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Is it ok to eat Red River fish


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Hi everybody!
I was wondering if it is ok to eat fish out of the red river by moorhead here? Some people tell me its ok but then the next guys says heck no because of the beet plant in whapeton and moorhead that they are putting polluted water in the river and that effects the fish and yourself. I would like your opinion about this topic. Its for any species of fish.

thaks,
chris

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walleyes taste gooooooooooood in fargo. i dunno about your side of the river, but ill eat any fish during the spring and fall when the water is cold...
I personally wouldnt eat fish in the summer, but to each his own..

later.

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This is an interesting deal- people tend to think of the Red as a dirty river. It's true- lots of silt in the river. That fact is actually part of why it's safe to eat fish from the river. Mercury is the primary cause of problems from eating fish. In silty water, the mercury adheres to the silt and gets filtered through the fish's gills. Therefore in silty water, all other things being equal, pollutants don't get absorbed into the fish as much as in very clear water. In clear water, without the silt for the mercury to adhere to, the fish takes in the mercury and you take it in when you eat a fish. One thing to keep in mind- the longer a fish lives, the more time it has to build up mercury and other toxins. If you put back bigger fish, you don't have to worry about this. I don't keep anything over 18 or 19 inches, partially because of this reason and partially because I'd like me and others to have an opportunity to catch these fish when they get really big and fat (then I put them back again!)

Take home point here is this- the Red is pretty dang safe. Practice C&R on bigger fish and have fun.

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Scoot

RodsbyEngel: custom made fishing rods

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I'm not sure about contaminent levels in Red river fishes....But I will say the Walleye and Sauger out of there have a taste all their own compared to fish I've eaten out of other waters! Fish from the trib {Roseau river} I fish near my home also have this particular flavor as well.

fiskyknut

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Fisky,

It's not just the aftertaste of beer after leaving the river, is it? lol
Did you get your monster pike this spring? I haven't been snooping on the LOW forum much lately so I haven't been updated on the gator chase this spring.

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Scoot

RodsbyEngel: custom made fishing rods

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Can't be the beer as I don't drink....it's the water! Pike fishing was rather tough this year for myself and many with whom I spoke. Biggest for me thru the ice was a mere 39 incher, dissappointing late ice tipup bite this year. Been fishing the river mouth at Warroad and it has been slow so far, got 2 yesterday though so things might fire up soon. Did some ditch cruising a few times the past few days and there are lot's of fish up the ditches at this time. The big Pike tourney is next weekend at Zippel, hopefully the bite will be going good by then over there....I need some money!!!

fiskyknut

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I read in the FM Fourm that the red is in the top 25% of rivers for being clean in the whole country.

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I read an article in the Fargo Forum a few years back that stated the Red River was one of the top ten rivers in the US regarding water quality. That seems pretty clean to me, some people assume it's dirty because it is murky, but that's not always the case.

Fisherdog

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