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What's the latest on the Red?


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Anyone been out on the river in the past few days? Is it pretty ugly out there or is the current not too bad? Anyone been catching anything?
I've been flood-fighting in Ada for the past three days so I haven't been out. What's the word?
Scoot

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Ok, I'll respond to my own question. I fished the Red tonight with minimal success. We caught four cats ranging from 1 to 6 lbs. All were caught on sucker minnows since we couldn't manage any cutbait.
Two of the fish were looking extremely fat- getting close to spawn time. I'd think starting very soon catching cats may be a struggle. After they're done spawning out- yeehaa. They'll go on a frenzy and that's my favorite time to fish for them.
Scoot

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Scoot I have been busy all week so sorry for not getting back sooner.

It has been good untell yesterday, it got tough yesterday but not due to spawn.

The Pudgy cats are full of Cottonwood seeds and fluff for the 2 days prior when the cottomwoods were sheding, the cats love the junk. The Golgeye are also full of the fluff.

The bigger cats look like they ate a pillow! My hunch is thet stuff is kinda filling so they are bunged up fer a day er two?

grin.gif

Hope today will be better then yesterday was. New biats and new stratigy so we will see.

I shot you a email Scoot on next weeks plans so look in da mail box bud.

ED

------------------
Backwater Eddy..><,sUMo,>

Backwater Guiding
"Ed on the RED"
(701)-281-2300

[email protected]

http://home.talkcity.com/ResortRd/backwtr1/index.html

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From the looks of things here in Grand Forks its going to be awhile before we get back on the river.

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Cats are into the spawn now by all indications. Fishing was good and now the cats that are of spawning age are disappearing fast from the channel. Water temp was 71-73 in likely spawning sites so I am confident the bulk of the cats will be in love and on their honeymoon soon.

The big cotton wood fluff feed made the cats look like they were fat with spawn, even the sexually immature pecker cats, now they have a new feeding binge to key on, the mayfly.

We had a significant Mayfly hatch last night on the Red in the central region. This drives everything nuts for surface feeding. I puréed many a Goldeye up with the prop on the way down river after dark last night. I even had a goldeye jump into the boat as I was running wide open, easy access bait that one was.

I had my safety glass's on to keep the May flies out of my eyes or else I wouldn't have been able to see to run faster then a crawl. I could have used tiny windshield wipers on the glasses too eh!

For the fly fisherman who would like to get some cats this is the time to try. It is a certainty you will catch a ton of chubby little pecker cats and goldeye, maybe a big cat after dusk. I suspect bigger hatches are on the way in nights to come.

The next week or so will be S-L-O-W and then well, it should be not so slow & possibly fast and furious?


(Now I am in need of a mini vacation while the channel cats spawn & recoup. Any tips on a good walleye or Flathead bite in the region would be helpful.)

Thanks,

Ed

------------------
Backwater Eddy..><,sUMo,>

Backwater Guiding
"Ed on the RED"
(701)-281-2300

[email protected]

http://home.talkcity.com/ResortRd/backwtr1/index.html

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