Helping the DNR Help the Catfishers -Must Read!

Catfish Excursion! Helping our DNR.

When: June 19th

Where: St Croix River
From the I-94 Bridge South to the End of the Afton No Wake Zone.

Time: 9 am to 4 pm (Pre Launch Meeting at 8:30 am at Beanies)

IDoFishing is teaming up with the MN DNR to help tag catfish. We are asking your help to catch as many catfish as possible 8 hour time frame.

The DNR will have two tagging boats available to cover this water along with orange flags to signal caught fish. The DNR does not want you to move from the “catch” location, they will come to you. Fish can be held in your live well until they arrive. They will also have cell and marine band radios for hailing. More details will be posted here and covered at the pre-launch meeting.

The goal of this event is to further the studies of populations of both flathead and channel cats on the St Croix River.

Hope to see you all out there on June 19th!

(please post this notice on other websites too. We’re all in this together!)

Can I take them home and eat them after they are tagged??? This actually sounds kinda fun! Remind me again closer to the date.

This is on my calendar would enjoy the opportunity to help catch and tag cats See you there.

Brian, are you going to be fishing or helping out in one of the tagging boats?

I’d like to go, but I’ll have to see if one of my St. Croix partners will be participating or if there is an open seat.

Well the DNR will have two boats there so I doubt they will need my help. But I was going to wait until the day before to make plans depending on how many folks show up. We might have to split up the DNR!

I’ll shoot you a pm..sometime today or tonight.

I may have an open seat. Have not consulted the calendar yet.

If the wife and I get back from Vacationland early enough I’d be up for it, won’t know until that friday though

Al

I’m in!

If anyone wants to ride along and provide some expertise or has an open seat I’d love to come play!

I have a boat but I’m new to catfishing from a boat on the river (or anywhere from a boat really). PM if interested either way!

Define expertise.

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If anyone wants to ride along and provide some expertise or has an open seat I’d love to come play!

I have a boat but I’m new to catfishing from a boat on the river (or anywhere from a boat really). PM if interested either way!

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You got the new boat… take it, use it. Only one way to learn, make sure you have plenty o gas and the PFD’s.
I would help but I have other commitments.
Good luck

This sounds very interesting…..
Where is this “Beanies” place?
I’ll be talking to the “boss” on this….

On the MN side, pretty much right next to the Hudson WI/MN bridge on I-94. South side.

Glad to see mn DNR is working with cats. i dont think Iowa “officials” even knows what a cat is, or if they do, they don’t acknowledge it

This is not a one time tagging session. If it works out well, there will be more.

I’m looking for and open seat for this date. If anyone has one please shoot me a PM.

Thanks!

I don’t think I can make it. Too far away with only one oar in the water.
But I noticed when reading the opening post that they want you to catch as many fish as possible in 8 hours. Just wondering if you guys have bag or possesion limits for cats? Would hate to see anyone get nailed on this just from waiting to have their fish tagged before turning them back.
But then again I’m just thinking aloud.

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I don’t think I can make it. Too far away with only one oar in the water.
But I noticed when reading the opening post that they want you to catch as many fish as possible in 8 hours. Just wondering if you guys have bag or possesion limits for cats? Would hate to see anyone get nailed on this just from waiting to have their fish tagged before turning them back.
But then again I’m just thinking aloud.

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That’s have to be some fast action. I don’t know the possession limit on cats, but I think it’s around 20+. The DNR boats will be stationed where they can see you. You catch a fish and they come over and tag it right away.

Possession limit for catfish on MN/WI border waters is 10 with no size restriction. Our goal will be to tag them as fast as possible so they don’t spend much time in the livewell. So as soon as a fish is caught, we would like the anglers to notify us with an orange flag, by cell phone, or VHF radio and one of the tagging boats will head there to collect the fish, tag them, and release at that site.
I could only hope that action would be that fast that we would have a potential problem like too many fish in possession. Maybe I’ll look into having us permitted for such a scenario.

Joel

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Define expertise.

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Knowing a particular river and/or spot selection, bait selection and stuff.

