3 unusual catches today

[fiskyknut]

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[This message has been edited by fiskyknut (edited 06-27-2003).]

[Scoot]

Mudpuppies- yuck!!! They're like an eel crossed with a lizard covered in 80/90 gear lube. Nasty little creatures too. I've heard they can work very well for bait, but I've never used them.
Sounds like you had a fun trip. I've never caught a muskie in the Red (yet). I bet it was a good time. I'm jealous.
Scoot

[Guest]

Those mudpuppies are some of the best big pike bait!! You should try it on LOW, Fisky!

[CANOPY SAM]

Cool day on the ice!!!

I think it was Ed that told me about a year ago that the DNR had actually caught some really nice muskies in nets along the RED at various places, but I think these were stocked fish. I don't know if they are still stocking them, or maybe there is some natural reproduction going on.

The Red is a very cool river, and chock full of fish of virtually every species. I miss living up there and fishing those waters. Most days you've got the whole river all to yourself!

[Steve Foss]

I miss that river too. The laundry list of fish species we pulled out at the Point in GF/EGF is loooooonnng.

Never a muskie, though. That's cool.

[Guest]

ED, I was just curious what unusual catches you have had on the red river. I do all my fishing pretty much in GF and the list I have got are. Gold Eye, Drum, Carp, Channel catfish, *Spoted Catfish, Mad Tom, Black bullhead, Yellow Bullhead, Rock bass, Small mouth bass, black Crappie,*English Carp, Walleye, Sauger, Saugeye, Northern Pike, Sucker, and Red horse. *I have been told that the smaller blacker carp is a carp that came over from England. *Spoted Catfish could be a channel with spots on it, I don't Now?? Once I find out this is BS I can forget about the junk perhaps. Finally huuu! I was told thier are certain places in the Red that hold Flat head catfish, and this is more than likely BS too.

Da Sheephead Idiot,

[Guest]

I really like the variety of fish on this River. I wonder how people would sit with blue's or Flat heads in the river. Scoot do you fish Riverside dam often? As soon as the dam warms up enough to cast I'll let you know how things are. I drove down their about 3 days ago and seen people driving snowmobiles about 10 feet from opon water. Then I seen Ed standing 3 feet from opon water vertical jigging with a long pole! JK about that one. Just thought I'd get some eyes opon.

[Scoot]

I don't get up there too often, but when I do I try to hit that dam (spring). Good spot- lots of good fish come from there each year.
I'm afraid it'll be a while before it's ready to go. Unfortunately, I'm ready now. It always seems like such a slow thaw when you've had enough of ice fishing for the year.
Scoot

[Steve Foss]

Da king:

If you catch a cat with spots in the Red, it is a young channel cat. They lose their spots by the time they hit a couple pounds, perhaps even earlier. If you caught a 10-pounder with spots on it, that would be amazing.

There are no blues or flatheads in the Red River watershed. Blues are as close as central Minnesota, and flatheads occur as close as central Minnesota and the Missouri River watershed (there are also blues in the Missouri, but I don't know how far north). Hmmm, wonder if Garrison Diversion is every completely finished if flatheads might make their way to the Red. It would be a good system for them, with all its deep holes, tons of submerged wood and huge concentrations of fish per mile.

Your madtom may be a stonecat. They look very alike in the fish species guide, and both occur in the Red.

Your carp is most likely the common carp. All carp were introduced from Asia, and the common ranges now over almost all the U.S. and southern Canada. The bighead and grass carp also were introduced. According to my fish guide, the grass carp has spread to all the major river systems of the U.S. The Red technically is feeds Hudson's Bay, and is not a major U.S. river system. The bighead carp was introduced into the Missouri and Mississippi River systems, which don't directly connect to the Red. But both these second two species have spread, and there's just no way to know short of DNR experts which carp you may have on your hook, I believe.

[This message has been edited by stfcatfish (edited 03-07-2003).]