Might be a state record. Anybody hear of such a rumor????

I called a few people I know in the area and they heard that a 13lb 6oz walleye was caught down there. Don't know if it was at the dam but it sounded like it was spawned out and not real thick.

Posted

yup, been der, we hit the 500 lb mark in one day with my personal best of thirty lber. Sounds like a fish story I know but they were stacked like cord wood with low watBoarer right below a spill way.

Posted

yup, been der, we hit the 500 lb mark in one day with my personal best of thirty lber. Sounds like a fish story I know but they were stacked like cord wood with low watBoarer right below a spill way.

Doesn't sound like a fish story at all- we've topped 1000 lbs in a day up there before... I've had many times when the fish averaged over 20 lbs per fish and we caught over 50 of them in a day. There's some wonderful fishing to be had on this side of the border, but none of it holds a candle to Stu's neck of the woods.

Posted

Yea Stus got a gem thats for sure, I gotta get my passport an get back up there. boar

Posted

Thanks. I havent heard anything else.

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

Got out for my first cat outing of the spring saturday. Put in at the convent landing headed upstream. had a couple with us who have never cat fished never been on the Red. We boated six fish from 4 to 10 pounds all in the channel snags. They were blown away by the beauty of the river, we watched deer, an enormous beaver and wild turkeys while anchored. This old walleye guy has become completely addicted to cats on the Red what a cool resource in our backyard. Now I have a question for you wise cat vets. The same spots I fished last year in August were producing 15 to 20 pound fish. Is this a seasonal thing were the big fish get going later in the summer post spawn? If so where are the big mammas now?

Posted

Cats are in early pre-spawn mode now....they tend to spawn in mid to late late June here on the Central Red River Basin.

I start near dams and work back from now on.

They will seek out spawning areas soon and hang around them picking out choice spots, males will be fighting for and preparing there nest sites.

The high fast water has the fish up in the tribs early and will draw them in more in weeks ahead. Ideally they want relatively shallow warm water (70+) and stable water levels to spawn in. Right now they are searching for this and on the move a lot.

As they near spawn and nest, they will get extremely picky and preoccupied with territory, and you will see short hits and runs that are not true feeding.

They actually are moving baits away from there nest site, and not in the mood to feed, defensive hits and housecleaning.

I think we are a couple weeks away from that yet. Once it hits fishing is very tough for a week to two weeks, and after that...game on tell freeze up.

Posted

Ed, that being said, I expect the fishing to stay pretty good for the next couple weeks. Don't you?

Posted

Yup...it's running a bit late temp wise so it should be darn good for a couple weeks or maybe even more?

The heavy rains up North may mess them up a while...7" in the Pembina area will push it up to 41 feet fast.

Here...we are good.

Posted

Thanks for the feedback guys I have learned alot from your posts. I was out again last night and had very steady action all evening. I actually brought my flyrod and had a blast with the goldeyes towards sunset. There was a major hatch going on and they were rising everywhere around me. Tied on a larger dry fly and they went nuts on it. Must have caught twenty fish in 1/2 hour all tail dancing to the boat. 12 inch goldeye on a 4 wt flyrod is very fun. All the cats were 23 to 26 inch fish, all males I suppose. I did notice the short violent runs which were all drops. Thanks again for sharing info...

Posted

Watersguy...another very fun way to catch Mooneye/Goldeye...is tiny crankbaits...teeny tiny ones...and a ultralight rod.

The tiny cranks like the Bitsies and Snap Beans, often used on Gills and Crappies, are deadly on then Sumo Mooneyes....it's a blast!

bitsy%20pond%20minnow%207.JPGBitsie

80-80-EACDE2408C370CC0080459FCFB5B17EF.jSnap Bean

Another tiny crank I love is the #3 Salmo Hornet, harder to find, but deadly.

small_e7cktw.jpg

Salmo #3 Hornet

square_49iy5v.jpgwink

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.




  • Similar Content

  • Your Responses - Share & Have Fun :)

