The Red River of the North is known worldwide for the great channel cat fishery it is. Catfisherman from throughout the world travel to Minnesota, North Dakota and Manitoba every year to catch trophy size channel catfish. When the who’s who of the catfishermen talk about places to go to catch trophy size channel catfish, the Red River tops that list. But as well known as this fishery is, it is still a very underutilized resource. Few local fishermen take advantage of this fishery. It is unlikely that when you put your boat in at any of the local boat landings that you will see more than just a few empty boat trailers.
As well known as the Red River is about its great channel catfishing, it is not as well known about the superb walleye fishing that can occur at certian times of the year. Walleyes move upstream in the spring and fall and, if conditions are right, will pile up beneath obstructions in the river,–mainly its dams. During the summer, although some fish are caught, the walleyes are scattered throughout the river and will be hard to come by on a regular basis. Some of the other fish that are caught on a regular basis are northern pike, sauger, smallmouth bass, freshwater drum, muskie, goldeye, carp and even a few sturgeon.
There are 8 lowhead dams on the US portion of the Red River. They are at Whapeton, Wolverton, Hickson, 3 in Fargo, Grand Forks and Drayton. Most have been filled in below the dams with large rock to prevent the “hydraulic” current that is so dangerous and has taken numerous lives throughout the years.
The Red River begins where the Ottertail river & the Bois-De-Soiux meet in Whapeton-Breckinridge. This is a popular fishing area and has boat ramps both above and below the dam. The river is more clear in this area because of the sandy soils the river meanders through. This begining is a good place to fish for smallmouth bass. It is also a popular walleye fishing spot in the spring and fall. The river is small here and most of the year is barely boatable due to its shallow depths.
By the time the river reaches the Fargo-Moorhead area it has muddied considerably. There are 4 boat landings in the FM area, with one being above all the dams, one above and one below the middle dam, and one being below all the dams. So all areas of the Red River are reachable by boat in the FM area. The River here is still a small river but is a little easier to boat in as average depths will range from 5′ to 8′ most of the year.
As we travel north, there is a boat landing at Belmont Park, which is located east of Buxton, ND. This stretch of the river can get shallow and is one of the few areas that you have to watch out for rocks. When the river reaches Grand Forks it has grown considerably. This area is quite easy to boat as the river averages 10′ to 15′ and has holes to 40′. There are boat landings both above and below the dam in Grand Forks.
There is a boat landing at Oslo, MN but no dam. Further north, Drayton, ND has a boat landing in town and one below the dam a few miles to the north of town. The Drayton area of the river is still no more deeper than the Grand Forks area, 10′ to 15′. The river here has widened noticably though. From Drayton and north, the river would probably be considered a medium size river. It has few snags (deadfalls) from here and to the north. There is one more useable boat landing on the US potion of the Red River and this is located at Pembina, ND.
The upper portion of the Red River is snag infested from its begining to north of Oslo, MN. These areas provide current breaks, shade, ambush sites, spawning substrate and cover for fish. These areas are a good place to start looking for fish when fishing the beginning part of the river. From Drayton and to the north, the river is a whole new ballgame. Areas to start looking for fish are holes, insides of bends or any current breaks.
Some Red River facts:
This river flows to the north.
There are more than 50 species of fish that have been documented in the river.
It extends 545 miles and drains more than 40,000 square miles.
Although it has a swift current, it only drops 233 feet from its begining to where it enters Lake Winnipig.
If you would like specific information, such as lodging options, exact boat landing locations, bait shop locations and so forth contact Dennis Flom @ [email protected] and he will get that for you.
Dennis Flom