Would you eat them?

For all fish, pretty much anymore, I am a C&R guy. I do like a few sunfish, crappies, walleyes now and then, but for the most part, I figure that’s what Byerly’s, Whole Foods and Costal Seafood is there for. A long time ago, I lived in Kansas. We fished Cats almost exclusively. We ate them too – awesome fish frys. I fish Cats just above and just below the Ford dam a lot during the summer. Would you guys eat fish caught from there? How about the Minnesota River – upstream from Jordan?

I will eat them anywhere from the Mississippi the Minnesota is a little more sketchy but cleaned properly would be fine.check mndnr

Not sure about keeping them from the heart of the twin cities. Plenty of industry in the north metro. From just north of town I could see keeping a few. Maybe just as far up as above 694 bridge or north of Anoka.

Used to eat them out of the st louis river near flood wood on opener. Those cold water cats where fantastic eating fish.

Mike, I’m kinda think the same thing, but, then, I think about all of the tons of catfish harvested south of here. Farmed Cats must have some quality issues too. I might continue to let all my friends from my urban hotspot go. I can get an eater or two when I go to the upper St Croix!

Here are links to the latest fish consumption guidelines for rivers in MN for the general public and Women of childbearing years and children etc.

Women who are or may become pregnant and children under age 15

Men; Women not planning to be pregnant

I’m like you. Once in a while I’ll keep a half dozen bluegills to eat. If I desired it, I would eat cats from the Mississippi around the Ford dam, smaller ones.

The one thing I was thinking is what if you kept some and ate them and then a few days later you heard about contaminants that were dumped recent enough to be concerned. But then I thought, contaminants need to be built up over time to be a concern, for the most part.

So I wouldn’t feed myself a steady diet of city cats, but from time to time you’d be ok.

Like all fish, the smaller the better.

Eating a 20+ pound flathead isn’t going to hurt me anymore, but I wouldn’t allow my daughter to eat it.

Keeping in mind mercury (and other heavy metals) stay in whatever consumes it…forever, the smaller the fish the less likely a person is to accumulate these contaminates.

Smalls link to the fish consumption advisories make sense.

Im sure the fish eating guidelines says those fish are all right to eat and you are right plenty getting eaten out of the river south of here. The taste of them and the thought of what might be in that water would keep me from keeping them. Seems to me that once those fish come in contact with the muddy water of the Minnesota they take on the flavor of that mud. Yea lots of people eat them from down river but I just figure they are used to eating those fish.

That list is pretty cool. Weird that it says some sections upstream of others are ‘1 meal/week’ for eating channels, then further downstream is ‘unrestricted’.

Forgot to mention White Bass for some reason hold more contaminates then other fish.

I was looking at that too Doug. Might be because the contaminates where deposited there and they don’t move too far down stream. (?)

The river continually flushes it’s self unlike lakes that pretty much hold what ever ends up in it. Acid Rain for one example. It’s interesting that just because water is clear, it doesn’t mean eating the fish are healthy.

I wouldn’t eat anything below saint Anthony falls. The cats above it are down right delicious though. I bleed them out, cut out the belly meat, don’t know how much it helps with the contaminants but good eating. Its my conspiracy theory that’s why they have pool 2 catch and release. They don’t want to tell me you how polluted it really is.

P4 channel cats taste just fine to me, and half the population of Iowa from what I understand

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I wouldn’t eat anything below saint Anthony falls. The cats above it are down right delicious though. I bleed them out, cut out the belly meat, don’t know how much it helps with the contaminants but good eating. Its my conspiracy theory that’s why they have pool 2 catch and release. They don’t want to tell me you how polluted it really is.

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I get confused by these rules. How do you know fish above SAF havent spent their lives below?

Or, “I would eat fish from the St Croix, but never the Mississippi”, well, it is the same water a mile downriver.

I am not sure if things have changed, but years ago the Croix and Miss had the same recommended limitations as Vermilion, Rainy, Kabe, etc.

horseshoe chain has great channel fishing all year around. you can usually get all ou want on 2-5 pounders!!

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horseshoe chain has great channel fishing all year around. you can usually get all ou want on 2-5 pounders!!

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I’m sure Kevin will chime in about Horseshow, but he claims they taste like crap and stink when you cook them.

Just remember, he’s from Iowa.

To clarify, what I mean is, if a guy from Iowa says the catfish are gross from there, then you better believe it.

Or do I take it that he is trying to assure he goes back to Iowa with a cooler full?

I kid, Kevin has helped me with some intel for our Labor Day weekend trips there.

I’ve read that the bulk of mercury is stored in the fat. And I always considered the red strip down the lateral line of the White Bass to be where most of the fat is stored. Not sure if any of this is completely accurate but I always remove the red strip before eating.

