What I’ve learned as a first timer…

1) Have backups of everything. Leaders, flashlight batteries and hamburgers…well, hamburgers are optional.
2) Two anchors. On the Croix, with little currant, when the wind is light from the south the back of the boat keeps moving around.
3) Again on the Croix, the party boats are generally not looking for fishing boats after dark. Keep one eye over your shoulder. (I won’t go into bashing party boats here)
4) If you want to actually “boat” your catch, make sure you have a big enough net.
5) A spot light is a must, a GPS really helps. Mark the cans with your GPS. But remember, they may not be in the exact same place next year or even next time if a boat tangles with them.

All the above, with the exception of the party boat, my mentor, Dirk either told me or had set up in his boat. They may seem simple but it will add to a more pleasent experiance in the wee hours of the morning.

Also don’t expect to hook up with the “big” one the first time out and it’s hard to take pictures of yourself and a kitten when your alone. much less a big cat!

Thanks again Dirk! ‘eye fishing during the day…cat’s at night. I wonder if my wife is getting upset…guess I’ll just have to take her along!

Hmmm, no picture. I’ll try again.

Bummer, no pictures…well, it was just a little kitten anyway. About 4-6 lbs. I was using suckers at the end of catfish bar in Afton…a dangerous spot on Saturday night I might add.

there it is !!

Thank you Mr. Ecnook! So I didn’t break the website.

Dirk, I had company tonight at the catfish bar. Two gentlemen and two young ladies. (The gals were fishing too). They were drifting/trolling the area using, from what I could tell, two shad on a hook that I couldn’t see with a weight about two feet up. They were netting the shad while they were fishing. I guess you really aren’t a catfisherperson until you catch your own bait. Suckers from the bait store don’t count.
They picked up at least two flats on about 11 and the other about 6. Since I didn’t get a nibble, I’m thinking this might be the approach to use in areas there isn’t any wood.
Do you or anyone else have experiance with this approach?

Thanks for the help!

Newbie Brian

PS Dirk, you didn’t tell me that some outings you’ll get skunked!

I drift occaissonaly. The one issue I have with it is you can’t run as many rigs. I fish a wasteland with absolutely no wood to speak of. Find a straight weedline and float away. 3 way rigs, 1 to 2 feet off the bottom.

Thanks Whiskerkev,

Which wasteland do you fish?

Beach Brian you made some very solid observations.

Redundancy is the key word after dark. More often then not, after dark, if it can go wrong…it will.

You mentioned anchors. They are key element’s for River Rats. Sticking where you wish and staying put will up your odds on hooking up more cats without spooking them.

We see high flows at times on the Red River System so I designed a new anchor that will stick and hold even in Warp-9 water below big fast flowing dams.

We tested them extensively with big V-Hulls and River Pro 1872’s and they work! Several Flathead riggers bought them from us this sumer to handle the fast flows on the Minnesota and other rivers. They worked and they have been very happy with the system.

Being able to get the anchor back once you get it set is always nice too. I worked on that for some time to get the system just right. We have never lost one because of them being hooked up too solidly to retrieve. The only one that was lost this season was lost by a guide who used an old rope…..so…..you can guess the rest of that story. New anchors should use new ropes Eh! Especially one that weigh in at #35. I recommend 1/2 cotton rope on these, 1/2″ is far easier on the hands and acts like a bungee in rodeo (bumpy) waters to hold tightly and smoothly.

If your interested in one drop me an e-mail and I will steer you to my partner who does the fabrication work and shipping. They are half the price of other “So Called” snag free anchors and do a far better job on rivers.

“Go-Fish”

The last 4 miles or so of pool nine gets scrubbed clean of snags and wood during spring floods. The cats will find deep water. I look for any holes deeper than 20 feet in the main channel. Once you find that, look towards the nearest weedline. I have found my biggest cats right on boey anchors of all places.

Hey Ed,

You don’t have a picture of this anchor you could post, do ya ?