Need your Help Red River anglers

[Guest]

We have received reports of dead cats floating on the river.

Have you seen this, if so record the time, date, location of the dead fish?

How many?

What size are the cats, length and weight if possable?

What condition are they in, are they damaged or in apparent whole condition?

I can pass this information on to the DNR biologist or call it in yourself.

If you find a lot of them get a sample group of them and freeze them for the DNR to examine if possable.

This may be a isolated post-spawn heat stress problem but we would like to see how wide spread it is, any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Thank's folks!

Backwater Eddy.......><,,>

[Guest]

this is too bad to hear about.
if i happen to see one i will be sure to report it.
thanx for the heads up.
Monty

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Say what you mean and Mean what you say.
You've got to think like a fish no matter how wierd it gets...Storm Fishing Lures Ad

[cvikes80]

BWE,
I too have seen many of these dead fish i will bring samples and freeze them the next time i have the opportunity which wont be until next week. these fish i have seen have all been for thee most part very large in size roughly 12lbs to 20lbs maybe 1 or 2 smaller 7 or 8 lbers. Its been very disturbing i have probably seen 10 to 15 of these in the past week and a half with total time on the water roughly being 24 to 30 hrs.
I hope this helps and will try to get samples on my next outing. It would be sooner but i just washed the boat yesterday for a family reunion at Golden lake next weekend and as you know one trip on the river is all it takes to destroy a fresh cleaning of a carpeted boat.
Chad

[Guest]

Is there a number i can call to give the info ?

[Guest]

Hey Must and Ed and Monty,

Where are these reports coming from? Any town area.

I'll keep my eyes peeled. I talked to a friend that had good luck by the No. dam in Fgo-Mhd nigt before last.

He caught 8 between 11-1am. Some about 15 lbs. He was useing shrimp. He said the bugs were bad so wondering what seems to work best?

I use Muskol, myself. Quite greasy but seems to work well. I may try local tonight.

Tight lines all.

[Guest]

You can call the DNR fisheries office at Detroit Lakes or the NDG&F home office number. There should be a contact number on your fishing license. Pass it along to the warden in your area too if that is handy.

[Guest]

Ed... I've seen the same thing to a more limited degree on the lower Red lately. I wonder how many of these dead fish are due to 1) poor handling and 2) too much time out of the water once caught and 3) anglers using too light of a line and 4)fighting the fish for extended periods of time (lactic acid build up)in really warm water. I'm sometimes guilty of the latter but usually will break a cat off if caught while fishing for goldeye. In general it's not as bad up here yet (but I did see a dead 25#+ cat yesterday in the locks area). Hope it's nothing too serious!

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Dan Kiazyk
Cat Eye Outfitter
http://www.geocities.com/dkiazyk2000
[email protected]

[This message has been edited by dkiazyk (edited 07-19-2001).]

[This message has been edited by dkiazyk (edited 07-19-2001).]

[Guest]

I think it is a case of normal post spawn mortality, but we still need to keep our eyes open.

The DNR was going to do a check this week to see if it is very wide spread, or just isolated case's of stress kill.

A few cats normally die after the spawn due to stress.

Thank's for the feedback folk's!

BE....><,,>

[This message has been edited by Backwater Eddy (edited 07-19-2001).]

[Guest]

UPDATE on dead cats on the Red from DNR.

FYI,

Subsequent to the fuel oil spill into the English Channel (tributary to the Red River near Grand Forks) last Thursday, I asked Melissa S., creel clerk for the northern Red River reaches to observe the coulee outlet for signs of dead fish, oil slicks, etc. She said that by Friday, she could no longer see any fuel, nor could she smell the (fuel) odor. She did not notice any dead fish. She also asked all the anglers that she contacted about their observations. They did not note any lingering problems associated with this spill either.

There continues to be sporadic reports of dead, floating catfish in all reaches of the Red River. Most folks report seeing a few, but in at least one instance by Pembina, the anglers noted at least a dozen while they were fishing for the evening.

We still have not been able to pin down any specific cause for the dead catfish. All the reports that I have received are of very rotten, bloated fish. It is not unusual to see dead catfish floating the Red in July, but the number of reports this year does seem higher than normal.

I've always assumed that the large, dead fish we see floating in July resulted in part from the rigors of spawning. Dead catfish also seem to float for a long time, so they get noticed by a lot of people ( I wonder if a catfish that dies in Breckenridge might not float all the way to Lake Winnipeg).

As I mentioned in my last message on this topic, please send any insight that you have, and forward any reports of dead catfish to me. These reports of dead catfish do not seem to be connected with the recent fuel spill in the English Coulee.

Fishing for catfish has been very good in all reaches of the Red for the past two or three weeks.

Dennis

Dennis Topp
Assistant Fisheries Supervisor
MN DNR Fisheries
204 Main Street East
Baudette, MN 56623

Phone: 218.634.2522

[Guest]

Yup that's a big flathead!

[Guest]

i finally remembered to grab that pic from that NG.
This fish was found dead on the Raccoon river in Iowa.

http://www.soundillusions.net/sites/musthavemuzk/pics/founddeadcat.jpg

Monty

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Say what you mean and Mean what you say.
You've got to think like a fish no matter how wierd it gets...Storm Fishing Lures Ad