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Red & Red Lake river reports.


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CATFISHING HAS BEGUN!!! This is no lie guys, i caught a fourteen pounder last sunday! There were two of us fishing and we were using chicken liver, cut sucker minnows, steak and worms. We also caught two other cats about 2-3 pounds. We were getting hits all day on all the bait but worms are what we caught all the cats on, even the fourteen pounder!!! I never expected to catch one cat so much as a hog like that! GREAT DAY!!

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  • Wiskers

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Bigcatman..

Where were you fising? On the Red? Man that sounds like fun.. I checked our rivers temp yesterday.. 30*-32*... still a bit chilly here for kittys to start up....

At least some one is getting lucky.. good for you buddy...

fish on.............................................

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Wiskers Guiding Service
Red River, Red Lake River & Minnesota River,for Channel Cats, Flatheads & Walleyes
Crookston, MN
[email protected]

218-280-0442

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I was fishing at the south dam in moorhead. I knew the water was really cold for cats but i used the worms to try to catch a carp or whatever and i guess i got lucky. You havin' any luck yet?

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wow that is awesome.. I have not been able to get any worms as of yet.. Guess I will have to check at Cabela's. ... ...

not much water left here in the RLR....sigh..

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Wiskers Guiding Service
Red River, Red Lake River & Minnesota River,for Channel Cats, Flatheads & Walleyes
Crookston, MN
[email protected]

218-280-0442

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Whiskers seems like your having too much fun with that new big toy of yours. I think I found out why you get so bad of gas milage. When you do doughnuts in the middle of the river that don't help with the final gas milage. Looks like you are having fun with that boat hope ya like it.

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Well that is good news.. gonna have to make a trip.. then get that boat back on the water.. and dress warm the way the weather is looking.. sigh sigh..

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Wiskers Guiding Service
Red River, Red Lake River & Minnesota River,for Channel Cats, Flatheads & Walleyes
Crookston, MN
[email protected]

218-280-0442

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Ya, that most likely does not help.. some day the newness will wear off and I will be able to drive it slowly, but man oh man.. it is way too much fun, to just drive like a normal boat.. cause it is not a normal boat.. lol...

Heck I just bring extra gas with. .. then hooooraaaa.. I can still play and fish all day..

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Wiskers Guiding Service
Red River, Red Lake River & Minnesota River,for Channel Cats, Flatheads & Walleyes
Crookston, MN
[email protected]

218-280-0442

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hey timmaaaa, you couldn't catch a cat if it jumped outa the water and gave you a tail slap. everyone knows its your girlfriend who catches 'um....ive seen the pictures! i'll see yeah at the damb for a freindly sucker fish-off. name the date. need somethin to do befor the cats start.
good luck

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haha, real funny. I've caught more cats in one night than you've ever dreamt of catching. Where were you tonight? I caught a hog walter and a couple suckers. I guess that means that I am winning the fish off. You name the time and i'll be there to whoop your butt.

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Is anyone having any luck with the Red Lake River lately? Am thinking of hitting it thursday and just wondering if anyone is having any luck with fishing lately. What bait is working the best. Any help would be nice.

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Anyone going down to the dam tonight. I might go give it a shot later.


Chuckster

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Nope pretty cold water still... Worms seem to be the only ticket for suckers so far.. I checked the temp a few days ago and it was only 32*... We need some sun to warm it up a bit.. and if it stops getting so cold at night that will help also....

Just have to keep plugging away..

I made the adventure from Crookston to the Red River yesterday.. 58.7 miles one way..

Fisher seems to be the major for in the river... the river changes very much in both dirrections... Fisher to Crookston is shallow and mild snags... Average depth is around 2-6 feet. Fisher to East Grand is much deeper and has a ton more snags..

Went over the East Side rock dam with no trouble so far.. as long as the water levels hold up...


