Help!

Been a Red Wing resident a year. Have formerly fished Mille Lacs walleyes with my dad and keep a boat at my Mom’s on Clearwater Lake in Annandale, MN. So, do know a fair bit about still-water walleyes. Am new to river fishing, but caught some early Saugers and Walleyes in Pool 4 this spring with my 14 foot Alumacraft with a 30 hp.

Here’s the deal. I have asked around about catfish fishing and got the straight skinny from a young guy at Four Seasons in Red Wing, and was taught about evening fishing with big hooks and big sucker minnows and big capable rods. So, I waited until I had a long evening free and tried it and had a nice night out on the river, catching nothing. So, after awhile, I asked around and was given a completely different story and have tried twice again, using still sucker minnows but going for channel cats during the day, to no avail. It seems that there is a difference between flat heads and channel cats and that I was initally limiting myself to the latter.

I am seeking channel cats, just to get fish in the boat. Here are my questions. Am I too late in the year? Do I fish shallow or deep? Slack water or moving? Day or night? Stink bait or Sucker Minnows? Heavy slip sinkers or light? Normal or light beer? Help! Do I need a guide? Anyone wanna fish with me?

I really wanna enjoy the Red Wing area and catch a few fish. And then I wanna boast in here!

Help anyone?

A

And I wanna go tomorrow fishing morning but need help! Where do I go? Who do I see? Where do I buy coffee?

Please check your pms as one of our catfish experts has sent you a pm and wants to talk to you about catching catfish.
Thanks, Bill

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Thanks, Bill

some people use cutbait i believe too

Welcome! Halumacraft!

I’m not sure where on P4 your fishing…upper or lower…but target the current seams with cut sucker for channels…they should be moving close to the dam area this time of year. By the looks of the flow, the water might be a little fast…but if you can get some cut sucker down in the edges of the fast water…you should get bit.

I like to use 5/0 Gamagatzu (I’m going to have to learn how to spell that soon) circle hooks for channel cats. Cut a 5 inch sucker into three chunks. I like to use the gut section first…then the head…but you need to step on it…and I generally eat the tail…ok just kidding…I toss the tail section. I like to use the 3,4 or 5 oz No Roll sinkers…with 4 being my all around go to sinker…many differant opinions…(but this does catch fish)….

Check out the Catfish Connetions catalog, it’s a great resouce for hooks, sinkers and more.

Here’s a link to a typical catfishing set up…this is set up for Flats, but with just a change of the hook your ready for channels.
Click Here for Terminal Tackle

That aught to get you started…Hope you aren’t using a walleye jigging rod!

Let us know how you do.

Hmmm…no report back…either H didn’t catch anything…or he latched on to a big one and is being pulled to LaCross!

Brian-

G-A-M-A-K-A-T-S-U!!

I don’t care how you pronounce, it only means one thing in my book- More fish in the boat!

Hey! They let me post!

I’m off to practice…100 times…

Halumacraft?

How did you do?

I only caught the one 19 incher, and had one more bite. I feel like that one fish was a triumph, though. I feel like I was really doing it right and I did produce! I’m off three days this midweek and will get back out for another day of trying.

Armed with info from this forum, I went down to 4-Seasons to get bait and more stuff to rig with and again I was given completely different advice from the kid down there, like don’t use suckers and use do use crawlers and don’t use circle hooks. But I held firm and fished with BrianK’s cut sucker and that produced. I also tried the guy at Evert’s Resort’s method of stink bait on one of those ribbed plastic affairs to no avail.

I learned more about boat control in the current and also about getting the bait to the bottom.

Thanks for the advice. Gonna try it again this week!

That’s great! Can’t catchem all the first time out!

As I mentioned, those guys from IA and their stink bait do produce…it’s just that I can’t tell you how to use it besides toss it over the boat and giv’er a whirl! Worms will work too, but you’ll catch anything and everything on a worm…

Cat’s and turtles are the most likly catches on cut sucker.

Good Luck! Keep us posted!