That’s what I mean. If I go it alone I’m gonna sit on the water and be of no use at all…

Actually, if I can’t hook up with an open seat or find some folk who know the river I may skip it… I don’t want to try handling the boat alone on the river and I don’t want to get myself skunked in front of everyone.

Still thinking thru that scenario…

I would like to make a recommendation for bait and maybe a few locations although there are others that are more in tune with the Croix than I for channels.

Two poles are allowed.

I’ll be using stink bait on one rod and cut sucker on another. Now if you happen to catch a sturgeon…I don’t want to hear about it!

I know Moore’s carries Sonny’s and Evert’s has both Sonny’s and Uncle Josh Rotten Shad and Chicken Liver. I’ll be using tube baits cut in half with a 3/0 circle hook. The Team Catfish 3/0’s will work well. Some like the trebles. I’ll be using 3 oz no rolls but I would bet a person could get by with a 2 oz weight.

If you aren’t having good bites in 10-15 minutes…move.

I think everyone here knows how to rig cut bait. If not holler and someone will chime in.

The stink will let me know if there’s any cats in the area and the cut bait will attract the larger fish along with a possible flat. I’m not going to use live bait, but some of you might want to go for the gold. A sucker might be a better option than a bulli, thinking there’s a chance a channel or a flat could hit it. (not saying a channel won’t hit a bully mind you!)

Areas to target.

Around the I-94 pilings.

The rock edges on the WI side below the I-94 bridge.

The bay in the same area. It might be too weedy to get in there by now. You’ll have to check.

Canary Point is good for a flat and channels. (first Green Can South of the bridge)

The sunken “islands” further South. Pull out your LakeMaster chip and locate them, I can’t explain where they are. Fish the edges of the drop offs.

St Mary’s Point should be good. Be careful that bar comes up fast!

Pretty much all over the Afton narrows around Catfish Bar.

Remember, these are areas and not spot on the spots, your stink bait should tell you the tale in short order.

Remember, this is the St Croix River. One of the most heavily traveled recreational waterways. It’s everyone’s responsibility to watch out for on coming boats and not just the boat owner.

If you have a favorite way to fish the Croix, please feel free to share.

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Areas to target.

Around the I-94 pilings.

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Great! You just gave away my summer suspended crappie spot…

…oh wait, I just gave it away not you.

Yes thanks for the reminder Pug. Please only use stink bait and cut bait in the above areas. Lord knows the hate mail I’ll get if you catch a white bass!

Pool 2 tagging going on too…..

Pool 2 catfish tagging.

-J.

Cool stuff, J…

J

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I would like to make a recommendation for bait and maybe a few locations although there are others that are more in tune with the Croix than I for channels.
…

I’ll be using tube baits cut in half with a 3/0 circle hook. The Team Catfish 3/0’s will work well. Some like the trebles. I’ll be using 3 oz no rolls but I would bet a person could get by with a 2 oz weight.

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BK,

When you say “tube baits cut in half”, how big tubes do you use and do you rig them with the open end upstream or downstream? Or maybe it’d make more sense to ask if you have the open end of the tube bait facing into the current or away from it?

‘Course now it occurs to me that maybe you’re using the end of the tube bait that is open all the way thru…

I don’t suppose we can get any kind of a head count for who may be attending this event could we? I’m trying to get a ballpark of what to expect and how many tags I should bring and how many people we need working to tag fish.

Joel

This sounds like a pretty great event! Unfortunately, I likely will not be attending – The Great Mississippi River Cleanup is the same day and I’ll be loading up trash and tires in the boat!

Hopefully ya get a pile of fish tagged!

I’m hoping to have myself and 3 others in my boat…

AllenW and I. Not sure if he has anyone else going in his boat.

Hello,

I was wondering if anybody is going to have an open seat in there boat for this event. I was suppose to fish with a buddy but he’s going sky diveing for the first time instead. I definatly don’t have a problum pitching in $ for gas and bait. Send me a pm if I may beable to tag along with you. Thanks in advance!

Take care!
Kevin