Are there catfish?

I never hear about catfish in the great lakes, or even the bigger MN lakes that the Mississippi (winnie, cass, leech, etc) goes through.

Are there channel or flathead catfish in these waters?

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I never hear about catfish in the great lakes, or even the bigger MN lakes that the Mississippi (winnie, cass, leech, etc) goes through.

Are there channel or flathead catfish in these waters?

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Hmm, my initial response would be a resounding no. I don’t know how far north in the Mississippi cats exist. But I think they catch them at the dam in Grand Rapids?

We catch giant channel cats trolling for Walleyes on Green Bay all the time. I also recall catching a channel on Erie once. I would guess if they’re on Lake Michigan and Erie, there must be some population on Superior etc… I would be surprised if there weren’t cats on most every major body of water in the US.

I think just about every body of water has some type of catfish. Be it bullhead, channels, or flatheads. Just about everywhere (except maybe extreme north) has a place where a catfish can live. I have never fished the great lakes (tomorrow will be my first time) but I would imagine they are in them all.

Pool 16 seems to have more the last several years.Maybe due to less commercial catfishing with the number of pond raised fish.Most of the comm fisherman I see fish mostly rough fish for the Chicago market.Also seems the last few years other fish have become more fashionable.Sorry BK,by the way thanks for dragging my walleye partner over to the dark side.{Todd C}.He offered me his crankbait box this week

I’ve caught some nice catfish on lake erie many years ago on a charter boat out draging crawler harnesses

I was on the bay of Green Bay this past Tuesday and Wednesday trolling for walleyes off the Oconto river breakwater, 3 1/2 to 4 miles out, and on Tuesday it was CATFISH ON FIRE DAY!

They were hitting harnesses 6ft down over 30ft of water and any and every depth in between. We weighed one of the smaller ones, and my digital scale said 9.2 lbs.

I’ve caught some big channels in Lake MI, Green Bay, Pelee Island on Erie, and in am lot of the tributaries

I had an uncle that fished Lake Winnipeg in Canada in 25 years ago and he said it was one huge channel after another fishing below a water fall area, 20 lbs. plus a few of them. They were fishing for walleyes.

Plenty of channel cats in the st louis river that flows in lake Superior. Floodwood MN is catfish capital of the world and has a yearly catfish festival and contest.

I got a 3 pound catfish in big sandy about 5 years ago fishing crappies, didn’t think anything of it with the river conected to it,

steve if your sure you dont want them i think iam gonna take the treble hooks off all of them, at least i could use those for dough balls or something,,,lol

I can not believe BK has not chimed in on this one as of yet!
He must have spent too much time in an other thread and is

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Hmm, my initial response would be a resounding no. I don’t know how far north in the Mississippi cats exist. But I think they catch them at the dam in Grand Rapids?

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Even a walleye guy knows channels can be found as far north as Nipigon

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I got a 3 pound catfish in big sandy about 5 years ago fishing crappies, didn’t think anything of it with the river conected to it,

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Sounds like an AIS issue…calling the DNR right now

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I can not believe BK has not chimed in on this one as of yet!
He must have spent too much time in an other thread and is

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No no…I’ve been busy taking picture of the Tekota 600’s I’m selling.

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I got a 3 pound catfish in big sandy about 5 years ago fishing crappies, didn’t think anything of it with the river conected to it,

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I know there are some very big bullheads in that lake but have to wonder about catfish. Having fished the Mississippi river up there a lot I have never caught a catfish out of it. If there is a population in that area for some reason it must stay very small. Seems to me most places that have channel cats the population is fairly large and noticeable.

Dont think I have ever heard of a cat coming out of Winni or the other lakes just north of there either.

I know it was not a bullhead.
I have caught a ton of cats over the years,
the past few years cats have been showing up in some weird places, a few big flatheads have been caught on Minnetonka. I saw a guy catch one in Seaton channel, the DNR guys I have talked to say that they may have come from people bucket stocking or from DNR grow out ponds along rivers that flood into the ponds and catfish get mixed in with the walleyes , at a kids fishing camp about 20 years ago the DNR guy doing the event found a dead 5 pound catfish along shore at the park on Crystal lake in Robbinsdale and said that they didnt know they were in the lake, but he was not suprised that they were in there.
how many times have you found a gamefish in your minnow bucket catfish, walleye, sunfish, northern and tossed it in the lake ?

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…at a kids fishing camp about 20 years ago the DNR guy doing the event found a dead 5 pound catfish along shore at the park on Crystal lake in Robbinsdale and said that they didnt know they were in the lake, but he was not suprised that they were in there.

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Nowadays, there is not much of anything in there! Quite the cesspool, but they are working at improving the water quality.