Back from the Red

Just got back from Lockport. The Red was insane once again. The water was higher than I have ever seen it. 10 feet above normal. Winnipeg under a flood warning. Basements flooding and on our 4th day the city of Winnipeg open the gates for the diversion canal to divert part of the river flow around the city. The current was INTENSE to say the least.

When we arrived the normaly high and dry diversion canal spillway was under 5 feet of water so we spent about four days in there pitching floats and hammering the cats. Then after the flow in there picked up too much we fished sinker rigs in the main river. On the last day we went up “near” the dam to do battle in the angry water. The current made you cry when you had a fish on, but we toughed it out for 26 fish from one anchor to end the trip.

2 guys, 7 days, 253 cats in the boat.

For anybody who has ever been there, this is the spillway under 20 feet of water!!

Here is the submerged concrete shorefishing spot near the lock. You can see the railing for the stairs going down at the left and that fence at the right is 8 or 10 feet tall. There is a waist high fence totaly submerged, under the pelicans, that runs from the stairs to the taller fence.

Here is a 23 pounder I caught on 8 pound test on an ultralight while fishing for goldeye in some slackwater.

Here is a 25 pounder.

wow! NIce (blue?) Cat

Very nice fish. Must be fun to catch that many big fish in one trip. Bigfish I believe they are channel cats

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2 guys, 7 days, 253 cats in the boat.

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So…how was the fish’en?!

Nice pictures! I’m a little surprised that fishing was that good with the high water. Glad you had a good trip!

Are they getting close to spawning?

Dang RB, the thing I admire most about your trip was that you were able to do it for 7 straight days!! Excellent!

We only fish 4-6 hours per day anymore. 6-10 PM is the best. We take lots of breaks and sometimes don’t even go out until after supper.

Those are some nice fiddler cats

Only you can say that with a straight face.

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Only you can say that with a straight face.

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Yeah…and they don’t know the half of it

jiminy crickets!!!!!!!!!! 200 some cats between two guys! thats insane!!! Nice work Rich!! How many years have u been going up there now? It seems like u definately got the system down and know the area pretty good! Just like i say in all my other posts………. “someday i’ll get up there…someday.” hopefully this summer i will be in manitoba hauling some duckhuntin crap up to our lodge b4 fall, but its a long ways from Lockport area. Possibly i can convince my brother to bring his walleye boat…i dont think my little flatbottom will handle the current like u were talkin about. Is the fishin pretty good near the end of august?

once again right on!

one other question……if anybody can answer it for me. what makes the Red River around lockport area so conducive to big channel cats, and lots of them??? i’ve allways wonder that.

Good genes, Good habitat, Good forage, excellent fisheries management….and Magic????

Jason.

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….and Magic????

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that was my main assumption. when there is something as awesome as the Red River fishery, all you can really blame it on is pure magic, northwoods voodoo, and the occasional sourcery spell casted by local godesses.