Crayfish are great for cats…..even if theyre dead. On days when i cant catch a fish to save my life, i start flippin up rocks and eventually find a crayfish… Hook it thru the tail, throw it out and wait……
Works every time….

Hey Mudcatkid,
We should go fishin sometime…….

Sorry all, I’ve been having computer problems for the last week or so and I wasnt able to get to the boards. I went out Friday for 6 hrs……1 cat 12 inches long…..Not that great of a night i must say, but the water is still cold so I have hope…..

Anyone like to come with my team next weekend? We dont have a boat, but we got some great spots on the Miss (pool 4). Last year we had ALOT of cats over 25 inches….hopefully this year will be the same, although the low water levels have me a little concerned.
Let me know,
-e-

Spring + 70 degree water temp = flatheads……

I dont care what anybody says…….find a pond overrun with bullheads, throw some bread on the surface and try to net them when they swarm. Try to keep the ones between 6 and 8 inches. When its time to go fishing, put them in ALOT of ice. This makes them stop moving so you can stick your hand in the bucket and grab one. Cut off the spines with a needle nose pliers or a wire cutter, then put a 5/0 circle hook through the tail…..put a large weight about 2 feet up, throw out and wait. Bullheads live through everything. Chubs and suckers are much too sensitive and just arent hardy enough for me. Me and my buddy caught between 20 and 30 big flatheads last season (from 10 to 45 lbs), and they were all on bullheads…..need I say more??

I go to a metro pond three blocks from my house. I throw a piece of bread in the water, and within 30 seconds hundreds of bullheads are at the surface. I just take a net and scoop 10 to 20 up, and then i throw out the larger ones. takes me 5 minutes at most.

Circle hooks are all i use. They work great once you know how to use them. I find i get a much larger number of fish hooked, and I’ve NEVER (knock on wood) had a fish get off when i was using a circle hook.

If you can find the holes, flatheads can be taken during the daytime. I doubt those fish were released, but hey……..who knows…..

I emailed them last year with that exact question. They said the same thing: Bullheads under 7 inches are classified as minnows. I also asked if i could use rough fish (drum/sheepshead, carp, etc.) and they said that was illegal.

Bullheads get my vote…….all my big flatheads except for 1 have been caught on bullheads…….I have never had a bullhead die on me. If you can find a murky pond with a good bullhead population, all you need is a small holed net and some bread. The bullheads will swarm on the bread after a while and with one scoop you can get 10-20. The MN DNR says it’s illegal to use bullheads over 7 inches tho….Once i dropped one on the bank at night. I came back the next day (8 hours later) and he was still breathing!

I got a wi non res license, but i also do some fly fishing, so it isnt that bad of a deal……

How do i get to the CR dam? I live in st. paul, and i’m looking for a new spot……..maybe i could meet some of you all there……

What are you using for bait? Usually when you catch alot of small cats, it means thats all you’ll catch there. Maybe try a different location.

I went to hidden falls yesterday. Half the parking lot was flooded, but if you park and follow the shore towards the dam you can find a decent spot where the “hidden falls” enters the river. There is a bridge there, and there is alot of slack water in the area. I would suggest getting some shrimp and soaking them in vanilla overnite. Then just throw out with a .5-1 ounce weight and just let it sit……..IF your going for flatheads, you know the deal: live bait only…….But for channels (especially bigger ones) the vanilla shrimp work great.

The rising water seems to have helped my fishing. This morning we landed a 34 inch and a 30 inch. Some people say to fish far up in the smallest feeder creeks when the water is high like this, but i find myself catchin’ fish right downstream of the outlet.

I fish the Mississippi and the Minnesota by St. Paul. I live a 8 blocks from lock & dam #1. I havent had the chance to fish the St. Croix yet, but i have a trip to William O’brien on the calander. Where do you fish?

Channels seem to school together at times. Flatheads are completely different. Usually if you can catch one channel, you can catch a few more…….
Urban, you went by hidden falls? We should go fishin sometime…….

All of those places you mentioned could hold flats…..My luck has been in shallower water during this time of year…..but anywhere with alot of structure and/or baitfish. When the water hits 70 degrees, grab your fishin’ pole. Thats when the cats come out….. Try bullheads for bait…..thats my tip of the year, just snip the stingers off with a plyers…….and i always have luck at dusk and dawn. Hope this helps you!

Not crazy……WD-40 is an attractant for catfish. I’ve seen it work…..but it does pollute the river to a certain extent (of course i dare not eat out of the river here anyway). I never heard of it being used on a rag, but i know people that spray it on their bait.