1st St Croix Channel Cat for 2006

I couldn’t waste the beautiful weather today. Fished for channel cats from 4:30 to 8:30pm. Picked up 1 nice channel (29″ – 11# 6oz) on cut bait. The river is high and rising (682.4′) and water temp is cool at 38 degrees. At dark the wind became calm, sky was clear and the river was smooth as glass – fish chasing shad all over the surface. You have to be careful running in the dark because there is some debris floating around although not as much as I have experienced in the past. The island debris probably hasn’t reached the lake yet. I got a feeling the St Croix is going to reach 683′ before she crests. I was fishing by myself and I had problems framing my photos (new camera) and few of them turned out but here is one of the channel laying in the bottom of the boat. It was really a fat fish – I think it is full of shad.

Here is a photo of some of that debris I talked about. I was anchored and this tree floated by and just missed me. It was moving really slow, the light breeze was moving it more than any current. You have to really watch for this stuff especially if you are running at night.

That fish is a wedge!
Nice one!
Tuck

11 pounds? Kewl!

When does the no wake take effect Steve?

Not a lot of boaters out this time of year was there?

Brian – No Wake restrictions are supposed to take effect when the river reaches 683′. Looking at the St Croix river reading she is currently 682.4′ and going up. Here is the link for the river reading at the Stillwater Lift Bridge – it shows both elevation and temperature. St Croix River water level at Stillwater

Normal pool elevation is 675′.

Great fish, Steve. What a chunk! Pool 1 was a bust last night. There were a few nibbles here and there, but they just didn’t seem to be taking the bait in far enough to get hooked. Between 7 guys, I saw three fish landed between 6:30 and 9:30. And one was the smallest channel cat I’ve ever seen caught.

Keep up the good work!

Thank Goodness someone landed a fish yesterday. And a dandy at that!
I tip my hat sir. Thanks for sharing the pic.
posted a report on MN river. Fished it earlier in the day (Not quite sure how to transfer link into thread.
thanks
Larry