OK, so over the years I have always believed that Flatheads do not exist, or are extremely rare above St. Anthony Falls. I know everyone here may have varying opnions, but I just want to see what people think.
The DNR says that they go all the way up to the Coon Rapids dam. This would make sense since there is a lock at St. Anthony.
What do you guys think?
I think you’ll find them up to the Coon Rapids Dam, but I don’t think that they’re as populous in that stretch. Mr. Special thinks that they had one on North of St. Anthony the other night, but couldn’t be positive about the ID.
Then again, maybe they’re just an untapped resource up there and I should make more of an effort to catch a northern flattie 
Someone told me that caught one at the Anoka dam…but my memory is failing…
It was someone from IDA…I’ll have to check.
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..but my memory is failing…
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That’s what happens when you get old and fish for bottom eating crap fish! 
NOW I HAVE AMMO FOR YOU CHAPSTER!
Seems you were very much beside yourself fishing for them “bottom” feeders…. 
But one thing it hasn’t affected…is my balance…. 
Ps…I FORGOT! Did you want that pic for your avitar???
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Then again, maybe they’re just an untapped resource up there and I should make more of an effort to catch a northern flattie
Meet you there Ralph! That’d make my life much easier.
I think the problem is once you get past NE, the water has much more shallow water than deep. I don’t know enough about the biology to know if that is enough reason. I think Dave has mentioned that a fishable population of flats has been slowly migrating up the river. Maybe in time the stretch will hold enough that it is worth fishing for them…but don’t quote me on that. Since the Pike fishing is good on that stretch, even if the bullys didn’t produce flatheads, they might produce an occasional pike.
Let me know if you ever plan on trying it.
ps. BK, that’s why I was taken back on Monday when you asked if I was runnning up to the dam.
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Because flathead catfish eat great numbers of other fish and are good sport fish as well, fish managers have tried stocking them in lakes to control undesirable fish. In one Minnesota experiment, flathead appeared to control carp and black bullhead populations.
Maybe I can get them to stock them in Moore lake!
Hey Pug, where do you live? I’m from Fridley but currently reside in NE near Boom Island Park.
Can’t put flats in Moore, they have a swimming beach!! 
Back in the ’80’s Lake Ripley by Litchfield was stocked with flats for the “weeding out” thought.
My Dad cursed the DNR for doing this more times than I can count…
For the last 10 or so years, that was my Dad’s favorite lake to fish gill on a fly rod…and many exceeded the 1 lbs mark….
If only I could make him believe it was (at least) partially due to the flat population.
Are there still flats in there, or did they get rid of them?
I don’t think the “got rid of them”…check the DNR website for Lake Ripley in Wright County. I’m cooking right now…otherwise I would look it up for you.
http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/showreport_printable.html?downum=47013400&printable=true
Netting in 2000 didn’t mention any??
Wow, you cook fast 
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OK, so over the years I have always believed that Flatheads do not exist, or are extremely rare above St. Anthony Falls. I know everyone here may have varying opnions, but I just want to see what people think.
The DNR says that they go all the way up to the Coon Rapids dam. This would make sense since there is a lock at St. Anthony.
What do you guys think?
Its a really good question D..
This question is probably best pointed towards myself.. and I will give you the best answer I can without setting 500 limb lines for more info. I have been on top of the catfishery for about 15 years now in the metro.
It is possible for flatheads to make it to the Coon Rapids dam, anyone can tell that by looking at a map. I have no doubt there are a few in the area, but a fishable population? I really dont know.
I can give you some accurate recent history.
As of 15 years ago, it was an extremely rare occasion to see a flathead as far north as Minnehaha creek(just below ford/lock #1. At that time, you would maybe see, or hear of a flat being caught once every other season. 10-15 years ago, the fish started being caught more frequently below the ford dam, but no flats were showing up above the ford dam until about 10 years ago. In the last 10 years, the flatheads have been doing a pretty good job of establishing a population above the ford dam in some stretches of the river. Flatheads started showing their presence above the lower St Anthony lock about 4 or 5 years ago. There are very few adult fish, but some are mature fish because there are a few year-classes of babies above the lower st anthony lock. There were NO flatheads above the lower lock up to 7 years ago except maybe a straggler fish… 100’s of nights of fishing before that pretty much proved that theory.
I know for a fact the fish use the upper St Anthony lock as a feeding area in the summer months, including flatheads. I can only presume some of the fish have migrated through to the upper stretch that leads to Coon rapids.
I cant tell you why they are migrating, or how many have migrated.. but I do know the water above upper St Anthony falls is prime habitat all the way to the 694 bridge area where there are still barge channels, and an unlimited amount of forage fish and tons of spawning habitat.