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Wiskers Guiding Service
Red River, Red Lake River & Minnesota River,for Channel Cats, Flatheads & Walleyes
Crookston, MN
[email protected]

218-280-0442

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Wiskers, in the few holes between Fisher and Crox how deep was it? There's four holes between the two towns that can be really good when the water levels drop off- just wondering how deep they are right now.

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Scoot

RodsbyEngel: custom made fishing rods

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Sorry Chuck, I don't think i'll be able to make it tonight, i have some plans with the gf(its our 1 year), so that makes me kinda busy tonight.

I have been catching suckers at the dam, with one smaller walleye yesterday, all on crawlers.

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Nope, Ceasons wont have them for a couple weeks. Cabelas has them in GF. Maybe try Pamida, they have them sometimes.

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Hey Timdogg congrats on the one year just make sure your on time for Zoology tomorrow morning. I need to get some crawlers before I head out fishing but don't really feel like making a trip to Forks already dropped a nice chunck of change tuesday after class there already don't want to drop more.

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Went out this afternoon to East Grandforks. I was hopping for some walleyes but only caught one that was very decent about 5 pounds I did not keep it too big to eat. I should still be out now but got sick and tired of all the snags for one day.

One surprise was I caught 8 catfish. One was an honest 10 pounds and the rest were small 2 were just beg enough to eat so I cleaned them.

I was fishing at the mouth of the Red Lake River right next to the bridge.

Anybody else have any reports they were all except one caught on nightcrawlers.

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Ceason's has crawlers now... I got a couple dozen...

The holes between Fisher and EGF I found were a few that were around 22 feet deep.. I am going to head over there tomarrow with some crawlers and give it a go.... I can shoot up over the rock dam still so I will try some holes and then head back to the dam and try for some eyes..

Got an empty boat tomarrow.. ....... Hope the weather holds out.. was only 45 here today with 400mph winds that made it feel like 20*....

MNtrapper.. wow that is awesome.. I have been trying for cats in cold water for 10 years.. never got one yet.. but I have only been trying near Crookston in the shallow river....... Never new that the West end of the Red Lake River was that deep in there... Gonna have to start hitting that more often.. as long as I can get over the dam... Too bad that boat landing is now closed due to the Bike path??????? Who's Idea was that??????????? sigh............

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Wiskers Guiding Service
Red River, Red Lake River & Minnesota River,for Channel Cats, Flatheads & Walleyes
Crookston, MN
[email protected]

218-280-0442

[This message has been edited by Wiskers Guiding Service (edited 04-14-2004).]

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hey Wiskers

As far as I know the boat landing is not closed. You are talking about the landing by Cabelas on the Red River. There were are few boats out of that landing today so I dont think it is closed. I was right in the mouth of the Red Lake River and I have no idea how deep it was because I dont have a boat. I was going to go to the dam in Crookston today but I really wanted to catch a few walleyes to eat but that plan did not work out. So I will take anyfish that will bite but I am by no means a catfish fisher so I think it was mostly luck on my part I figured there would be some fish where the two rivers met and had some slack water there and a couple a deeper holes that I could feel with the rod

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Does Ceason's have crawlers yet? Don't know where to find them in town.

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Oh, I was talking about the boat landing on the Red Lake River above the rock dam.. After they put on that bike path, now it is unlawful to cross the bike bath with motor vehicles... There for you can not access the landing... :-(... what a bummer..

Well looks like it rained this morning.. Hope it quits soon.. . I want to head over to EGF...

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Wiskers Guiding Service
Red River, Red Lake River & Minnesota River,for Channel Cats, Flatheads & Walleyes
Crookston, MN
[email protected]

218-280-0442

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I fished the Red and Red Lake Rivers today and yesterday...between searching river banks.. Caught cats both days.. Thursday was the best day of the two..

Crawlers were still the number one bait. A few hits on suckers but nothing to the boat on them.. Steak had two caught and to the boat. Crawlers brought in about 10 fish in the two days.

