cat tips for a total newbie

So I read these posts and drool. I’ve been a fisherman for over 25 years. I’m new to freshwater fishing, have a boat, live in Bloomington, and want to catch cats…any size! Assuming I put in at the I-35W bridge/Lyndale, how should I approach catfishing? Seems like I need to catch some bullheads first for big game catching. How would I go about this? Can I anchor to the bottom of the river, or is it too dangerous (possibly losing anchor)? Seems like if i find a logjam I should base upstream of it. I have the tackle (leftover saltwater stuff) and the rods (my muskie set-ups). Would the 50-80 pound power pro line be too much, since I may get a snag and be unable to break the line? Night time seems the best, is this the case? Anything I have to pay special attention to at night (like logs)? Should I just park on shore by a good spot (please supply good spot structures) and cast from shore? Should I avoid the middle of the river, fishing on the edges? I’m off 4 days a week and have ample time to learn on the water. Any tips will help me, and assume I’m a special ed student. I’m just a big game hunter needing big game!

hey it sounds like you have a pretty good jist of it. we caught a 50lb flat last week and several from 7-10lb. its a great sport to get into. i just started myself this year. night time is best by far i dont hear of to many cats being caught during the day. sucker minnows also work good if u dont have access to bullheads. we go by franklin witch is by redwood falls, MN upstream of big log jams is best and what we do is tie our boat about 5 feet from shore. the cats are running shallow this time of year from 2 to 6 feet of water. we caught that 50lb er in about 2 feet of water at 2;30 in the morning. we were using bullheads and fishing about 2 feet from shore, ya thats right 2 feet from shore. slower moving water by big log jams seem to produce the biggest and most numbers of cats. well hope this helps and let me know how you do. by the way 50-80lb test line is not too big i have talked to guys that have had cats break 80lb test on the MN river where i fish. happy hunting

I will go upriver today and try to scout out a few areas, putting in at 35W.

FishFace since you are a “newbie” to cat fishing. I’ll throw this out to ya. The max size on bullies for bait is 7″. Bigger than that and they lose there bait status and are illegal to use as bait. Good luck on your cat hunts.