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Heavy Rains = High Water on the Red River Basin.


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Lots & lots of water on the basin!

UF-DA..UF-DA!

Expect high water on most all the tributaries of the Red, and the Red itself is fast on the rise.

This will make for an interesting bite, yup. In my experience the cats may pop out of the main river and roam the flooded oxbows and grassy shelves. Odds are good they will, lots of easy food up there ya know.

Please use caution boating, lots of "Stuff" on the move in the rivers.

You can monitor the rivers at this link to see what looks fish-able or not.

http://nd.water.usgs.gov/public/realtime/rt_latest_table.html

Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

Backwater Guiding "ED on the RED"

[This message has been edited by Backwater Eddy (edited 06-29-2003).]

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The news of flood waters heading north on the Red River is music to my ears and too those that's experienced the action during these high water periods!
In a nutshell cats go ballistic when the water rises, they feed hardy during this time probably more than any other time.
The one thing that sets this portion of the Red apart from the rest of it's entirety is Lake Winnipeg. When we experience summer flood levels it attacts hoards of big cats into the river out of the big lake.
During the mid summer floods of '93 the Red produced more cats over 30 lbs. than in recorded history! The largest recorded during this period weighed in at a colossal 44.7 lbs! I caught and recorded the second largest cat known to be caught on the Red taht year, it weighed in at a very impressive 39.8 lbs! These was plenty of others caught in the 30 to mid. 30 pound range.
No one can predict weather or not we'll see a repeat of '93, all we can do is sit back and see how it unfolds!

Fish "Hard" Forever!

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Wow a 44 pounder would sure be a sight to see. Lots of water coming at you from the Roseau river, plenty of rain out my way too. My moms side of the family is all from Winnepeg, I get up there visiting/fishing on occasion each summer/fall. My aunt has a cottage in the Victoria beach area we asually base out of and go wherever for whatever from there. Some amazing fishing up that way for sure. I'd like to get up there more often, but I'm stuck on LOTW or the Red around Drayton and points north too often. Man I thought LOTW was big....Lake Winnepeg is just plain giant!

What is the provincial Channel cat record up there anyways Stu?

Regards....Fisky

[This message has been edited by fiskyknut (edited 06-29-2003).]

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Now you guys have me fired up. Me and my abu are getting ready to check things out.

I was wondering? I have a katking I bought at cabellas a while back that I haven't spooled up yet. 10 ft. open face.

I run braid on my abu but was wondering what would work best on this rig.

Hi Ed and all! Are you going to have that cat deal in the FM area agin this yr?

fred

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We plan on it Fred. Your very welcome to come too!

Depending on conditions, we are looking at the Lindenwood Park area as the base of operations this season.

Right now the tent campground there at Lindenwood is about...Oh...3' deep and the cats might be feeding on leftover hot dogs and marshmallows in the fire-pits.

grin.gif

It should be dry and clean again way before August 31, I sure hope so anyway.

------------------
Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

Backwater Guiding "ED on the RED"

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Unofficiaally the record is 44.7lbs and my 39.8 is the second largest unofficial, confused let me explain.
The official all-time weight for channel cat here in Manitoba was set back in 1986, this fish weighed 36.2 lbs. A few years later the province decided to except length "only" for a means of judging the size of a trophy fish. Different lengths were established for different species. At the time it wasn't much of an issue throughout the angling community.
Along comes 1993 and we soon realized that the decision to except length only was a bit of a screw up. After all records are meant to be broken right! So when the old record set back in 86 was blown out of the water, the province wouldn't except it, end of story.
In some respects I could care less about the whole issue, I know that I caught my personal best channel and it weighed 39.8 lbs! The whole incident was forever documented on film and the great fish was well photographed before she was released.
As fate would have it, we captured the entire event on film while shooting a segment for British television. So one can never legitimately challenge weather or not I did indeed catch this fish, end of story!

As for the current conditions here on the Lower Red, the water is slowly on the rise and the turbidity is increasing.
The action for cats is excellent and as the water rises even more, so too will the feeding activity of 'Ol whiskers!
Like I stated in an earlier post, we don't know if or when we'll ever see a repeat of '93, but we can at least "live in hope", can't we!

Fish "Hard" Forever!

Stu McKay
www.catsonthered.com

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Ed,

Are the cats out of spawn-mode yet? I haven't fished the river in a little while now and it looks like I won't until my boat gets fixed up (**** rocks!)

Stu,

Are you still in prespawn mode up there? I'd guess the fish are just about to spawn out, is that right? Or... are the fish just coming out of the swamp now having dumped eggs and ready to binge?
Thanks guys,
Scoot

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The spawn is no longer an issue hereon this portion of the Red!
In fact the only issue is weather or not one has heavy enough tackle for landing these brutes. The river's on the rise and so is feeding activity of the cats! They go ballistic under these high water conditions.

Fish "Hard" Forever!

Stu McKay
www.catsonthered.com
[email protected]

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Thanks Stu,
36.2 eh, I was just curious as to what weight was in the official book as I could'nt find any of this info on the web when I looked. I suppose with the length restriction up there getting a large fish to a certified scale would be a No-No anyways. When I finally get that Mn state record Sturgeon out of the Rainy I won't be able to get it weighed either these days on account of length limits set on them up here. Bummer!

Scoot,
I know some folks who spanked the big Catfish last week out near Drayton. I was out to the Roseau river last nite and we caught some large fish that looked spawned out, and we also caught fish that looked like they were still way full of eggs. They will spawn over a fairly wide range of temps and don't all go at once, waiting till flows/levels are just to their individual liking. I'd guess up around these parts anyways we are kind of near the middle of their spawning period, with some yet to spawn and some spawned out already. One thing is for sure, the Catfishing has been great the past few weeks on the Roseau river.

Fisky

[This message has been edited by fiskyknut (edited 06-30-2003).]

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Scoot I suspect locally they are done. The deal with channel cats this far up is they can spawn anywhere above 65 on up, at will.

Some go for it early, some hang back a bit. I suspect it has a bit to do with age class and weight, plus environmental conditions.

If they feel it is no big hurry they may wait, or is they get antsy and river levels cause them concern they may rush into it and get it done while the gett'n is good? Cats are very flexible critters, hence their wide rage and geographic diversity.

But ya, I think here in the Central and Headwaters regions, they are for the most part post spawn.

I would love to know what data is available on spawning habits on channel catfish on the lower Red! That is another deal all together there.

You have lake cats, river cats, marsh cats, water levels, wind tidal influences, tons of chow, all things that may influence timing of a channel cats spawning run. Very complicated area with many secrets yet to reveal.

I have pondered their habits many an hour, and I am still pretty stumped. Studies on channel catfish by NDSU in our region have been interesting, yet often conflicting.

Once thought to spawn every season one study has shown the cats spawn in 2 years cycles here on the Red. So much is to be learned yet, controversy is still rolling on many of their true reproductive habits.

Yup...All praise the ever mysterious catfish.

Yup..Yup..They do keep ya guess'n.

smile.gif


------------------
Ed "Backwater Eddy" Carlson

Backwater Guiding "ED on the RED"

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Thanks for the invite, Ed.

I'll be there this yr.if it's a go. I didn't realize the water was that high there and it's headed my way so may have some fun. There's allways a lot of ways to skin a cat, eh?

fred

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