    • Wanderer
      Nope!  But it’s more funner!
    • smurfy
      I don't need no livescope to catch fish....🤔🤪  It's all in how ya wiggle the worm!😜 Just sayin  🤣
    • Kettle
      Obviously this is more of a hot topic due to forward facing sonar. With that being said, I know people who have pulled crappies out of basins 40+ deep since the fl-8 and zercom flashers came out. That's over 30 years ago. I do think there's a push to ban these in MN and I could see them doing it here. They'll have to pay my livescope from my cold dead hands 😆 on days I can't catch a walleye jigging or rigging it's nice to turn it on and throw corks at individual fish
    • Kettle
      It wasn't just you, I was fishing west of you about an hour on Monday. Fished 8am-4pm, no fish, two keeper walleye and one small one from 4pm-630pm. Marked a lot of fish, they would come up to a jig and swim away. They were skittish to the dead stick too
    • leech~~
      I wonder like divers, if we let them decompress every 10' for 1/2hr. If that would help?  🤔  It would slow the bite down a bit!  🤭
    • carlsonmn
      That was a better study compared to last winter when they setup the vertical tube nets and tried to release exhausted fish from being studied and expected them to be able to swim straight down a 3' hoop net.     That lake's crappie population from this latest video was pretty deep at 40-50', and no doubt from those depths that is barotrauma for most.  That is deeper than most crappie holes but certainly how some are. However from helping give fish a good release from the 35' and less range and tracking them with live sonar most of them swim at a shallow angle back to the depths and I watch them rejoin the school and be active.  Uncut Angling's video helped counter some of the initial narrow findings.  
    • SkunkedAgain
      If you fished with me more often, you'd never have to make this statement...   38" of ice - love it. I'm really going to have to dig around for my auger extension. I don't think that I've needed it in over a decade.   Too bad nobody has a locomotive chugging across the ice to do some logging, like the good old days.
    • LakeofthewoodsMN
      On the South Shore...  Ice fishing remains strong across the south shore of Lake of the Woods out on Big Traverse Bay.  Resorts and outfitters on some parts of the lake have ice roads extending over 16 miles staying on nice schools of walleyes and saugers.  Many fish houses are over deep mud.  Some are on structure.  It is always fishing of course, but overall, February has been very productive for most anglers.   Extensions are being used on ice augers as the ice continues to thicken.  The thick ice this year will be good for the extended ice fishing season Lake of the Woods enjoys with fish houses out through March 31st, walleyes and saugers open through April 14th and a pike season that never closes. Most fishing activity is taking place in 26-32 feet of water.  Anglers are finding a healthy mix of walleyes and saugers, with a good number of jumbo perch in the mix this year.  Some big eelpout are also showing up.  Anglers are reporting plenty of fish for fresh fish frys and usually extra fish to bring home.   The one-two punch of a jigging line and deadstick is the way to go.  On the jigging line, jigging spoons with rattles tipped with a minnow head have been consistent.  Lipless crankbaits and jigging rap style lures also doing well.     Lures with a light have been working well in the stained water.  Please remember, in MN, lures with a light or water activated light can be used as long as the battery is mercury free and the hook is attached directly to the lure and not as a dropper line.     On the deadstick, a plain hook or a small jig with a live minnow 6 inches to a foot off of the bottom.    Some days, mornings are better, other days, it's the afternoons.  There is no distinct pattern, they could come through at any time. On the Rainy River...  The start of the day and end of the day have been best for those targeting walleyes on the river. A jig and minnow or a jigging spoon tipped with a minnow head is also producing some fish. Some big sturgeon being iced by ice anglers targeting them.  It is a catch-and-release sturgeon season currently.   Although ice conditions on the river are good, they can vary significantly due to the current, so anglers should always consult local resorts or outfitters for the most up-to-date safety information and fishing advice. Up at the NW Angle...  Ice fishing has been strong in the islands area of Lake of the Woods. Resorts continue to move their fish houses around, staying on the best schools of walleyes.     Anglers are catching a nice mix of walleyes, saugers, and jumbo perch with an occasional pike or tullibee as well.     Big crappies are still being caught just over the border.  Fish houses are available, check with a NW Angle resort for info on crappie fishing.   Lake of the Woods enjoys an extended ice fishing season with fish houses on the ice through March 31st and walleye and sauger seasons open through April 14th. Perch, crappie, and pike seasons remain open year-round.    
    • leech~~
      Maybe you should put rattle wheels down, if your going to sleep for 6hrs! 🤭 😆
    • JerkinLips
      Monday was my worst day of winter fishing on Vermilion in the last 4 years.  Caught only one 14" walleye in nearly 8 hours of fishing.  Missed two other bites and was marking very few fish.  Maybe the fish were taking Monday off after a big weekend.   No more water came up on the ice under my house.  Think it was because I haven't banked snow around it for a couple of weeks so the bare ice around the house is getting very thick.  I measured 38" of ice under my house and the Ion barely made it through even with the extension installed.  Needless to say I banked around the house this time.  Another lesson I learned today is don't drill holes if ice is frozen on your blades.  I did that on one hole and it didn't center properly and drilled at an angle on the edge of the opening.  Hope I can correct the location and angle on my next trip up.   Not much change in the surface lake surface conditions.  The drifts may be a little higher and are definitely harder.  There are still a few bare ice spots on the lake.  Very little activity on the lake today.  There are about 3 dozen houses from McKinley Park out to Birch Island.  Another person pulled there house off today, and I am sure many more will pull theirs off this coming weekend.  Only 13 days left of walleye season.    
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.