Fishiing 16-22 feet on the RLR and 12 feet on the Red along snags. On the RLR I had my best luck in a deep corner but not in the hole, just ahead of it in 16 foot flat...

Drove the RP over the Red River Dam at the north landing.. and also over the Dam on the RLR at the south landing.. That turned a few heads.. lol... Thought a few golfers were going to have the big one when they were trying to signal me to stop, thinking I did not know there was a dam there.. Afterwards their jaws were on the grass as I went up and down it again.. lol.. Man I love that boat..

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Wiskers Guiding Service
Red River, Red Lake River & Minnesota River,for Channel Cats, Flatheads & Walleyes
Crookston, MN
[email protected]

218-280-0442

[This message has been edited by Wiskers Guiding Service (edited 04-18-2004).]

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Wiskers:
Where were you on the RLR. I got my boat now, but don't really know where to go. I haven't got any cats yet. Lots of suckers and one pretty big carp. I did have something on cut sucker, but it let go before i saw it. I don't know if I am going to be able to do much fishing these next 2 weeks, FINALS SUCK!

[This message has been edited by Timdogg (edited 04-19-2004).]

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Wiskers, are you using cutbait much yet? I typically have my best luck on cut goldeye and sucker this time of year. Or... are crawlers outproducing cutbait as much as it sounds?
I'm getting out on Wed (I think). I'll report back after my outing.

------------------
Scoot

RodsbyEngel: custom made fishing rods

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The only place on the RLR is in from East grand forks.. up river.. Crawlers is the only ticket so far.. Cut bait is just not producing yet... frog not working either..

I tried in the dam again yesterday and nothing.. ???? that is odd...

------------------
Wiskers Guiding Service
Red River, Red Lake River & Minnesota River,for Channel Cats, Flatheads & Walleyes
Crookston, MN
[email protected]

218-280-0442

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By the way it looks the Walleye have spawned on the Central & Upper Red (The Upper has been done for a week or so already).

Likely the Central region Walleye spawned last weekend by the looks of the larger fish? It was darn slow all weekend, a good indication something was up.

They may be spawning in waves (it's very common for them to do that because of flows and temps change from section to section), hard to say just yet.

Last night all the females/males we caught were caved in and empty. So, it may be a a done deal for this season. We can look for a better bite soon as they feed back up, once they recover a bit.

The lower Red would be next to hit the spawn, likely very soon if it's not already under way.

Cats are starting to roam, that is cool with me too.

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

Backwater Guiding
"ED on the RED"
[email protected]
701-640-2796
><,sUMo,>

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Cool, thanks for the update, Ed. A few days ago the fish I caught were all full still. They were definitely ready to bust though. I'd imagine things'll pick up a little in a week or so then taper off from there. After that, it's cattin' time! The eyes will disappear into the woodwork as usual and the cats will be on the prowl.
Ed, I'd imagine you're finding the cats down from the dams a ways still? I'm going to try get out for a bit tonight. I'll probably start a mile or so down from the dam and work snags and holes approaching it.

------------------
Scoot

RodsbyEngel: custom made fishing rods

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Man that word Walleye is really making me depressed... Ed, I have been getting good walleyes in the spring and even better in the fall around up here on the Red and RLR.

Last summer was a major bust in spring and fall??? now this spring it is appearing the same way.. there is no fish where there was usually fish??? I am starting to wonder if that low water chased them back in the dirrection of the Red?? and the rock dams the city put are maybe stopping them from making their way up to the dam like they used to??????? Not only can boats not get up there but maybe the fish are staying farther west? Sure seems that way so far..Even the Cats were scarse compared to all the other summers.. Not a good sign..

------------------
Wiskers Guiding Service
Red River, Red Lake River & Minnesota River,for Channel Cats, Flatheads & Walleyes
Crookston, MN
[email protected]

218-280-0442

[This message has been edited by Wiskers Guiding Service (edited 04-21-2004).]

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