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I get confused by these rules. How do you know fish above SAF havent spent their lives below?

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I just go off of industrial plants, and their proximity to the watershed. A lot of N Minneapolis had plants back when and I know of a couple that are vacant right now due to the cleanup needed when they left

But most of those were within a mile of the falls, and I just don’t see huge numbers of fish traveling through the locks on their migrations. Either way anything will be safe above coon rapids dam BC of the new gates, not even the dreaded Asian carp will be able to get through

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Either way anything will be safe above coon rapids dam BC of the new gates, not even the dreaded Asian carp will be able to get through

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Oh yeah, true dat.

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horseshoe chain has great channel fishing all year around. you can usually get all ou want on 2-5 pounders!!

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I’m sure Kevin will chime in about Horseshow, but he claims they taste like crap and stink when you cook them.

Just remember, he’s from Iowa.

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Worst thing I have ever seen or smelled cooking. and I’ve cooked and eaten a lot of fish.

For the people who eat catfish from the chain, do you have taste buds? I’d eat a 3 week old rotten shrimp before I’d eat a channel out of the chain. The meat bubbled white foam while it was cooking and smelled like pure sulfur.

I don’t even know why someone would NEED to eat catfish out of there, there is plenty of bluegills to be caught… and more 12-14″ bass that you can shake a senko at.. both of which would be much better eating than one of those stinky old catfish.

Good news is, last year was the best yet for # of catfish on our annual trip (lowest #!) 4 or 5 years ago the 3 of us would catch close to 100 a day, all 10-12″ long. They got progressively bigger and fewer in numbers. Last year we caught the fewest number yet, and they were mostly 18″ range. These are accidental catches, we are NOT targeting them!

I find it odd that you say the catfish cooked like that, but not the other fish. I know catfish physiology is a little different and they are oilier, but with the extremes you are talking about, you’d think it would be almost as bad with any fish out of there. Sure it wasn’t psychological? Maybe one bad diseased fish.

I suppose.. *shrug smiley*

All I know is for the week we are up there, all the guys coming in to clean fish from the campground and cabins… I don’t see any catfish being cleaned except for ONE guy. He goes out in his beat up boat that looks like a scrunched up soup can every night to get his limit of catfish (like you need to go anywhere, you can catch them off the damn dock). I tried to talk to him one time but I don’t think he spoke any english, just hillbilly. (he really honestly said “dem der catfyish” to me).

I’m not doubting you. I just think it is odd, but not unbelievable.

You are right about catching them. The first year we went up there for Labor Day a young adult who was there supervising some handicapped people from a group home went on the dock at Riverside with some chicken livers and it was one after the other.

It’s nice for me too since I am the default guide. I can stop about anywhere and get the ladies on some cats. Now if I could just find some bass, as if there is much time to fish. Its mostly cruising up and down the chain.

I too have seen plenty of baskets full of fish, but no cats. So you are probably right.

If you want bass then go to southside and get a couple doz jumbo leeches and head to becker. Put one on a slip bobber about 6′ deep and toss it along the weed line in the main part of the lake. You’ll get some bass, and probably a snake northern and some small perch as well.

I only suggested the live bait because of you fishing in a ‘toon, not because of your fishing skills.

I still cast from the toon like I am Roland Martin LOL. This year we made it up to Becker and trolled around in a couple circles. I bought one of those old Hummingbird Fishing Buddies from a garage sale just so I could have some depth reference. On one of the passes I marked what must have been a pike. I was shocked that thing actually displayed an arc. It had to be a decent size fish. If I were alone I would have tried some slop bassing on the channel leading into the lake.

Yep, that can be a great spot! Becker is full of suckers, catfish, carp, and dogfish as well. I’ve seen some MONSTER carp in there. If you get in there on a calm day you can see down a good 7 or 8 feet. In the far south west end its pretty much a flat and holds some nice bass. I’ve sight fished them a few times back in there as far as I could get with the ranger. You won’t make it back out with a ‘toon though, a couple times I had a 30′ window to get on plane and trim it up or I wasn’t coming out with the big motor. Its solid weeds then 2-3’ of water on top with clumps of weeds touching the surface.

I can put you on some smallies next year if that interests you, you should be hitting the mid summer bite that we always do if the weather holds true. Weather is looking to be a few weeks behind this year. I usually only spend a half day or so targeting them, but always catch them… and most in the 15-18″ range. One 20, and one 21.5″ so far. Caught the 21.5″er on a big buzzbait on the main lake of horseshoe in the southwest bay fishing for pike. The bay that’s on your left before you enter krones. Talk about a fight! It was a male, or at least I believe.. very skinny but wide top to bottom, only weighed 4lbs even. I bet if it was a female she would push 6+ in the spawn.

Maybe it was a carp I marked then.

Would I be interested in smallmouth? That’s a silly question!