The problem with Coon rapids dam is the stretch from 694 to the dam is a very shallow natural stretch(like a trout stream) of river that is not ideal for flathead habitat… but that doesnt mean a few are going to sneak through.. when they do, the coon rapids area has plenty of good habitat to eventually have a good population of flatheads.
I would be willing to bet in about 20 years might be the start of prime time at the rate the fish have been migrating now. Several should have made it that far, and they should have some years of spawning behind them to establish a catchable population.
As the river stands right now.. There is a fishable population of flatheads from the Upper St Anthony falls dam and south. The trophy flathead fishery is best from the Ford dam down.. but there are a fair number that have moved above and they have been doing a darn good job about establishing a population in the last 10 years between the lower st anthony dam, and the ford dam.
I have been putting in some time above the st anthony dam with nothing to show for it as of yet.
Wow Dave, you pretty much answered my question and then some! I do most of my river fishing north of St. Anthony for purely convenience purposes. Guess we won’t really need to drown any 7″ bullheads up here any time soon!
Thanks again!
Did I not tell you that Dave knows? Thanks for taking the time and sharing your knowledge Dave. I have a feeeling I may try it a couple of times closer to 694 or NE Mpls, just because it is closer. I’ll share my reports when I do.
DFresh, I grew up in Fridley on 57th Ave. As a kid I used to fish Moore lake all the time. That’s when the West side still held fish, I am not so sure it still does. I still think of all those bullheads we wasted tossing up onto 65. To be fair, I didn’t do it as much as the people I was with. I now reside in Spring Lake Park.
Did you know that there are channels in Moore? They stocked them. About 10 years ago I caught a bunch by accident. If you chech the DNR site, they surveyed a 10lb one last time. I tried really early this year, but got nothing. I’ll have to hit it again soon for giggles.
I’ve always wanted to try Moore for channels. I think I’ll give it a go on the ice this year.
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I’ve always wanted to try Moore for channels. I think I’ll give it a go on the ice this year.
Easy there, summer has just arrived. Don’t be tempting hard water back! 
Don’t worry, ice fishing is just something to do to pass the winter months. I just can’t justify chasing little lake channels in the summer when bigger channels and flatheads are accessible in the warm months.
I’ve caught channels (very small ones) on Long Lake in New Brighton/Mounds View, but that’s about it. Can’t remember the last time I dropped a line in Moore lake. The sheer volume of goose sh** in that lake grosses me out, and I am not one to gross out easily.
As for the West side of Moore, forget about it. We used to have to canoe on it in high school ( I graduated in ’98) and the west side was choked to the surface with weeds. The only real break was near the ‘island’ on the north side of the bridge. It really sucked to fall into the lake on the west side. 
Two years ago I caught my biggest channel ever on the aforementioned body of water. I took the canoe down there because it was the first lake to open up in the spring and I was itching for soft water. Saw some GIANT snapping turtles on the bottom near the cattails and even caught a few tiny bluegills. Finally drifted over the deep hole and a channel cat of some 11 pounds grabbed my beat up angle worms and the fight was on. She towed me around the lake for several laps in front of the afternoon rush hour traffic, finally got her beached, photoed and back in she went. Funny, but I haven’t fished there since. Just figured that was my quota of luck for that lake!
This was on the east side of the highway, near the aerator, correct?
That’s where I was casting this Spring. On a side note, there was about a 15 pound carp on the shore that must have died over the winter. I have a feeling there is a decent population of channel cats in there and if you find them, you’ll be busy. It isn’t much different than a southern man made pond that doesn’t freeze because of the aerator. And channel cats in those lakes seem to do well.
How did a carp get in there?
I got that cat very near the aerator which I am pretty sure would be within easy casting range from the highway shoreline. If I recall correctly there is about 20 FOW right there. I actually thought I had a carp at first because of the very determined fight- I don’t think I have had anything approaching that from a channel cat since, even in warmer water. If that guy is still in there he would be a real handful by now. I did hear an interesting thing from a guy a work with who grew up across the street from that lake- he said about 30 years ago they put a “plastic liner” underneath the entire east lake. He wasn’t sure why – neither am I, but I guess he would know.
My Pops told me that when I was a kid, too.
If I’m not mistaken, Moore Lake (at least most of the east side) is man-made. Maybe the liner is to keep the lake from slowly draining away?
It is not spring-fed and has no inlets, so this could be the reason, though it is just a guess.
Boy, you guys must be young. Yes, they dredged it and put a plastic liner down. They didn’t want the east side to end up like the west. The plastic was mainly to control the weed growth. The lake gets a lot of run off. I can remember working the ditches over there when I worked for the city. But with the development, I am not sure those drainage ditches are still there.
I have had a lot of fun fishing the lake. About 10 years ago, I also would catch some really aggresive bass and I caught a walleye on a spinner bait in what had to have been 1/2 a foot of water.
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